#soceity breakdown

[askfallenroyalty]

absolutely wild to me that for me, i have the story laid out and the comics prepared ahead of time so it's one long sequence. but because it's posted bi-weekly, moments linger and the intended and unintended feelings of the scene last for days, if not weeks.

biggest point: tuesday and thursday work together to me in a simple scene of (set up) and (pay off). but without that pay off, you get a different impression than what i was expecting... i guess this is a microcosm of when i wrote Asriel as a total Jerkwad but I knew their true intentions the whole time. like it was easy to paint them so cruel, cause i knew the pay off was an interesting introspection and critique of capitalism and closeting/isolating oneself from loved ones and soceity.

one of these i gotta reread the story and try my best not to think about my perspective as the writer and think over how i protrayed asriel earlier on in the continue arc.

since you guys actually lived through it- what's your thoughts? did i go too hard in that portrayal? i remember at least one person thought i actually hated asriel because of this at one point afkjasdf

i should mention this chapter serves to humanize Asriel's breakdown and set up a couple aspects of their heel turn to face turn (what would that be called??) hard to explain but basically, you can see Asriel's callousness and "super villian" energy at full display but it's all painted in (what i hope) a very sympathetic and understandable light.

i reaaaally love the tug and pull "is asriel flowey? was asriel flowey all along?" dynamic of the story and i'm hoping this scene can be pointed to as evidence for either side of the arguement

#i also wanna strengthen the family's bonds by having them spend time with each other without drama and just having a nice time #but i think thats kinda... boring in itself and doesn't move the plot along #so it feels weird and hard to justify showing them just farting around enjoying each other but its important for the story to get some down #time after all that action #and i DO love the mundane and loving moments so don't get me wrong here #i'm talking about where characters are just... literally not doing anything. past the banter and characterization they're just not being #proactive. and its hard to write that #let alone pace and feel whats not boring for the reader... #hope i'm making sense #ANYWAY i get so frickin rambly at 1am #ooc #tbd #not art

[ravenwitch45]

do you think striker going insane is punishment enough?

I am so sorry but what the actual fuck?! You don't punish people by tormenting them till they lose their mind, that's just fucking cruel. Having his overbearing ego tempered and humbled is fair, he deserves it to a degree, but he is a HURT AND ANGRY man who has a point despite his actions missing what he should do, noone deserves to lose themselves like that, not even Striker.

Just... that is a cruel suggestion. As someone who is horribly aware of the flaws in soceity and how people ignore them, it overwhelms me to breakdowns, and I wouldn't wish that feeling on ANYONE.

#ask reply #helluva boss #helluva striker

[jlpat82]

Not Out Home

Prologue/Chapter 1

A hundred years ago the human race did the unspeakable, bombs were dropped. Most of the population wasn't prepared for it and millions died as a result. The entire top side of the planet was laid to waste, the land is barren. Constant blowing of hot radioactive winds whip up dust and sand, changing the landscape year by year with large sand dunes. Storms are a constant reminder that our ancestors messed up, these storms drop acidic rain on the soil contaminating it further. Everything that society had known, had become accustomed to was gone in the blink of an eye. Life as they knew it, gone.

You're probably wondering how I know all of this. A small sect of the government foresaw the dropping of the bombs and acted accordingly. They built large complexes made of reinforced materials, not only to withstand the blast but also the inevitable fallout. Small buildings out cropped amongst the wasteland of a landscape. Connect by tunnels underground, and tubes above ground. These tubes are serviced every four years by volunteers, as the blowing sand weakens the tubes reinforced plexiglass. Last year was the last fix year.

I was born in one of these complexes seventy years after the bombs stopped. Growing up in school we learned what life used to be like, what the trees looked like. We learned about the animals that inhabited our planet, what day to day activities those before us did. What I'd give to have been alive during that time. To feel a fresh breeze on my face, to put my feet in a stream.

Everything is recycled, the air that is pushed through our ventilation system is recycled, as is our water. It's collected, purified, and rebottled. And don't get me started on the food.

Why does any of this matter you ask? Well, as a dreamer of times gone by I take the long route wherever I go. I walk through the plexi tubes, staring out imagining what it would be like to take a step out there.

When I saw human foot prints on the outside of the tube and large hand prints on the side I was a little more then startled. We have been told time and time again how toxic the air is outside the walls of our compound. Nothing is said to be able survive out there without the proper suits, even then four hours tops.

Chapter 1

I watched as the sands swirled in and around the steps, slowly covering them. They were definitely human, and large at that. Whoever had made them must have been heavy as the prints themselves were deep. I raised my hand to compare the handprint to mine. My hand was dwarfed by the size and I am no small woman.

I stepped back, dumbfounded, here was someone's feet and hand prints but I saw nothing leading to them or away. It was like they had materialized and vanished back into thin air. I surveyed the tan landscape before me, nothing out of place. Slowly I turned and continued my short walk to work

I work at store the sells the staples of life, preprocessed dinners in four flavors. These bricks came in chicken, beef, pork, and what's that. It's something you just can't quite put you're finger on. Some people say it taste like lamb, others say fish, hence the reason I call it what I do. None of us alive today have tasted true lamb or fish, then again we have never tasted beef, pork, or chicken either.

We also sell bottled water, and a lot of it. Our store also sells clothing, all identical. The same black pants and a polo that comes in four colors, dusty grey, dull blue, dark sand, and white.

When I say our life is boring that is no understatement.

"Julianne, you're late!" Elise, my coworker and best friend stumbled through her whispered words. "You're like never late."

"I was walking the tubes." I caught sight of my boss out of the corner of my eye, so I quickly shut myself up.

"Julianne!" He bellowed, waddling over on short stubby legs. His hair combed over his balding crown. When I said our food was crap I wasn't referring to everyone, just us in lower class. "This is the only warning I'll give, don't not be late again or I'll have them reassign you to the factories."

Elise and I watched as he grabbed a box off the table to our left. He tucked it under his short arm, resting it against one of his rolls. He turned and toddled back to the front of the store favoring his right foot.

"One day I hope he chokes on a sandwich." Elise hissed, crossing her arms.

"Most likely a stroke or a heart attack." I replied, walking into the stockroom. When I said earlier about the whole bricks coming in four flavors that only goes for lower class, like Elise and I. Fat cats like my boss, Robert, are considered upper class. They have a wider variety of foods to chose from.

He was from a wealthy back ground. His grandparents were some kind of oil tycoons before the bombs dropped and they paid a pretty penny to get in the complex. Which pretty much cemented him into a life of luxury. He can go places only other upper class can go. Places I could only dream of.

"Yeah, but choking on a sandwich would not only be far more entertaining but a fitting death as well. Anyway back to your tube story." We loaded a dolly full of boxes with the same dull clothes we were wearing.

"Right, the tube. It's was weird, I saw handprints on the side and foot prints on the ground. But there wasn't any leading to or away from the spot. Like they were dropped there and sucked back into whatever black hole they came from."

"And?" She asked excitedly, I met her eyes. I've been known to make up stories of the could of, would of, should of beens.

"I'm serious, this isn't a story." Fictional books have all been banned. The elites are worried that it'll implant ideas in the lower class that it's safe outside. Thus leading them to opening the compound doors. Not going to lie, I may or may not have a few illegal copies.

"You know as well as I do nothing survives out in that wasteland." She sighed, folding some shirts as she put them on the table.

"But what if something could? It would mean everything everyone knows is wrong."

"Would it be awesome? Certainly, cause no more Pudgy McPudgerson ruling over our lives but it's just not possible. The air is radioactive, so it can't breathe. The water is toxic, so it can't drink and nothing grows out there so no food." She shook her head, blonde hair whipped about. "The outside cannot sustain any kind of life."

"But what if they're wrong? What if they just think the air is still bad?"

"Jules, you go topside, you've seen the Geiger meter."

"Yes, I know and the numbers have never changed. What if it was damaged by the sands, and it's been broken this whole time?" I replied in a hushed tone as someone passed behind us.

"I'm sure they have someone who does maintenance on it, just like the tubes."

"I've been walking the tubes since I was ten. I've seen the crews six times fixing them and not once have I seen anybody doing work on the meter." Grabbing her by the shoulders, I looked her dead in the eye. "Something or someone was out there."

"Okay, fine, I'll humor you. So someone was out there. Where did they go? You said you saw no other prints. So where did they go?" Dang it, she had a point. I let her go, letting out a deep sigh. I felt my shoulders sag. "I don't mean to be mean, but, think about this logically?"

"You're right. It must have been a figment of my imagination." I dropped it, I knew I couldn't make a good point, at least not logically.

The rest of the day was spent stocking shelves and me trying to wrap my brain around the prints. Maybe I had been seeing things earlier or could the wind have displaced the sands to resemble foot prints. That wouldn't account for the handprints on the glass though. The last fix was just over a year ago, surely those would of been washed off in the rain. Then again could the gloves from the protective suits even make hand prints.

I was still deep in thought as I reached my locker. Absentmindedly I retrieved my jacket from it's depths.

"Earth to Jules." Elise waved her hand in front of my face.

"Huh? Sorry, I was thinking."

"Are you taking the tunnels home?" She enquired grabbing her purse.

"Not tonight, I'm going to take the tube back."

"Is that even safe?" Her brows knitted together as her voice raised a notched. There have been rumors of criminal activity that happens in the tubes at night. I have never seen it personally, nor have I ever met anyone who has been attacked either. Normally I don't take them at night, there aren't any lights in them so when the moon is gone or a storm rolls in it's pitch black.

"I'll be fine. Anyway, I'm running low on fare." I responded, shutting my locker. We walked to the front of the store together, Elise shook her head.

"I can spot you, I really don't like the idea of walking them at night." She paused, I turned to my friend, her face was etched with worry.

"Really, I'll be fine."

"Fine, since I can't get you to change your mind, will you at least call me when the home? Just so I won't stay up half the night worrying."

"Okay, mom." I teased, I pushed the door handle to the tube entrance as we parted ways.

I stepped out into the darkness, I inhaled a deep breath. Calmly I started my journey home, my foot steps echoing off the walls. I could hear the faint whisper of the sands as they whipped across the plexiglass. The path before me barely illuminated by the small sliver of moonlight that peaked around the edge of the clouds that were slowly rolling in.

I pulled my pepper spray from my pocket, yet another illegal item that I had acquired. The things you can get your hands on when you know the right people. I had only recently started carrying it after Robert had made a pass at me. He didn't like my response to his advances.

Slowly the tube began to darken completely. It didn't take long before I was surrounded by the inky blackness of the night. I took a slow breath trying to still my heart rate.

There is something about walking in the darkness that preys on your subconscious. Makes you aware of stuff that isn't really there. You see and hear things that aren't real , it's almost like it's hardwired into our DNA. Pareidolia, that's the name for it. Seeing a face in the curtains or hearing a phone ring while the shower is running.

I thought I saw something out of there as I continued walking through the tube. Whatever it was it was a good distance out, it might have been the silhouette of person I really couldn't be sure. Whatever it was, it seemed to be keeping pace with me.

I stopped, my heart slowly accelerating, as I took step to the tube wall. I pressed my face to the cool glass and wrapped my hands around my temples. Nothing just a dark void of nothingness was on the other side.

I had to have been seeing things. If it was out there, it had stopped moving and was no longer visible. I heard a plink on the ceiling of the tube, quickly succeeded by other. I couldn't see, but I knew it had started to rain. I dropped my arms to side and sighed.

I continued my walk home, my fingers gracing the cold glass for guidance. I listened to the song of the rain as it cascaded down from the heavens. Wondering if the droplets were cold or warm. A green bolt danced lazily across the sky. In that flash, I stopped dead in my tracks. The silhouette was still out there, parallel with me, I saw it just out of the corner of my eye.

Thunder rolled, as my heart leapt in my throat threatening jump from my body. My hand tremble against the wall, I knew I saw it. My mind was not playing tricks on me, something was out there. Another green flashed etched itself through the clouds, he was closer this time. He was watching me.

I took a deep breath as the air crackled with a loud rumble. I braced myself, willing myself not tremble as I again stepped up to the tube wall. I placed my shaking hands on the wall completely as I turned.

The sky lit up again, and he was standing before me on the opposite side of the glass. His dark brown hair hung just short of his massive shoulders, stringy from the rain. Mahogany eyes bore down upon me with curiosity. The thunder reverberated through the tube before the lighting had stopped.

It is at this point I wish I could say I stood transfixed, and excitedly watched the watcher watching me. Alas, I did what any normal, healthy person would do. I stumbled back screaming, losing my footing in the process and landed on my rear.

In hindsight, this was not the smartest thing I have ever done. Remember earlier how I said I could hear my own footsteps as I walked? Well, if you have stuck your head in a enclosed glass box and screamed you would know that that amplifies the sound.

Needless to say, my ears were ringing as I sprang to my feet and rushed down the hall. It was disorienting, running in complete darkness with a lazy green strobe light going off. I tripped a couple of time, my heart hammering hard in my chest, attempting to break free. Too scared to turn around to see if he was still there, I ran full speed down the enclosed corridor.

I didn't realize how far down the tube I was, but when my face greeted the door I figured out I must of been half through by the time I saw him. In retrospect, I'm really surprised I didn't knock myself out.

I threw the door open to my building and sprinted up the four flights of stairs. I pulled my keys from my pocket as I reached my apartment, the key shook in my trembling fingers. Finally I was able to get it in the lock. I turned the knob, threw open my door and slammed it behind me. I turned the thumb lock, re-locking the door behind me.

My lungs burned with that raw feeling as I sucked in air. My chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I have no idea why I ran for my life, it's not like he could get in the building. All doors to the outside were locked and secured, there was no way in.

"What the heck Julianne?" My sister, Sasha, came bounding around from the kitchen to the living room.

"There was," I took a deep breath, locking eyes with confused woman. "Someone out there."

"Uh, yeah, that's what happens when you go to work. There's lost of someones." She smirked, leaning against the wall.

"No, outside." I rushed the window looking down, lighting lit up the sky but the ground was to far away to make anything out.

"Yeah, as I said there are people outside as rule." She jested, watching me in amusement.

"No, I mean outside outside. Not out side our place." I almost shriek, point out the window. "Out there!"

"What?" She rushed over the window, peering out. She turned and looked me, her eyes narrowed as her brows scrunched up. "I don't see anything, I think you hit you head to hard."

"No, I saw him first, then I hit my head."

"Oh, so now it's him?" She grinned, folding one arm over the other.

"Look, I saw foot prints this morning, on the outside of the tube." I stressed the second half of that statement before she could make another joke out of it. "And now I've seen him. How is this possible?"

"It's not, are you sure you saw someone? It's really dark out there." Her face was puzzled at my indignation, I didn't blame her. What I was saying didn't make any sense.

"I saw him when the lighting was going off, not just once or twice but three times. And one of those times he was as close me as you are." I looked back out the window, trying to wrap my mind around the whole ordeal. The phone rang somewhere behind me as I scoured the ground.

"Hey Elise." I heard Sasha in the kitchen. "She's home. And going on about some guy she saw outside the tube.'

'I know, I know. I'm still trying to calm her down right now. She's shaken up pretty good at the moment." I glanced over my shoulder at my sister, sighing heavily. I gave up and wandered back to my bedroom. Trying to explain this to either of them wasn't going to work.

I laid down on my bed, staring up at the white ceiling. His face flashed through my mind. He seem just a surprised to see me as I was of him. I know one thing, I was going to walk the tubes tomorrow to find him again, even if the meant all day

Permanent tag-

@kitkatkl @devilbat

#dystopia #dystopien #government #government break down #elite #soceity breakdown #violence #scifi #slowburn #mutated

[zuzuslastbraincell]

For the salty ask game: 6, 10 and 16? <3

6: Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

I never used to like kataang or maiko much, but I’m good with the former and really like the latter now.

while I’m still not a big fan of the kataang (without wanting to write an essay: ember island players ruins it for me), I’ve softened on it a lot largely just from seeing the content for it on here. they’re just honestly very sweet? I don’t know if it’ll last for practical reasons, but the idea of aang & katara offering each other hope from the beginning and until the end is just lovely. 

as for maiko, I absolutely love the strength of mai & zuko’s dynamic (platonic or romantic) just from their boiling rock interactions alone. I feel like a lot of early s3 maiko very much demonstrates that they have some communication difficulties to work through together (thinking about the beach in particular here, but also the ‘are you cold?’ scene, as well as the break-up via letter interaction, that’s the big one) and in a sense mai represents part of zuko’s ‘ideal’ life as a perfect prince that he realises that he has to break from in the first half of s3, but I’ve come around to the idea that if they spent some time working through their communication issues they could really have something lovely? I do also think mai deserves a short break from the stifling culture of nobility/time to explore herself first, but after that? totally could work. like, i’m personally really attached to the gay zuko headcanon and always have been but a lot recent mutuals are maiko shippers and i’ve become very attached to maiko as well because of them (in parallel universes of course).

16: If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

so many things....

1. less racist, more sensitive worldbuilding. crucially better south asian rep, clear south asian rep. this also means including removing the caricature of guru pathik and changing the design of combustion man (and p’li) not to include a reference to shiva. the show’s philosophies and vocabulary owes so much to south asian culture and the lack of representation in that aspect alone is shocking.

2. references to the fact that there are some air nomad survivors / descendents in hiding in various and that being a late s2 / s3 subplot. (maybe aang is still the last airbender tho? but certainly his culture won’t die with him). the culture isn’t perfectly preserved / has changed with time and enduring hardships, some things have been lost, but there are still survivors clinging on, proud. maybe it’s this community that helps with him the avatar state, not a random guru? or they could help him with his s3e1 dilemma about ‘blending in’, as many of them have discarded certain aspects of appearance in order to hide? i feel like this could add so much to aang’s arc in the latter half of the show.

3. better writing of the white lotus, with the white lotus as a international resistance org that operates in all nations, that uses old man’s pai sho club as a front. they’re introduced as opposing the dai li in ba sing se, as trying to organise resistance in secret, have ties to some local revolutionary/radical factions as they have a long standing rivalry with the dai li (& part of the reason the dai li side with azula is to crush the white lotus and resistance to their reign). iroh is not grand lotus but merely gets recruited in s2, as part of a redemption arc.

4. a subtle iroh redemption arc where iroh realises he cannot simply be passive and perhaps let the treasonous thought ”hm, maybe it would have been better if the avatar fought sozin” cross his mind - he needs to take a more active role in opposing the fire nation, and he joins the white lotus. i think he also needs to reckon quite specifically with the cost of the siege of ba sing se, he needs to make amends to those hurt from it on both sides - be confronted by fire nation defectors who left after the siege because why were their deaths less important that his son’s? as well as encounter how the siege left scars on the lower ring, in a less visible way (untrained lower ring residents formed resistance militia and generally died in huge numbers; plague and starvation greatly affected the lower ring, etc.). no iroh as a moral authority here - he’s morally grey trying to become good. also he doesn’t stick around in ba sing se, he realises the jasmine dragon, as lovely as it is, isn’t true redemption either, and at the end of the series he stays in the fire nation.

5. leading into point 3 (and 4): in s3 the gaang encounters and works with grassroots underground resistance in the fire nation. i think this is a better message than ‘oh the fire nation is a soceity ridden by class division that exploits its poorer / less privileged people and its own environment as long as it doesn’t affect the elite, and turns even its most privileged children into traumatised child soldiers and is indirectly hurt by its own colonialism and imperialistic culture, and that’s deeply sad’ - i think a better message is ‘the fire nation is a society with all those problems and you can do something about it. you can stand up. even though that’s scary.’ this resistance group is around for day of black sun (in fact they’re vital to it) and then you see a key member in boiling rock too.

6. no combustion man. honestly? weak writing. would much prefer zuko attempting to ‘stealthily’ track the gaang on the false premise of a ‘welcome home tour’ where he slips out under night to try and chase them down - this would mostly be alluded to in a few scenes. i also think this would get zuko to realise how much the fire nation itself has been hurt from war. i think the main early s3 plot points e.g. the beach episode still happens, as does the war meeting. i feel like zuko would need extra firepower to be a decent s3 threat - maybe he takes mai and ty lee with him? zuko ultimate lesbian ally takes bored lesbians from the palace for a knife throwing chi blocking field trip kjfshdj i’m joking. but seriously we could also have a combustion bender on board as well as a potential new character (i’m imagining someone like a younger p’li if i’m honest, same age range as zuko), as long as they have a character beyond being a scary assassin. maybe they defect early to the resistance group before the day of black sun, tell zuko they should too (but zuko doesn’t listen)? that’d be rad.

7. the existence of grassroots resistance would basically allow for the series to end with zuko being offerred the crown, but deciding to give it up / end the royal line. rather than a power vacuum, or iroh, the existance of resistance means there are clearly people (i.e. adults) who can fill that space. maybe this is a bit optimistic of me but i would just love to set up a scenario where zuko doesn’t become a boy-king of an imperialist nation and where absolute monarchy doesn’t continue, where there’s a clear shift in system. i understand the narrative power of zuko acknowledges he has inherited wealth and power that has been gained through exploitation and imperialism, and dedicating his whole life to undoing the damage his family has done, but i think he can do this without being the fire lord? in fact not being the fire lord is a good first step. zuko finds another way of doing exactly this.

8. talked about this a lot recently but better toph s3 representation & greater ties to the earth kingdom. also, i’d just appreciate a lot more flavour from the earth kingdom as a whole, and more prominent characters from there?

9. okay i’m not sure there is quite honestly space in the narrative for an azula redemption clearly on screen in as much depth as zuko’s but 1. i’d like iroh not to treat her horribly, thanks, and maybe even try to reach out to her at appropriate moments, maybe we see him (comically) say a lovely warm hello during her s2 appearances, maybe we see her play pai sho with him in s3 while he’s in prison in return for some secret info he’s not actually giving her while he’s not-so-subtly suggesting she should defy her father (but it’s too little too late, he already *chose* zuko in her eyes, and perhaps he did and is only just beginning to realise that) 2. i would like some hope and optimism at the end for azula. her breakdown is truly tragic but it feels like pain for pain’s sake in a sense - i would have loved for the finale scene with zuko & ozai replaced with a scene where someone visits azula and tells them they’ll be there for her and/or they love her. perhaps iroh, perhaps zuko (though i think that one would be more complicated obviously). i would love a post-finale scene where iroh sets up a tea shop somewhere in the fire nation where we see azula out the back, finishing up wiping down/mopping the patio, and before aang goes inside to say hi to his friends, we see them bump into each other - azula bows deeply, a clear apology, and aang accepts it. then we see azula runs off to go hang out with some friends before we follow aang inside as he encounters his own friends.

basically i’d rewrite a lot of s3. i’m dearly, dearly attached to s3, especially the second half, which has some of my favourite episodes of the entire season, but i think it’s flawed.

#drowning-in-cacophony #long post #sorry this ended up being REALLY long

[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

A hundred years after the last of the bombs dropped humanity lives in confined buildings mostly under ground. In a society where the elite rule over those they deem lesser then themselves.

Julieanne longs for the days of the past, one where she could step foot in the world outside the compound she lives in. Everyone knows that world is tainted and nothing survives. That is till she sees handprints on the outside of the glass.

Suddenly her world is flipped and the revolution will start.

Prologue/Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4 Chapter 5  Chapter 6  Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9  Chapter 10 Chapter 11  Chapter 12  Chapter 13  Chapter 14 Chapter 15  Chapter 16  Chapter 17  Epilogue

#dystopia #government break down #violence #hope #death #soceity breakdown #dystopien #slowburn #original #original content #original character #scifi #1st person

[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

Chapter 3

"Elise, I'm telling you, he is real. I've seen him, and I've talked to him. Look." I glanced around the empty stockroom and pulled a vial out of my pocket.

"What is that?" She asked, as I handed it to her. She shook the vial and watched the brown powder bounce back and forth.

"It's soil, dirt, earth. It's from outside." I told her excitedly. She glanced at me wide eyed, ducking her head just lightly.

"It's what?!" She almost shrieked, I shushed her and looked around panic stricken someone heard her. "Sorry, but what do you mean it's soil. This is forbidden, punishable by death if they catch you with it."

"I know."

"I know you know but I don't think you understand. This isn't like one of your other many trinkets. This is a contamination breech. This, this tiny bit of soil, could be down fall of our entire existence. And here you are happy as lark showing it to me, and if I don't report it that's death for me." She pushed it back into my hand, I felt like I had just been kicked. I trusted Elise with my life, she knew about my underground lifestyle. She knew everything there was to know about me.

"Look, I'm sorry, I just thought." I trailed off.

"That being said, that's kinda awesome." She gave me a wicked smile, I let out a deep sigh of relief. "I wonder what else is out there."

"A whole world we know nothing about." I exclaimed full of excitement.

The day seemed to pass by slowly. Every hour was agonizingly slow, very little product came in for us to stock and we had very few customers in the building.

I watched the clock my last hour, the minutes slowly ticked by. Finally the clock struck six and we could leave. I rushed to my locker grabbing my things quickly. Elise sprinted to catch up with me.

"So are you going to come with me?" I turned to look at her, apprehension filled me.

"Jules, I love that this is happening to you and I'll listen to every word you tell me but I just can't. I can't take the risk of getting caught on this one." I nodded, I knew where she was coming from. She had other people that depended on her well being, the risk was too high for her.

"I understand. Have a safe ride home." I turned and just about sprinted out the sidedoor, not going to lie I was disappointed. I could understand her fears, her worries, if my life was different then maybe I wouldn't do what I doing but it wasn't.

The tube was utter darkness, there was no moon out to guide my way. I ran my hand against the cold plexiglass wall to guide me. I listened to my foot steps echo as I walked home. I was deep in thought, wondering what it would be like to cross paths with menacing creature that the watcher had described. Would I be fast enough to escape? Would I be cunning and be able to outsmart them?

It was then at this point it dawned on me, I could hear another set of foot prints. It was walking a few steps faster coming from behind me. Could it be the watcher? I turned my head slightly to hear better, and I heard foot steps coming from ahead of me.

I reached into my pocket, only to releaize that my pepper spray must have fallen out when I stumbled the other night. I slinked, backing up to the tube side, my heart thumped hard in my chest. The foot steps were close as the sound of metal on plastic started to get louder.

If I stood not moving, whatever they were dragging against the wall would surely find me. If I dropped in a crouching position, there was still the possibility of being caught by the metal and then I would be at a disadvantage. I was screwed, I was maybe halfway through tube, and no way to get help.

I reminded myself to breathe easy, as my heart threaten to burst from my chest. Two on one, and I had little doubt what was in the tubes with me. They had me at disadvantage, if it was who I feared they lived their whole life's in the darkest parts of the underground. I crossed my fingers I was wrong.

I heard one scrape past on the opposite side of me as the other was quickly approaching. I stepped forward quietly, and turned placing my back against the other wall. I heard a the scratching noise pass by just where I had be standing seconds earlier. The foots step began to quiet down as they got farther away.

I felt a sense of relief wash over me, only to be filled dread knowing they hadn't left the tube. Surely they had heard me enter the tube, as I hadn't heard them exit. I was stuck in here, with two people I couldn't see. They had weapons and I had, I had my brain. I would trade that for my pepper spray in a flash.

I slipped off my heavy work shoes, and left them on the side of the tube that the person going away from my building had walked. Hoping if for what ever reason it came back this way the individual would be tripped. I cautiously continued walking the direction of my home. Without my shoes it was deathly quiet, I could only hear my own breath.

I felt something brush up against my arm, it was cool and sharp. In an instant, I heard the individual start to turn, I dropped down. I listened as metal connected with the plexie, I brought my elbow up as I stood, it connect with air. I missed.

However the blinding pain in my ribs told me that whoever it was did connect with me, I dropped to the ground. Attempting to remember how to breathe again when I felt a sharp pain hit me in the ribs again.

"Eh, we got us a girl this time!" I heard him yell down the tube. I pushed myself to my feet as I threw a half ass punch in the inky black night, holding my side. Nothing again as it struck out into the air.

Pain exploded across my cheek and I fell to the ground. I guess I can safely say that the violence in the tubes wasn't just a rumor. I could hear the second set of foot prints rapidly approach.

"Ain't she something, you got her good too. Busted her cheek wide open." I felt something touch my stinging cheek. "She'll still fetch for a good price."

Great, it was just as bad as I thought it would be, they were underlings. They were the worst of the worst in the underground network. These people had no morals and would do anything for quick buck. Ruthless killers, if you happen to have a bounty on your head. They are also quite adept at being able to see in little to no light. I had picked the wrong night to take the tubes home.

"Think she's carrying any?" I felt hands on me in an instant searching my pockets first, looking for money. Then one of them got handsy and started to cop a feel. I lashed out kicking, landing it somewhere on one of them.

He howled in pain as his fiend of a friend started laughing. Something scuffled toward me, he landed another blow on the side of head.

"Bitch!"

"Watch out, Roy. She's a feisty one." His friend got out between laughs, an earthy smell filled my senses.

"Boys, I think you best to leave the girl alone." That voice, I knew it. Visions of him sitting on my couch, I knew it was time to make my escape.

"Back off, yulo. This is our paycheck." A remark echoes through the air. I was crawling away when the scuffle broke out behind me as I crawled to my knees. Pain coursed through my side as pulled up.

I pushed myself to my feet and ran the rest of the way through the tube, I found the door just as I heard screams echo from the darkness behind me. I didn't stop running till I was in my apartment, slamming the door behind me once again.

"Julianne, what are the clothes in the bathroom? You had a boy over and..." She came around the corner and saw me. "What happened?"

"I was cornered by underlings in the tube." I winced as Sasha came up to me and touched my cheek. "As for clothes I can totally explain."

"Well, let's clean you up first." She led me to the bathroom, Sasha poured some alcohol on to the towel and pressed to my bleeding cheek. It stung to the high heavens. "I would say sorry but, it's your own fault taking those things at night. You're lucky you got away, very few escape underlings, and you of all people know that. So how did you do it?"

"The watcher, he showed up." I winced, as she bandaged my cheek.

"What?"

"If you would stop, I'll explain." I said pulling away, she crossed her arms waiting. "The man from the outside of the tubes, he was here last night. Those are his clothes, I was going to throw them in the wash but someone would of seen me. So I hand washed them and hung them up to dry. After I was jumped in the tube he showed up again. That's how I got away."

"So your mystery man saved your skin?" She asked, giving me a look that said she wasn't believing me. "How'ed he get in then?"

"I don't know!" I almost yelled. "You can not believe me all you want, but these are his clothes."

I frantically searched my pockets for the vial of dirt to show her. It was gone, I became more panicked at the realization that one of the underlings must have pocketed it thinking it was drugs. If they knew what they had I was in bigger trouble then I was in already.

"Oh no, it's gone. Shit." My voice was high and tense.

"What's gone?"

"The dirt, it was in a small glass bottle, it's soil from outside and they must have taken it." I ran to the door.

"You are not going back out there!" She argued following me. I turned to face her at the door as I was opening it.

"I have to get it back!" I stepped out while still facing my sister and ran right into the watcher. I stumbled back clutching my side as pain seared through it, he caught my arm before I fell back on my butt.

"Are you okay?" Concern in his face.

"Uh, yeah. I think so." I winced, holding the ribs that had been kicked.

"No, you're not. You're hurt." He walked in and closed the door behind himself. Shielding his eyes he walked me to the kitchen. He pointed to the table. "Sit."

I did as I was told, I watched him walk over and turn the lamp on. He flipped the over head light off, my sister stood by the door her jaw gaping open in shock. He came back to me and attempted to lift my shirt up. I fought to push it back down, his face became stern.

"Let me see your ribs." He ordered, something in his voice told me not the argue. I took my shirt off, heat rose to my face.

He placed his large hands on the light blue purple bruise starting to form. I looked at him, he wasn't this close before. His skin was pale, and his face held the scruff of a five-o-clock shadow. Blood was lightly smeared on the his cheek but I didn't see any wound. His hands were also covered in someone else's blood I presumed.

He smelled of earth and the coppery smell of blood, a whirlwind of other scents I didn't recognize. He pressed lightly on the spot, I pulled away as a sharp pain followed. He reached around pulled me back toward him.

"Stop moving." He mumbled, I flushed up as he pressed his hot hand against my side again. Instinctively I pulled away, my face knotted with confusion and pain. He put his hands on the table, looking back up at me from under his brow. "If you don't stop moving I can't fix your rib."

"It hurts when you press on it." I replied softly, making eye contact. They looked golden this evening with ivy flecks streaking through them.

"You have a broken rib, I know it hurts but it will keep hurting if I don't set it." He reached back around, pulling me back towards him.

"How do you know she has a broken rib?" Oh look, Sasha finally found her voice, I thought.

"I can feel it." He placed his hand on my side again. Slowly his hand started to heat up as he applied gentle pressure at first.

"How can you set it? Doctors can't even set them, they just tape you up and send you home." She bulked at him.

"Cause, I'm not a doctor. I'm genetically modified." He replied cooly, his hand became very hot, and the pressure started to hurt immensely. I managed to stay still, not to pulling away this time. "Good girl."

"What are you doing?" My sister asked again, watching in horror as she could see the pain through soar through my face.

"Fixing her rib." I saw him roll his eyes this time.

"Yeah, I got that but how?" He looked up at me again, I could see the annoyance on his face. A sudden wave of pain hit me like brick, knocking the breath from my body. I became light headed, he was quick to reach around and keep me in place.

"It's almost over, kid. Just hold on a bit longer." He murmured, heat spread out in my side as I felt a crawling sensation. "I pushed the bone back into place and  now I'm accelerating the bone growth."

"How can you do that? That's impossible." She admonished, the crawling sensation eased up. My side was warm, and he removed his hands from me.

"All done, kid. Just take easy the next day or two." He told me me softly, and smiled while I took slow deep breaths. I pulled my shirt back on as he turned to face my sister. "What part of genetically modified didn't you hear? I'm not like any of you, I can see, hear, smell, and do things you can't. Example, I can tell you broke five of the small bones in your left foot, probably around the age the seven. It was never set right, it gives you problems after you get off of work because swells and hurts."

"You're right. We were pretending to fly in our bedroom, Sasha jumped off the top bunk and land on a toy house. The doctors said nothing could be done and taped her foot." I replied sliding off the table clutching my tender side. Sasha's eyes widened as she brought her hand to her mouth. "What happened to the underlings?"

"The what?" He asked, turning to me.

"The guys that attacked me."

"They won't be bothering you, or anyone else, any more." His voice was cold and flat. His face was stone, no emotion this golden eyes changed to bronze in an instant as he looked over his should to me. In my gut I knew, being on the wrong side of this man was a very deadly place to be.

"Who are you?" Sasha whispered.

"They called me Reaper." He walked slowly to the door. I rushed past him, not ready for him leave. I wanted to know more, I had to know more. I slammed my body against the door and pain burned through my ribs. "Damn it, kid, I told you to take it easy."

I slid down the door, the pain was unbearable this time. It was hard to catch my breath, Reaper lifted me off the ground. Shaking his head he took me back to the kitchen and laid me on the table. Placing his hand on my side again, he look me in eye the storm in those eyes had vanished and they were golden again.

"You're lucky you didn't break them again. You can only fix someone's bones so many times." His eyes were tired, not like ready to sleep tired. Tired in away when you've seen the world collapse and die, and every one you is know and have care about has left his earth. Where fighting for your life is a daily struggle, I could of been reading to much into it but I could only imagine. "No more slamming yourself into stationary objects, I have to go. The lights are killing my head and the walls are closing in around me. You need to go to sleep."

With that he turned and left, I didn't move from the table. I watched him as he closed the door behind himself. The room was quiet, I slowly sat up and looked around. My sister seemed as confused as I was.

"Well, you finally brought a boy home, I think we should celebrate."

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Not Our Home

Chapter 9

It had been along time since he was down here, Preacher thought, the underground halls hadn't changed. He lead the group through the maze of corridors, twists and turns in the absolute darkness. He was in front, followed by Sasha, Julianne, and Reaper bring up the rear. Each held onto the shirt of the one leading, so not to get lost.

"We need a place to stop, and devise a plan," Reapers voice just above a whisper. "To figure away out of this city."

"I know the perfect place." I responded.

"First, we need to stop by and get a few things." Preacher added. His voice calm, as we rounded another corner.

"How do you know where we are going?" Sasha whispered.

"I snuck in when the bombs starting dropping, before the seals were put into place. At first I stayed down here, to avoid being seen. This was long before the criminals took over the place."

"Why did you come here to begin with?" I asked.

"Once I realized that someone had went through and murdered the scientist on our team I knew it wouldn't be long before they came after us. It took me a while to figure out it was Riptide that betrayed us. He was the one that let the activated nukes slip past." He paused for a moment and then took another turn. "I knew that if he saw me, he would kill me. So I snuck in and went straight to darkest most unlivable place I could."

"Basement level." Sasha stated.

"Exactly, I stayed here for a long while. Roaming these catacombs, I had free roam. Once every month guards would sweep through, they didn't know the darkness like I did. I smashed every light I passed, I wanted the darkness."

"Why?" She asked.

"Being genetically modified the complete darkness is nothing for me. I can see just as well as you can in the day, the people that came down here had limited visibility. I could out run them, cause I could see them coming. The only down side, it makes daylight a bitch to handle."

"When did you go top side?"

"Couple decades back, I stayed low and kept to myself. Found out Riptide didn't hand pick the military, if that's what you call those idiots, anymore and joined. Did a lot I ain't proud of." You could hear the agitation in his voice. "We're here."

I could hear some metal on metal scrapping, Preacher let a sound of a mixture of a groan and a huff. Low light spilled into the hall as he pushed the heavy metal door open.

We stepped into the room, it was smallish. One single light bulb mounted in the far corner was the only source of light. Items I had only seen in videos hung from hooks on the wall. Old camouflage army fatigues adorned with a heavy bulky vest, no doubt reinforced Kevlar. Dusty black boots sat neatly squared under each set, large rifles artfully hung on the walls. These were items from another era. An era tense by war and bloodshed, supposedly a thing of the past.

"I believe these belong to you, Sir." Preacher handed Reaper a set, a name emblazoned across the right breast of the jacket. Harper, in bold stitching. A smile played across his face as he took them, he pulled them close.

"How I've missed you." Reaper spoke softly, pulling his shirt off. Scars lined his bare chest, I turned quickly looking at my sister. Preacher was in the middle of disrobing, changing into his uniform.

"Sasha, you can wear these." Preacher handed her a set, she gladly took them. She stripped quickly out of her slime and maggot covered clothes. They dropped with a wet thud.

"Julianne," Reaper pulled me aside, he handed me a set of fatigues. "These were your grandmother's, you should wear them."

"Why?" I cautiously took them from him, his face relaxed a bit. The kindness had returned to his eyes, something I hadn't seen since that night in my house.

"You are a lot like her." He replied as Preacher walked up to us, handing Reaper a rifle. He turned to me and pushed one in my hands on top of clothes. Bewildered, I turned my attention to him.

"Trust me, we'll need them." He stated, turning he walked back to the wall of weapons.

"News flash Rambo, we normal people don't know how to use these!"

"Easy to figure out, you hold gun, point it thing want to permanently stop and pull the trigger." He replied not looking back.

"You should get dressed." Reaper added and followed his comrade.

I stripped quickly, and put the uniform on. It was heavy and bulkier then it looked while hanging. It felt odd to put on clothes of someone who had been deceased for as long as she had been. Her being my grandmother just made it very weird. Hopefully history would not repeat.

—-

"What do you mean you lost them!" Riptide yelled inches from the guards ruddy face.

"It was guard 116, he turned on me." The poor man croaked out, his eyes averted from Riptide. His left eye was swollen shut, dried blood crusted around his broken nose.

"How?! You were supposed to be one of the best! You passed everything with honors you stupid moron!" Riptide's whole head was a bright red, a vein bulged from his temple throbbing with every word. He absent mindedly rub the back of his head. He could feel the headache starting to come on, he was beginning to wonder if he was surrounded by idiots.

Riptide stepped over to the computer, quickly typed in 116. The computer brought up the file, there was a face he hadn't seen in a hundred years. Riptide felt the blood wash from his face, as a cold chill raked through his body.

The ghost from his past popped up on screen. Preacher had just barely slipped in the force, nothing worth while on his record.  Just average, the kid knew how to cheat the system. No honors, no disciplinary actions, because of this he was able to slip under his radar.

"How long has he been on the patrol unit for the prisons?" He barked, panic raised his voice a notch as his hands started to tremble. This could be detrimental, dealing with Reaper was going to be a challenge but adding Preacher to the problem aggravated the situation. Preacher was Reaper's second in command, his go to buddy. Not only did this mean it was a two on one but Reaper would now know the lay out of entire complex.

"This was his second patrol shift." He slowly brought his eyes up, looking at his commanding officer. His brow knotted together, he saw fear in the man's eyes.

"Damn it!"

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking why is that so damning?"

"Because he only needs a day to completely memorize the entire lay out of structure. It was his unique specialty."

"Sir, the guy barely qualified on his exams, I don't see how that is possible."

"He is not as stupid as you are! That's why, his brain works at a faster and higher setting then your peanut size brain does."

"Uh, I don't think I'm following you."

"He's like me." Riptide pull his handgun out, he pointed to his own head with it. "My brain is much bigger then yours, hence why I'm in control and you are not. We, him and I, were created to be better then people like you."

"What do you mean, created?" Riptide brought the gun down leveling it to the ruddy faced guards head. He pulled the trigger, blowing chucks out of his head.

"You wouldn't understand, and now I wasted a perfectly good bullet."

—-

Reaper was in deep conversation with Preacher, he looked over briefly and pointed to the black boots. I slowly sat down, pulling a pair of socks that had been rolled up in one of the boots. I shook the dust off of them pulling them on, watching them conspire. I grabbed one of the heavy boots, I dusted it off and saw a full shine. I shoved my foot into it as Sasha came over, she sat next to me and she started doing the same.

"Wonder what their plan is." She stated, watching the two, as she laced the boots tightly.

"Escape, fight back, who knows." I sighed, I turned my head to look at my sister. Red slime still clung in her hair, blood streaked across her ivory cheek. Even in the low lighting I could see the dust that streaked her face. I never asked her to be apart of any of this, and she was in no way obligated to stay. She continued to prove me wrong.

It seemed like our old lives were hidden far deep in the past, so much had changed in a week. The world her and I grew up in had changed violently, but it hadn't changed at all. It was the same, we had just woken from the dream into a nightmare fueled by hate and bloodlust, that was our reality. The facade had been pulled back, leaving devastating results in its wake.

Genetically modified people were a reality, they stood before us, the last of a forgotten era. Living relics, trained to fight, trained to kill. They had once lived by code to protect, and that's what they were planning on doing. While one attempted to keep us at bay, by all cost.

The world outside our revered reinforced cinder walls were far from the utopia most had aspired for it to one day be. It in its self, the world as a whole, was livable, filled with horrifying wonders yet to be seen. Twisted and knarled oddies waiting to be to be gazed upon. Lands to be explored and documented, fresh air to breathed. A life I had always wanted to see.

Within these walls is the real horror show we had seen. We had been kept in check by powers beyond our control. Cruel and evil men who held our daily lives captive, not only to keep the status quo in check but actively kept our numbers in check. We had been fed the flesh of our peers none the wiser, arguing over flavors that we had never really tasted. Going to and from meaningless jobs, to appease the elite. We were nothing more then clogs on a wheel.

She had seen these horrors first hand, and yet here she was, sitting next to me. Willing to fight till the end of line, a strength I had never known radiated from somewhere deep with in Sasha. She didn't give up when they took me, with the intent of killing me, even with odds stacked against her. It was her loyalty that brought her the courage she needed to keep going. Then again I could hallucinating all of that, and in reality all she just wanted to do was go home and take a hot shower.

"You said you know a place?" Preacher asked walking towards us. "They'll starting sweeping soon, trust me we don't want a fire fight down here."

"Yeah, can you get us to housing complex A?" I responded taking Reaper's hand as he helped me off the ground, pulling me a bit to close to him. I felt like a tiny awkward creature being that close, I could feel the heat spread through my cheeks. His golden eyes locked onto mine.

"Can I get you to housing complex A?" Preacher chuckled mocking me, as he grabbed a couple more handguns, strapping them to his thighs. He tossed a couple to Reaper who caught them one handed without breaking eye contact with me. "Oh child, if you only knew where I've been."

"Preacher, lead the way." Reaper stated, slowly turning from me. My heart in my throat, I let out a deep breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Why did he do that to me.

—-

"Gentlemen, we've had a breach." Riptide shouted, pacing before the hundred men. "First we have a man who has come in from the outside. A contaminant has breached our walls as is a potential threat to our hollowed society, he is to be considered highly dangerous. He will also be armed to the teeth, this man is not to be under estimated. Do not hesitate, take him down, I assure you he will not hesitate to put a bullet through your skull. The second problem we have had one of our own has turned on us."

All eyes, focused on him. He had re-composed himself since his slip, a momentary weakness. He could feel his power begin to course back through him, he was back in control. These idiots were eating up what he had to say, not questioning his orders. Things back to the way it should be and soon back normal all the way around.

"He is also to be considered highly dangerous, he will also be armed. Though 116 seemed to be average don't let that fool you. The man is a highly trained killer. He is ruthless, shoot at first chance. Both these men must be taken with a head shot, if you miss and shoot another body part they will still continue to fight. Be alert to your surroundings, these two have skills you could only dream of." He paused waiting for his instructions to sink in. He had to remind himself that he was dealing with simpletons. After this was all said and done, these men would be purged and the records wiped. Like nothing ever happened. "As for the woman, I want her taken alive."

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@devilbat @tarithenurse @radicalesbians @lilmissravingwriter @no-fuhking-idea

Let me know if you want tagged.

#dystopia #dystopien #government break down #soceity breakdown #slowburn #violence #scifi #elite #1st person

[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

Chapter 5

The underground is always very dimly lit, most of the over head light were smashed long ago. There is one uncovered bulb every fifteen feet, I know I've counted. It's one giant hall that zig-zags under our city with rooms that branch out the sides. The dulo's that live here have very few necessities. Buckets filled with human waste are placed in closets and are only emptied once a month. They have their own set of rules and life styles and the yulo police never venture here.

Once upon a time most of these people would of been homeless, making camps in woods or under bridges. Now they live beneath the homes and stores, bartering for food or clothes. It's a stark reminder of how luxurious my life was compared to these individuals.

"This is the underground." I announced as we walked the corridor.

"It reminds me of.." Reaper was cut short.

"Yo Rabbit, watch you doin' bringing a yulo wit you?" I heard Razha's voice boom from behind us. I turned, he's a large man with skin the color of onyx. He has the attitude of a rapid wolverine and would not hesitate to beat the holy hell out of anyone.

"He's fine, Razha, he's with me." I replied sternly, my heart pounding. I have never brought any one down with me before.

"We don't want no yulos down here!" He kept walking a brisk pace towards us. People started to peek out from their rooms, checking the commotion out.

"I said, he's with me. He's no yulo!" I placed myself in front of Reaper, he was starting to tense and the last thing I needed was a brawl to happen.

"Well, he ain't no dulo's or lulo, I knows them all."

"You're right, he's not a dulo or lulo. Trust me, he's kenta. And he's with me!" Razha stopped, towering over me, puffing up at Reaper.

"You swear he's kenta? He's looks like pulo to me."

"I swear he's kenta, I would never bring a Pulo here." Razha's fists slowly unclenched, his jaw muscle slackened. I could see him slowly start to relax, even if by a bit.

"He better cause no trouble, rabbit. I won't hesitate to bust him and you for bringing him here." He gave us the side eye, before turning and slowly walking back down the hall. I let out a deep breath. Crisis avoided, for now. 

I turned back to Reaper, his hand were clenched tight so much so his knuckles were white. To be honest I'm not sure Razha would of made it out of that fight, and trust me I've seen him in many fights, no body has walked away. Reaper was the same height as him but wasn't as muscular, still something told me Reaper would end the fight.

"Come on, I'll show you around." I said, he gave one last glance in the direction Razha had left before turning to follow me.

"Who was that guy?" He finally asked, looking around, taking in the abysmal setting.

"Razha, he is one of the self appointed rulers, for the lack of a better word." I replied, stepping over an unconscious man. "There about five men who over see the underground, criminals policing criminals really."

"Ah, what's kenta and a..."

"Pulo," I interrupted. "Pulo, is the yulo militarized police, not that I've seen them. They are brought out in emergencies, like the riots fifty years ago. A kenta is someone who is safe, harmless." I stopped, putting my hand out in front of him. I turned to face him. "It's a whole other world down here, their own language, rules. I don't stay down here for very long, hence the reason for the name rabbit. White rabbit, from Alice in wonderland."

"This isn't how everything was supposed to turn out." He said to himself look down the hall, there was a sadness in his eyes.

"Well, it did." I look around, the reasons I didn't stay here long was it was depressing. These were the forgotten people.

We continued our walk, I showed him the various trade shops that I frequented. We kept going farther in, farther then I intended. I started to feel antsy, I had been down here long enough and craved being topside again. I looked over at Reaper, he kept eyeing behind us and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"I think we should turn back." I said quietly as I stopped. Some one was standing a good twenty feet ahead of us surrounded in darkness and I was barely able to his silhouette.

"We have two tailing us, been there since the last shop." He whispered, he turned sideways under the light. He looked one direction and then the other. "Three ahead of us."

"Underlings." I breathed out, we were their prey and now they had us surrounded. Reaper swiftly brought his fist up and the glass from the light shattered down. We were surrounded in blackness.

"Smart one, old man. It'll be easier to take that pretty lulo now." A nasally voiced echoed. Rapid foot steps came from both side of us, I pressed my back to the wall. Someone grabbed my right arm and pulled, small boney fingers wrapped around my wrist. Hand cold as ice, his palm was slick again my skin.

"You'll fetch a good price you will." A voice hissed in my ear, I felt something wet press against my cheek.

"She's not for sale!" Reaper's voice replied, I felt the hand jerk away from me instantaneously, followed by a yelp and gurgling. The scuffle continued, I couldn't see what was going on. Blind to what ever was happening, a fight was just inches from me and I wasn't sure who was winning. I heard something break to my left, and then a gasping on my right. Part of me wished to know what was going on, the other half told me it was good that I couldn't see.

I smelled copper in the air above all the scents of the underground. I heard a crunch, a small yelp, followed by yet another wet gurgling. Deep in my gut I knew these underlings wouldn't see their next fix. Something suddenly slammed to the wall just to my right, I could hear him gasp.

"Tell the rest of your kind, she is not to be messed with. I see one more of you pathetic humans come within ten feet of her and I will personally see to it that you are all exterminated." Reaper hissed, I heard the underling scurry off in the darkness. I felt a large warm hand on my elbow, guiding me back the way we had come. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." We came past the last shop just as my nerves had settled.

"Rabbit, I heard there was a problem comin' from this area." Razha's voice boomed a head of us.

"We were jumped by underlings." I replied already moving ahead of Reaper.

"You sure is wasn't him. We ain't had no problems with underlings in weeks. Now they's been comin out of the wood works." His muscles twitched as he eyed Reaper again, I looked over my shoulder. Reaper was standing behind me, arms by his sides, hands covered in blood. His shirt ripped, with a gnarly gash bleeding.

"I assure you, sir, I have had nothing to do with your underlings seeping out into society." Reaper spoke out, his words soft and firm. Razha's eyes narrowed, his lipped curled a bit.

"You think you funny homeboy?" He brought his fists up, and popped his knuckles loudly.

"Not at all, just stating a fact."

"You want to fight? You keep flipping attitude that's what's going to happen."

"That would not be in your best interest." Reaper's voice fell cold, his eyes turned bronze once again as they narrowed. He didn't move, just stood watching Razha over my head. This was not what I wanted, I really didn't need a fight to break out between these two. Razha gets pummeled I won't be welcomed back down here, Reaper gets pummeled and, well, I'll still be banished for bringing him down here.

"Razha, we were leaving." I tried to divert him.

"Nah, first what happened to the underlings?" He turned his glare to me finally, something told me any answer was going to be the wrong answer.

"I don't know, does it matter?" I held my ground. "Why should it matter? They don't contribute to anything in the underground, you're the one that told me that."

"What happened, yulo?" Yep, we're done here.

"Razha, we are done. And we," I point to myself and Reaper, "are leaving."

"Not until," Reaper gently pushed me to the side, cutting him off. They were standing nose to nose.

"She said we are leaving, and that's what we are doing. Regardless if you think otherwise. So I suggest you politely remove yourself from our way or I will be forced to move you." Every word was tense, dripping with ice. This was not a request, or an argument, Razha puffed up. He didn't like being told what to do, he was the one that generally barked orders around here.

"I think your mistaken, outsider, I don't take orders." Razha went to shove Reaper, before I could comprehend what was going on, Razha was on the ground crying. His forearm had been snapped in two places and was flopping around. My jaw slowly dropped as Reaper calmly walked over the wounded man.

"Shall we keep going?" He asked me, holding his hand out. I took it dumbfoundedly as we followed the hall back to the elevator. Once we stepped on, I pressed the button to return us back to my apartment.

"You’re bleeding." I remembered the gash on his side. I reached out to pull the tattered shirt away. He stepped back, I looked up at him. His brow was knitted with confusion. I reached again towards him, this time he snatched me by my wrist. "Let me look."

He didn't respond, his eyes tracked my movements as he let go of my wrist. I reached out again a little more hesitantly this time. My heart hammered in my chest, I knew what he was capable of if he wanted to hurt me. What would happen if I injured him further?

"Are you afraid?" His voice low, barely audible above the creeks coming from the elevator cab. I slowly pulled the torn shirt back, the two and half inch gash didn't look to deep. It would need to be cleaned as the odds of the blade from the underlings was no doubt disgusting.

"No, it wasn't till this moment I realized exactly how dangerous you could be." I replied, I saw the bottom of another scar next to the gash. "I need to clean that though."

"There was fear in your eyes." I raised my head, meeting his graze. They were filled with pain.

"I'm not scared of you, I don't think you would intentionally hurt me. But you are stronger and faster then anyone I've ever met, I think I know what you did to the underlings but it wasn't till you stopped me that I realized how dangerous you really are." He looked down at his feet. "I don't know you, I don't know why you keep coming to my aid but something tells me you won't hurt me."

"You remind me of someone from my past. Someone I failed." The elevator dinged as we had reached the top. He was the first out, he was at the end of the hall and at the stair case door before I had a chance to exit it. I didn't understand what he meant, I imagine I'll never know what had happened to him.

I slowly walked back to my apartment door, trying to wrap my mind around this revelation. I was also worried that the wound on his side would become infected.

It was at this point I notice my door was ajar and hanging ascewed from its hinges. My blood ran cold, as I pushed it opened. The apartment had been ransacked, furniture turned over. Papers ripped and thrown about, dvds busted and littered the floor. Who ever had been here destroyed everything inside.

I walked in confused, hurt, and violated. I know I had locked the door when I left. The person responsible wanted to instill fear, and had succeed. I slowly walked through the living area, and peered into the kitchen.

Every cup, every dish was shattered on the floor. Drawers opened and removed laid upside down, adding to the mess. The fridge was ripped away from the wall and the cord slashed, it was left open and the food smashed everywhere.

I walked through continuing my assessment of it all. I made it to my room, all my books torn up, shredded. My mattress was gutted and flipped against a wall, my clothes were on the floor in pieces. I backed out slowly and walked to my sister's room. I opened her door, nothing was out of place. It was as if the hurricane hit everywhere but her sleeping area.

I passed by the bathroom, and everything was as it should be. Nothing out of place, towels still hung from their hooks. Curtain rod in place as it should be. The only thing missing was Reaper's clothes. They were gone.

"Julianne?!" Elise practically screamed from the doorway. I ran out to meet her, and threw my hand over her mouth.

"Shh." The air didn't feel right, I didn't know how to explain it. "Follow me." I whispered, walking towards the staircase. I made my way down four flights and into the tube, holding her hand.

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Not Our Home

Chapter 15

I watched through the cameras as the people made their assault. Goosebumps raised on my arms as I saw them gain the upper hand. They were fighting back and they were winning. Preacher sat at one of the computers furiously clicking away, Reaper stood silently in the corner watching. I was the only one watching them, there was far more of us then them.

I turned to look at my sister, she watched Preacher intently. It was just back to the four of us but at least we were not alone. I turned back to the monitors, in that moment my blood ran cold as I saw the body of the sleek beast tear through. It's body covered in sores, ripping through the throng of people. Talons tearing open throats of people trying to run from its path, bodies colliding in an attempt to flee. Thankful that there was no audio to go with the sight.

I watched the massacre unfold in front of me, powerless to stop the carnage. I started to hyperventilate, the world started to spin, I sprang out of my chair. My legs felt heavy, and body started to be dragged down. I felt gentle arms wrap around my waist, supporting me, a gentle shushing in my ear.

"Breath in." His voice soft, barely audible. "Breathe slowly out. Calm down, kid."

"You okay?" Sasha asked, turning to look at me. I pointed to the screen, continuing to listen to Reaper's breathing instructions. "That thing."

"You've seen it?" I stuttered.

"Yeah, killed one couple of levels down." She responded, looking back at me. She raised an eyebrow in my direction once she that Reaper was supporting my body weight.

"There were more then one?" My voice was breathless. I felt faint, how could they have had more then one? Didn't they realize the danger that only one of those posed.

"Unfortunately, somehow another was able to creep in. Reaper.." Preacher spun on his chair looking back at us, a coy smile played across his face for a moment. "How did you get in the building?"

"I came in through the meter that's atop one of the buildings. There is a faulty door up there, jammed by a busted gear." He replied, I could feel his words vibrate through my back.

"That means the Geiger meter is no longer working." I spat out, I felt a hot tear run down face when I remember Elise's and I's argument, which felt like a life time ago.

"Kid, that door is rusted open. Looks to have been that way for a couple of decades." He looked around my shoulder to see my face, I turned slightly. His face was inches from mine, I felt the heat flush up in my face.

"Hate to ruin the moment you two but we really need to get moving. Before we get company." Preacher interjected, amusement filled his words. "You know, people trying to kill us and all."

"Jules, are you blushing?" My sister snickered, quickly I pulled away. Reaper's smile was a sad one, I felt guilty for reasons unknown.

"What's the next plan?" I cleared my throat taking a couple awkward steps away from him, crossing my arms.

"Not much now, except killed the beast, destroy Riptide, which by the way is going to be a joy. And escape the rest of his goonies, then we can gallantly strut away into the moonlight." Preacher rattled off, slinging his rifle back up over his shoulder.

"That doesn't sound difficult or anything at all." Sasha retorted, Preacher rolled his eyes.

"Really?" He replied, looking at her as we exited that door.

"Oh, what? Don't like it being thrown back at you?" She quipped, as he opened the door.

"Evidently I have a sarcasm problem, who knew." He replied, looking back at Reaper and I.

~~~

Riptide stepped over the cold dismembered corpses of what remained from the surge in the halls. The wendigo did a thorough job mopping up those individuals he was planning to eliminate. He followed the winding corridors till he came across the dead body of one of the beasts.

He paused, looking it over. His face went blank, he looked up from the creature. Realization, there had been two. This was not his beast, it's body unmarked body lay cold. He pulled his weapon from it's holster, and preceded with caution.

~~~~

We followed each other in a straight line, I could feel myself slowing down. I was running on fumes, I didn't know what time it was but I had been on the run since the jail cell. In all my wildest dreams I had never thought escaping would take this much out of me.

We stopped briefly so Preacher could do his peer around a corner and spot the bad guys bit. I leaned up against the wall and closed my eyes. I felt a warm hand being placed on my arm bring me back to the present.

"Hmm?" I mumbled, opening my eyes.

"You okay, kid?" Reaper's concern made me smile.

"Just tired." My stomach rumbled reminding me I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink a long while.

"We need to find some place to bunker down for a bit."He brushed past me, I watched him as he conversed with the other man quietly. My sister came over and leaned against the wall with me, she looked over in the direction at the two men.

"What's he saying?" She whispered, as Preacher shook his head, and whispered his reply back to Reaper.

"Probably something about a place to rest." I yawned, I looked up at the ceiling, my eyes felt like sandpaper had been poured into them.

"That would be amazing, to tell you the truth. I haven't had a break since I got off of work." She replied, it never occurred to me that she had been going as long as I had, maybe longer in reality. No doubt, more exhausted then I was and yet she kept pushing herself forward.

"Come on girls." Preacher announced quietly, snapping us both back to attention. We followed him through another hall, and through another door. Seems like that was all my life consisted of lately. Corridors and metal doors, one after another, never ending.

Behind this door differed, it wasn't another hall but a room. It had a beautiful floor, golden in hue, streaked and swirled with dark brown accents. Our foot steps clicked and echoed as we walked across it. Paintings hung from the walls, beautiful vibrant colors shown in the lights pointing to them.

"Where are we?" I whispered softly, listening to my whisper echo off the walls.

"It's a small ballroom." Preacher replied, strutting to the opposite side of the room. My eyes landed on Reaper who had his hand covering his face in the bright lighting. I could only imagine the assault that the lighting did on him.

"This floor is amazing." Sasha's voice was one of amazement.

"They're hardwood floors, what's left of them anyway." Preacher remarked, flipping some switches on the wall, the lights pointing to the paintings flick off. The room dimmed, we were momentarily blinded in darkness.

"Thank you, my friend." Reaper from somewhere to my left announced for the first time since we entered.

"So why are we here?" Sasha remarked, my eyes adjusted to the low lighting. Preacher approached her, he unbuckled her vest, and removed her holster. "There you are getting handsy again."

"You're right, love, I just can't keep my hands off of you." He jested, suddenly ensnaring her in his arms. A small sound escaped her lips, as he twirled her around before letting her go. She slapped his shoulder, feigning an annoyed look but I could see the smile play out in her eyes. "We are taking a rest, the vest makes a better pillow then the floor."

"You sir, are a jerk." She tried to suppress her chuckle.

"Julianne.." Reaper startled me, he had moved silently next to me. "You should follow suit, we won't be stopping for long."

I nodded, as I started to take the vest off. I left it fall to the floor, the air was cold as it rush onto my sweat soaked shirt. A shiver tore through my body, I watched as Sasha laid down about five feet from me. I lowered myself to the floor, watching the two men talk.

I laid my head of the vest, feeling exhausted enough to sleep a week but my body fought it. My brain wouldn't shut off again, running through the events since my capture. I saw Elise's horrorified expression and my eyes popped open. I looked around the room, Reaper was standing in the corner my eyes locked onto his. I looked over my shoulder to my sister, I could hear her breathing heavy. Sleep had not evaded her.

Quietly I stood, grabbing my vest, I walked to the corner of the room where Reaper stood as lone sentinel. His brow knotted together looking down at me.

"You should be sleeping." His voiced a hushed whisper, I looked around, realizing his comrade was missing.

"Where's Preacher?" I whispered, ignoring his comment.

"He went in search food, you need to rest." He repeat, my eyes made contact again.

"I can't sleep, I keep seeing Elise's face." I replied, casting my eyes down. I felt a hot tear streak down my cheek, seeing the blood soak through her shirt in my minds eye. I didn't know why I came to him, I wasn't sure what I expected but he engulfed me in his arms and held me. I wish I could say I pulled myself together. That wasn't the case though, the tears flowed freely as I cried against him.

I finally pulled away, taking a deep breath. A warm hand guided my chin up till I made eye contact with him briefly, I saw his sadness, here I was sad over losing my dear friend and he had lost everyone he knew. He leaned in and I felt his lips brush mine.

"About time old man, but that doesn't look like resting." Preacher cleared his throat, I jumped back. I grabbed my vest and made a retreat back to my sister. Who knows what might have been in another life time, but in this life time the odds of us getting out alive for anything to be was slim.

~~~~

Reaper watched as she scurried away back to her sleeping sister. Preacher approached him, and then leaned against the wall, smirk upon his face.

"So.. what'd I miss?" Amusement in his voice.

"Shut it, Lucas." Reaper stated cooly, walking across the room.

"Come on, I can see the way you look her." He responded, following his friend.

"One last time, shut it." Reaper hissed.

"Is all seriousness Alex, you do realize the odds of her being able to go outside are slim." Preacher's voice was straight laced, watching his comrade walk away from her.

"You don't know that." Reaper chipped back in a hushed tone.

"They've never breathed un-recycled air before. The proprieties and components are completely different." He replied walking to his friend, worry on his face.

"She'll be fine."

"Is that logic thinking or you willing it because you have feelings for her." Preacher pulled his shoulder so the man faced him.

"Lucas." He warned, his lip tight.

"No, I'm not going to let this go this time." He whispered harshly. "I see the way you look at her, it's the same way you looked at Prophet. I let it slide then, even though I knew it was trouble."

"You're way out of line." Reaper hissed.

"I'm not! I warned you then, that you weren't focused on the outcome of our mission. You too busy trying to win her affections, you helped her guard her scientist that she was to be watching and the ones you were supposed to watch were killed." His voice stern, his intense gaze bore into the man. "Riptide was able to get to them because you weren't standing on point. You and I both know that we had strict time table, in and out. But we didn't have time to go back and get the two nukes that they were supposed to disarm."

"I know, Lucas, and I've had live the last hundred years with that guilt. But that is nothing like this!"

"It isn't? You protect her at all cost? Don't you? And when it comes time for you to leave? Cause I know you cant stay, you aren't getting enough oxygen in here, your lungs aren't adapting fast enough and because of that you aren't healing the way you should and you're becoming sluggish." He spat out, knowing it hurt his friend to hear this, but he needed him to hear it out loud. "You have to go back for the same reasons she won't be able to stay outside. The sooner you come to grips with that, and tell that poor girl the better."

Reaper twisted out the man's grasp, and strode away. Whether or not Preacher was correct to was to be seen. He glanced over at the sleeping woman, Preacher was correct on one level. He would protect her at any cost, even if it killed him. He owed it to the girl for turning her life upside down, he owed it Prophet for not being there for her children.

He also owed to himself, for not doing his job correctly the first time and allowing this reality to come into existence.

Had he done his job, the odds of people seeking shelter underground would of been slim. They most likely would never have had to take refuge for as long as they did. The Geiger meter would have shown them that there was no radiation outside and they could of returned to life as normal. Billions of people would have never died in the blast or the fallout. He taken that mission for atonement and yet he failed, and the carnage was on his hands.

~~~~

A gentle shaking woke me from my nightmares, nightmares of being chased and people trying to kill me. I was greeted by Preacher's smiling face, the reminder that in the waking world I was being chased and people were in fact out to kill me.

"Morning, darling. Time to eat and get a move on." He handed me something cold wrapped in deli paper. I sat up, stiffly, all of my muscles refusing to cooperate. I opened the paper, looking down at bread.

"He found us actual food." My sister elatedly spoke the obvious. "It's a sandwich. And it's amazing."

"It is, is it?" I chuckled, my stomach rumbled loudly as I took a bite. Dear god in heaven, the flavors, so many. "You're right, this is amazing."

"So ladies." Preacher knelt down in front of us as we inhaled the delicious food. "Our only goal now is to find Riptide. Reaper and I agree once he taken out of the equation everything else will crumble. He's the one pulling the strings with out him, the classes will sort themselves out."

"Okay, so how do we do that? I mean he's like the two of you right?" Sasha responded, her mouth full of sandwich.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you it isn't polite to open you mouth when it's full?" He shook his head at her, she responded by opening her mouth up showing parts of the chewed up sandwich.

"Yes, it will be difficult. He heals as fast we do, that's why you need to aim for the head." Reaper spoke up, walking up to us his eyes locked onto me. I felt my face flush back up, quickly I look down.

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[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

Chapter 14

"Reaper, I gotta stop." I cried out, we had found another set of stairs and had made it up to the floor that was just beneath topside of the complex.

"I guess we can take a rest." He sighed, I slid down to the floor with my back against the wall. I knew I had been slowing us down, he kept pace with me not trying to rush me. "Let me see your ankle."

He sat on the step in front of me, I put my foot out for him look at. He pulled the boot off gently, and rolled the sock down. It looked like the side of my ankle had been blown off. Blood oozed out, I felt light headed looking at it.

"This is really going to hurt." He informed me, covering my ankle with both hands. He looked up and our eyes locked, I took a deep breath and nodded.

Slowly he applied pressure from both sides, I felt a crunch of bone on bone. The pain was blinding, I screamed in response. The area starting burn like someone had poor boiling hot water onto the area, I attempted to pull away but he his grip tightened.

I started breathing in harder and faster as pain worsened. I slammed my fist into the floor and screamed again. I could feel the tears streak run down my face. The room began to spin, and darken.

"Breath in." I heard Reaper's gentle coax, I took a deep breath in.

"Slowly breathe out, kid." I did as I told. "Just a bit longer. I know it hurts."

"Yeah." I stammered. "Just a bit."

He slowly release my ankle, it was warm and tender. I could see the skin had covered over the part that was missing. I slowly pointed my foot, a small pang registered but eased up.

A shrill piercing scream echoed from somewhere beneath us. My breath caught in my throat, panic raced through my body as it began to shake. The nightmare was loose, somewhere in the bowels of the building.

"We need to get moving, I'm afraid your screams have attracted it." He stated softly, he helped me back to my feet.

"I.. I didn't mean to." Stuttering as we continued to ascend.

"The creatures communicate through those high screams. No doubt it's trying to find you thinking you are one of them." He explained.

~~~~

"Where do you think we are?" Elise asked as they rounded the bend.

"We are in dormitory A." He responded his voice just above a whisper.

"We can't be," She responded. "A is the level just above the underground."

"Complex A is correct, dormitory A starts at ground level." He replied, peering around the next corner. "The dormitories are for the elite."

"We're in elites side?" Ryan asked, the lights flickered overheard.

"Yeah, that's why the keypad was on the door." He took a step into the long hall. The lights flitted again but remained on this time. "Looks like someone rebooted the system."

"Where are we headed?" Sasha questioned, he kept his pace slow. His body was tense, with the lights back he felt exposed.

"There is a secondary control room up here that has the manual overrides that unlocks all the doors through all of the buildings. Including those to the outside."

"So that's out plan, to get there." The doors at the either end of the hall sprang open in unison. Before Preacher stood a very relieved Reaper, as the sound of a gun going off recoursed through. Sasha spun on her heel, she brought her gun up and pulled the trigger at the man standing behind them.

~~~~

It was like life decided to go in slow motion again. I watched as my sister turned and killed the member of swat at the end of the hall. I saw Elise lurch, her eyes wide, as she looked down at her stomach. In horror I watch as the red blossomed, soaking through her white polo. She staggered forward falling to her knees, I rushed to her as she collapsed to the ground. Ryan dropped next to her, his face shocked, pain spread through his eyes.

"Jules.." She forced her voice out, a lone tear, rolled down her face.

"No..no, no," I kept repeating. "Shhh, don't speak. Reaper, please."

"My brother." She choked out, Reaper knelt down beside us. He placed his hand on her abdomen. He closed his eyes for along moment. When his sad eyes met mine, I knew. I felt my eyes burn, I looked back down at my friend. "Please, my brother."

"Elise." I choked out, I felt the first tear fall but not the second. "Not you."

"Tell him, I'm sorry." She struggled out, as I felt her body convulse.

"I will, my friend." I laid my head onto my chest, I tried hard to fight the tears. I didn't want them to see me cry. I didn't want to loose my dear friend, this wasn't supposed to happen. "I'm sorry, so sorry."

"We need to get moving." Preacher softly told Reaper.

"Are you that removed from your feelings?" Ryan angrily raised his voice, glaring up at the fair haired man.

"There is nothing we can do." Preacher responded coldly.

"Nothing we can do? Nothing we can do!" Ryan yelled, standing up, getting nose to nose to the century old genetically modified man.

"He has a point." I stood abruptly, pushing myself between the two. "As much as I hate to admit it, there isn't anything we can do for her now. She's gone! We can't bring her back! We have to keep moving before the others find us."

"You all are crazy. So what, we just leave her laying here?" He bellowed stepping away, running his hands through his hair.

"Ryan, we have no choice." Sasha replied, her face was tear streaked. She took a deep breath, looking up to the rest of us.

"The other control room is this away." Preacher stated, pushing past Reaper and I. I could see the look of guilt in his eyes.

"I'm not leaving her." Ryan claimed kneeling down over Elise's body, he scooped her lifeless torso into his arms. I turned and followed the rest leaving him to grieve in peace.

~~~

They spilled out into the halls as the lights turned back on. Surprising the arm guards, attacking them with household items. Jumping on their backs, smacking with broken brooms, stabbing their captors in the face with forks. Bands of rag tag groups took to corridors on multiple levels, attempting to reclaim the freedom that was rightfully theirs.

The guards fought back, shooting the few they could. They were far outnumbered, surrounded by angry people. The guards attempted to retreat but their route was blocked, they were being slaughtered by the anarchist.

The shrill piercing scream echoed through the corridors, a painful reminder of things to come.

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[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

Chapter 13

Preacher watched as the door flung off its hinges, smashing into the wall opposite from it. In horror he saw talons splay out from the threshold, as the creature slowly slipped it's sleek head out into the hall tongue writhing about in the air. This was the last thing he needed to worry about. It's head snapped towards his and Sasha's direction, and sprang out into the hall, slamming its massive body in the adjacent wall.

It screeched at ear piercing decibels, Sasha covered her ears wincing. Preacher reached back and slowly began to push her back as the terror stalked towards them. It lift it's head, like a hound smelled the air for it's prey.

"What's going on?" Sasha whispered, fumbling to back up.

"Very slowly, I want you bring your hand gun up." He calmly replied, his heart hammering.

"Uh, why?" She could hear the fear in his voice, alarming her further.

"Because when I tell you to shoot that's what you are going to do, but just keep slowly backing up for now." 

"That's a grand idea, you do realize I can't see what I'm shooting at though." She snipped in hushed tones.

"Trust me, that's a good thing." He had stopped backing up, letting some distance get between him and Sasha.

"Yeah, till I shoot you."

"Awe, I thought you wanted to shoot me, love." He watched the contorted thing kept stalking towards them, it stopped briefly and licked the air. Preacher saw the animal crouch back, he knelt down sharply just as the thing sprang forward. "SHOOT!"

The creature landed hard on him and he wrestled to keep it’s enormous fangs from making contact with him. His weapon had dropped and skidded across the floor behind the beast. Slime dripped down from it's mouth, as it snapped at the prone man. It leaned back onto its rear legs and pounced forward trying to get past the man's hands. A sharp pain exploded from his thigh as he felt a talon rip into his leg.

"Why aren't you shooting!" He screamed frantically, trying to push the thing back.

"I'm trying!" Sasha yelled back, repeatedly trying to pull the trigger.

"The safety," He spat out, freeing his hand to a pull a hunting knife from his vest. "Turn the safety off."

"I don't know how." Her panic stricken replied echoed through the corridor, Preacher slammed the bladed up into the bottom of massive animals head. It reeled back in pain, quickly he sprang up and sprinted to her. He stood to the side as he flipped the safety off, just as the creature lunged toward them.

The sound of the gun echoed as the bullet exited the chamber, lodging into the center of the beasts skull. She pulled the trigger again, as it kept unknowingly coming towards her.

"Again!" He barked at her, she squeezed the trigger. The third shot lodged into the same hole as the first, driving the bullet farther in.

The animals gait faulted just feet from them, it landed on the floor before the two, sliding a foot. It let out a sputtering breath and ceased to move. Preacher let out a deep breath, pushing the gun down, he could feel her body quaking.

"Pull the trigger one last time." He requested from the trembling woman. She did as asked, breathing heavily. He leaned back against the wall, and slid down, taking a good look at the hole in his cargo pants.

Blood soaked down his leg, the wound had been deep but had already started healing. Thank goodness for modified genes he thought to himself. A flicker of light at the end the hall caught his attention. His body went rigid.

"Thank god we found you guys!" Elise exclaimed, rushing up to the shaking duo.

"What the hell is that?" Ryan admonished as he beamed the flashlight downward, Sasha stared down at the dead contorted thing laying less then foot from her.

"It's a wendigo. Or at least that's the name we gave it, it's from the outside. Humans that were just outside the blast radius. Their genes mutated to create that." Preacher stammered out standing back up, he walked over to his weapon. "However, that one is not the one from the compound."

"What do you mean?" Elise asked, turning her head slowly towards him, fear etched across every part of her face.

"We have one in the compound, down near the cell blocks. That one is missing a couple of toes and its tail from when we caught it. This one.." he remarked walking over, pushing the tail up with the nose of his rifle. "Isn't it."

"You mean there are more" Ryan whispered, looking from it to Elise in disbelieve.

"I suggest we keep moving, and turn the light out, it gives us away." Preacher stated, catching Sasha's eyes.

~~~

"Reaper, what are we going to do?" I asked, surrounded in the dark.

"We fight back." He replied back cooly, I felt him grab my hand.

"How? I can't see anything." My voice wavered as I felt him put my hand on his shirt.  Instinctively I grasped it, fear welling up.

"Do you trust me?" His voice was smooth and gentle, I felt his hand stroke down my cheek.

"Yes." I whispered back, his lips pressed against my forehead. I could feel him turn from me.

"I want you to stay behind me. We will go back the way we came, maybe the guard I shot in the boiler had night goggles on." Reaper remarked, walking back to the door. I heard the door open swiftly in the inky dark. We stepped out in the hall, pausing briefly.

My heart hammered into my throat, I could hear a dripping and a shuffling sound echoing from somewhere. I feared the next thing I would hear would be the sound of a gun going off. It was panic inducing being void of your sight, not knowing what was happening or where you were.

Images of the distorted thing I had seen filled my head. Stalking us in the dark, waiting for the precise moment to rip us to shreds. Sucking the blood from our veins, a slow and painful death.

The hum informed me we had approached the boiler room again. The door open sharply, the sound intensified as we slowly enter. I was welcomed once again by the overwhelming smell of death and decay.

"I want you to stay right here." Reaper moved me to the side, I nodded absent mindly. I listened as I heard him walk away, his boots made a sticky slushing sound as he walked. Within a few seconds his steps were unheard over the sound of the boiler.

I stood unmoving, trying hard to hear anything over the sound of the machine and my breathing. Sweat trickled down my face, and the shirt under my vest began to stick uncomfortably to my back. I wiped my palms on the sides of my legs, my hands trembling. The sounds of foot steps approaching slowly relaxed my nerves, I sighed deeply.

"That seemed like forever." I remarked, the steps stopped just in front of me. Abruptly I was slammed against the wall, pain burst in the back of my head. I was spun around quickly, my back pulled against someone. I felt something cool and circular pressed to my temple.

"You’re going to make me the golden child." He seethed. "All I have to do is kill your friend."

"You can't." I exclaimed loudly, he pressed the muzzle harder into my temple. His arm tighten around me.

"Yes, I can." I thought I heard foot steps but they stopped suddenly. "All I need is a head shot, I just need one good shot. Then I'll take you back to our commander."

He was starting to walk sideways, awkwardly pulling me with him. Walking in the goo on the floor was hard enough when walking freely, walking like this was near impossible. I felt the man behind me catch his balance more then once.

A sudden metal ping from somewhere to our left caught my attention. It cause my captor to loosen his grip, I seized the opportunity and dropped to the sticky floor. I rolled away in the bloody gel as I heard a shot ring through the air. Pain seared through my ankle as I heard a thud come from somewhere behind me.

It only took seconds for Reaper's hands to touch my ankle. I could hear fabric being pulled, and shuffling. I felt a bandage being wrapped around my ankle. Something pulled over my head onto my face, covering my eyes. I saw the look of concern on Reaper's face tinged in green.

"You were shot, it grazed your ankle pretty good. Do you think you can stand?" He asked, I nodded as he pulled me up from the ground. I could feel the slime sliding down my arm. "Give you credit, kid, that was some quick thinking."

"I really didn't have any other option, did I?" I asked, as he helped me over the dead man, pain seared through my ankle and up my leg.

"You could of just let him take the two more steps to the right. Might have been able to make that shot." We made our way to the door.

"Waited? Might have been able to? You're a jerk." I scoffed, I could hear him chuckle.

~~~~

"What do we do?" The old man asked, the common room lit by candles, twenty or so people huddled in the darkness.

"You heard the girl, we fight." A young man piped up, they clutched various items. Brooms, kitchen knifes, forks, whatever items they could find, they armed themselves the best they could.

"This is foolishness." A voice replied.

"What part of this is foolish?" A young woman demanded. "Staying here, being punished for existing? Eating our own, or standing up for ourselves for the first time in our lives."

"They've always been.." Another older gentlemen spoke up before being cut off.

"They've always been what? Cowards? Cruel, heinous? Cause it certainly wasn't kind or generous. Keeping us at lower lot, making sure we knew our place. Lying to us, those things generally don't coincide with kind and giving governing body." The young man quipped back.

"This is suicide." The old mans voice tremble.

"Then let me die fighting for my freedom then live as a slave."

~~~~

Sasha crouched behind the corner, she covered her ears. The weapon at the end of the hall was letting shot after shot echoe through the chamber with no pause between. Her, Elise, and Ryan huddled in the dark together beside Preacher. He stood with his back to wall waiting for the machine gun to pause for it to be reloaded.

He watched as chunks started to fall out of the wall opposite of him, cement splintering in every direction. Finally the weapon stopped, he sprang around the corner through the dust, sprinted to the end of the hall. Preacher let his legs give out as he slid on his hip, weapon trained up as his body passed the edge to the adjacent hall. He fired three round consecutively, each striking its intended target.

"Clear." He shouted as he picked himself up off the floor. He watched as Sasha and her companions rounded the corner, trailing their hands across the wall.

"How many?" Elise breathed, as they approached him.

"Doesn't matter." He helped them over the dead. "Sasha, keep walking forward. There's a door at the end of the hall. Wait there."

~~~

We found our way to the stairwell without further incident. I was up lifted knowing we were leaving the underground. Getting away  from all death that lingered down there. I was apprehensive about what we were to encounter along the way. If I would ever see Sasha. We had only taken a few steps when a chunk of the step I had just left exploded followed by a large boom down the underground corridor. I sprang up the next step instinctively, colliding into Reaper. He caught me before I lost my balance. His face set in stone.

"You won't escape me this time!" Riptide's voice thundered.

"Keep going kid, as quick as you can up the stairs. I'll hold him off." He exclaimed pushing me past him.

"Reaper, I can't.." I trailed off, an other chunk came flying loose.

"Yes, you can, now go!" I turned, I sprinted as fast as my injured foot would let me. I kept going though I wanted to turn back and join him.

~~~~

"It's me you want, Riptide, not the girl." Reaper announced, waiting to get the bald headed man into view.

"I do want you but you're wrong. I want her too." He replied. "I like her moxie but she's going to have eliminated."

"Not going to let that happen."

"It's going happen, Reaper. I can't have a complete break down of society." Riptide peered out from the over hang of the door. Reaper let a shot off, as the other man pulled his head back just in time.

"Why? You fear not having any power? You can't control people's minds, Riptide."

"I have for the last century, just think, you could join me. Give up this infatuation for the girl, she's not Prophet, she'll never be her. Just join me and you could have anyone at your beck and call. You'd have power, dozens of women throwing themselves at you." Riptide pause, listening for a reply. "What do you say?"

Deafening silence was his only reply, cautiously he peer back out from the threshold. He couldn't see anybody, slowly he stepped into the stairwell. Reaper had abandoned his post, silly boy, he thought. There's no way he could of gotten far. Just as he went to take another step, a small red flicker from over head caught his attention.

~~~~

I had gone ten floors when the building began to shake, I steadied myself by gripping the door handle next to me. Reaper whipped up the stairs and sprinted into me, shoving us through the door as a deafening boom burst up from below. He quickly sprang back up to his feet and slammed the door shut. I watched as the door reverberated against him, lightly glowing.

"Do I even want to know?" I asked as he slowly backed up.

"Just a small bomb." He responded, brushing his hair out of his face.

"Oh." He winked as he helped me from the ground. Like setting a explosion off was no big deal or anything.

"However we should keep moving, we're not safe yet. How's your ankle?" His eyes locked onto mine.

"Hurts a bit." I lied in reality my ankle felt like a mangled piece of flesh and the pain was so intense I could feel it radiating up into my hip.

~~~~

"Did you try pulling on the door?" Sasha asked in the dark behind Preacher.

"Of course not, why would I try that?" He rolled his eyes, taking a look at the keypad closely.

"You know, sarcasm doesn't help the situation." She quipped back, as he stood back up, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back away from the door.

"And neither does pointing out the obvious thing I did first, but that certainly didn't stop you." He reached over and pulled the hand gun from Sasha's holster.

"Hey now." She remarked, stepping back. "Keep your hands to yourself, buddy."

"Oh, trust me, love, if I was getting handsy you'd welcome it." He came back in a flirty tone, as he leveled the gun at the locking mechanism and pulled the trigger.

"Geez, again. Warning next time." She exclaimed.

"What did you think I was going to do with the gun? Pick the lock?"

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[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

A/n: this is a very short chapter for some reason, not sure why, considering I wrote this three years ago.

———————

Chapter 12

"Damn it! He's in the basement control room!" He angered, Riptide slammed the door of his command center. His guards had told him that they had passed through housing complex M. "Imbeciles! They split up, I should of seen that coming."

His anger raised, raging as he walked to a supply closet, flinging the door open with enough force to jump it off it's hinges. He stormed in up to the metal racking with purpose. In one motion he ripped it from its secured brackets, throwing it across the room.

He reached down to the metal rung of the trapdoor. He jerked it open, snapping the  hinge in the process.

"Fine, Reaper, you want to play this game in the dark. We will."

~~~~

"Now what?" Ryan asked Elise, surrounded in the blackened hall. She took a deep breath, calming her fears. God, how she hated the darkness, she flicked on the small flash light that Ryan had in his room.

"We keep going, you said your buddy lives in the seventh apartment three floors up?" Her voice trembled as she slowly kept walking, every sound startled her. She felt exposed, for all she knew they were walking into a swarm of swat and would be gunned down the instant they met.

"Yeah, but what if we run into someone?" He replied after clearing his throat. "Not that I'm scared."

"Well, hope they have don't weapons, and can't see us. Cause that's the only chance we got." Her hands pressed against a cold door before her, as they reached the stairwell.

~~~

"Where are we headed?" Sasha asked Preacher, keeping just behind him. This darkness was different then being in the underground. It seemed blacker, darker. It was silent, before you could still hear things, water dripping, people talking in hushed whispers, this was almost dead silent except for the soft sound of her steps.

"Top side."

"Do you have a plan?" She was annoyed, he was leaving her in the dark again and she knew it. This game was getting old, not telling her his whole idea.

"More or less, at the moment I'm just winging it." She felt his hand brush her side, pushing her against a cool wall. "Shh"

She wanted to throttle him, not only for telling her shush but for winding her around hall after hall, level after level in the inky dark. He didn't have a full out plan, leading her farther and father away from sister, and let's not forget about using her as bait. If they made it out of this alive she might just kill him herself.

Then she heard it, whatever had cause him to shush her. It was a metal on metal scraping sound, like something being pushed and pulled, her heart leapt to her throat. Her imagination ran wild, creepy creatures scuddling in the darkened corridors. Something evil with glowing red eyes. She shivered involuntarily, and tried to take deep breaths to calm herself.

"What do you see?" Her voiced waivered, barely audible.

"The door at the end of the hall, it's trying to be opened." He whispered back, he pulled his gun up, eyes trained down the scope.  "I tell you to run, don't hesitate, just do it. Believe me, there are far more dangerous things to fear here then men with guns."

Sasha nodded, her heart hammered in her rib cage. Her body shook, as she fought to control the wave terror rippling through.  Her hand trembled as she placed it on the holster, the sound got louder something was hitting the down. A shrill scream pierced the silent corridor, she instinctively covered her ears.

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[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

Chapter 4

I sat at the cash register the next day, Elise was off and I had no one to talk to. So far I had managed to avoid the fat cat, which was a lot easier then I thought it would be. My cheek throbbed and my side was tender. I flipped through the newspaper, half reading, half daydreaming.

An article caught my attention, Two underlings found slain! I continued to read in horror. One of the men had his throat ripped out to point of partial decapitation. The second of the two, his lower half was found ten feet from his torso. They were found at six am in tube number 36. The police were searching for witnesses but were expecting grim results.

I hadn't taken the tubes this morning, I was running late and hopped a tunnel. I broke out in a cold sweat when remembered I left my work shoes in the tube, shit. This was getting worse.

It was then I looked up and saw two officers talking with my boss. I couldn't hear the conversation but his body language was clear as day. He was angry, his face was red and he shaking his head.

"Excuse me." A stern high pitched female voice snapped me back to my senses. "Is this lane open?"

"Yeah, sorry." I started to ring her items, I glanced over. "What's going on?"

"I don't know!" She scoffed at me, her triangle was facing up, great an upper class. "Some low life goes and get himself killed and everything turns upside down. They should be praising the person that did it. Less scum breathing the air."

"Oh." I finished her order and sent her on her way. I looked over, the cops were gone and so was Robert.

"Julianne to the office please." The over head system shouted. I had a perfectly good phone at my station and he chose to over head me. I locked my till and started the slow trek to his office.

Opening his office door I was hit with a putrid smell of body odor and moldy cheese. I felt my stomach turn, papers stacked knee high in all corners of the room. Robert's desk was covered in porn magazines and crumbs of food.

"Sir?" I asked, wanting nothing more then to run away.

"So, you have yourself in a bit of a pickle." He grinned, his teeth were uneven and yellow. He licked his thin greasy lips, while running his hands over his bald crown.

"I don't understand." He arced a wiry eyebrow at me and ran his hand down the front of his rust colored polo. Crumbs rolled down his pot belly to the floor.

"Your work shoes were found in the side tube." He crossed his hands on the crest of his pudge. "Everyone here knows you walk that tube to work and you recently started walking home at night."

"Last I heard there wasn't anything illegal about walk the tubes. In fact it's highly encouraged because of absorbing vitamin d from the sun." I replied trying to sound cool, to be honest I was nearing panic.

"You're very correct, however, we have proof you left that way last night. Your shoes are found there and you come to work looking like you've been in a fight."

"Yes, someone jumped me and stole my shoes. A small fight broke out and managed to escape and make it home." I tried to spin it around.

"You could tell them that, or I could tell them I over heard you confess to filleting them." A wicked grin broke across his waxy ruddy face.

"What?!"

"Unless you do as I ask, that's what I'll tell them." He stood slowly and waddled toward me. Robert only stood to my chin, but out weighted me by almost two hundred pounds. He tottled around behind me, and slid a fat finger across my bare arm and traced it across my back. "I mean, the alternative is death. So, you do as I ask, every little flavor until I get bored."

I felt like I was to hurl, I needed a boiling hot shower. This disgusting thing was touching me again, I knew what he wanted in exchange for his silence. I'd rather die then let him come anywhere near me in that manner.

"I know how you feel about me, so I'll let think about it tonight and then you can come agree to my terms tomorrow." I didn't respond, I turned and left. I rushed out of the office and out through the tube door, I had to breathe.

I saw the left over blood in the tube. It looked like an attempted to clean it had happened but gave up half way through. The sun was starting to set, the sky had a green tinge to it. I watched as the sand blew across the ground, swirling and dancing.

"Miss, this tube is closed." A gruff voice startled me, I looked over my shoulder. He was standing next to door, arms crossed. His sandy blonde hair peaked out from under his police issued hat. "How'd you get in here?"

"Um, I walked in." I replied meekly, starting towards him and the door, back the direction I had just come. His posture told me he wasn't a happy camper with my response. He had a body builder frame and piercing blue eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you in here?" He voiced echoed off the walls.

"My boss, he made a pass at me. Told me he'd spread hold rumors if I didn't do what he said. I just ran, I need to breathe. I didn't think when I went out the door. No body was guarding it." I tried to pass him. He stood in my way, using his baton to push my face up. He looked at my swollen cheek.

"What happened?" His eyes narrowed.

"I was jumped last night." Here we go, might as get this out of the way.

"Where?" The tube was starting to darken, night was upon us and a sliver of moon peaked again.

"Five feet that way." I pointed down the tube toward my place. There was no way a cop was going to believe I had the strength to rip another person in half.

"Who else was with you?" His body moved in a defensive stance.

"I was by myself. I kicked one of them, it managed to distract the other one and I was able to get away. They were both breathing last I knew." I lied slightly, I didn't move. He had his hand on his belt.

"You're the reason he's dead." That's when it occurred to me, that maybe I wasn't even talking to a cop.

"Who are you?" I took a step back.

"My brother was the one you ripped the throat out of. You sick twisted bitch." He took a heavy step towards me. I took another back.

"I didn't do anything to your brother. He attacked me."

"You shouldn't have been prowling the tubes at night. It's not safe, everyone knows this." He sneered, as keep he walking toward me. "He was working on getting clean. But you had tricked him up here with the promise of a new drug."

Drug? What drug? I just stared at him in completely disbelief.

"Don't play dumb, I found this on him." He tossed the vial of soil at me. Relief washed through my body. He didn't know what he had. "I contemplated arresting you but you wouldn't get what you deserve that way. Hooking innocent people on that shit, turning them into a shell of what they were. Nah, you deserve to suffer."

He took his badge off and dropped it the ground. Well, guess my day was only going to get worse from here. He took off his police vest and hat, I kept backing away slowly, trying not bring any attention to the fact I was trying to put as much of distance between us.

"It's fitting really, destroying you in the same tunnel you murdered him." He calmly stated, looking back to me. That when he hurled is body in my direction, charging at me with large strides. Quickly I spun around and darting to the opposite end of the tube. He was faster then I was and was on me by the time I reached the door.

El buffo grabbed my head and slammed it into the steal door. An explosion in my brain told me it would be a while before I saw straight. I felt my body be thrown back the way we had just ran from. To be honest I don't remember feeling my body land or much of what happened after ward.

I came to in my room, surrounded by darkness. My head throbbed, my stomach was turning over and over again. The room felt like it was spinning, I rolled to my side wrapping my hands around my temples and whimpered.

"Kid, trouble seems to follow you." He whispered, I leaned over my bed and dry heaved towards the floor. I didn't need to ask, I knew he saved me again. My guardian in the darkness. I leaned over and opened my nightstand drawer, pulling a bottle of white pills out. I dry swallowed two more illegal items.

"He thought I killed his brother." My own words bounced around in my skull, I pulled myself into ball clutching my head. The pain was excruciating, thoughts of death clouded my mind.

"He won't be bothering you."

"What did you do to him?" I whimpered as my body reminded me talking was not a wise idea. 

"Doesn't matter, he was a threat and that threat was eliminated." His tone was cold, I heard him move around the side of the bed. "I thought I told you to take it easy."

"I have been, what do you expect just to stop going to work?" The pain was starting ease, but I dared not to move.

"Call in sick." He knelt down in front of me.

"I don't know what you mean."

"When you don't feel good, you call into work saying you won't be there." He explained, his hand lightly brush my hair back.

"There is no such thing. You miss work you're sent to the factory, the only time you can miss work is if the doctors order you bed bound." Slowly I opened my eyes, his face was a mixture of confusion and concern.

"What has the world become?" He mumbled to himself.

"The world is ruled by people with money and power. We do what we can to survive, we find ways to cheat the system."

"How?"

"The underground. Some of us do illegal work to find ways to bring ourselves happiness, whether it's reading something other then books they allow or watching movies that are a hundred years old. It make life more tolerable." I sighed the pain was near gone, I rolled onto my back. He looked at me with sadness in his amber eyes." You want to see what I go through? You want to know how I keep from going crazy?"

"Show me." His reply was simple and I rolled off the bed, my vision swarmed and danced. I felt his hand on my elbow steadying me.

"Come with me." I grabbed a small brown leather satchel. My life line when it came to the underground. It contained more pepper spray, loose money, fictional pamphlets, and other random items to trade. 

He followed me as we left the darkened apartment. We walked down the empty hall to the rickety elevator. I pushed the call button, I had never taken anyone to the underground with me before.

Dulo's, the underground people, didn't take kindly to strangers. I had had my rear end handed to me many times before they accepted the fact that I wasn't there to bust them. The easiest way to be accepted is befriend one of these people, someone other dulo's trust. For me that was Holy Man, he preached an old book and never came topside. He was the one who gave me pepper spray after the fifth time I was jumped. I haven't seen in months, I fear the worst of him.

The elevator dinged and the doors slowly rolled open. We stepped in, the lighting low and yellow. It reeked of urine and stale alcohol, Reaper looked around the small enclosed room and took a deep breath.

"Fourteen floors? The building is only four high?"

"Four above, ten below." I looked at him and pressed the U button. "And the underground."

"Why not called it fifteen?" The elevator car started to shake as it descended.

"Originally the underground was created to be a storage area. To save items that society wouldn't need for years to come. The Dulo's and Underlings found them and criminal activity flourished." I explained, the ride was slow going.

"Dulo's, underlings, what does all of that mean?" His eyes fixated on me.

"Okay, so you have elitist, people with money and power. They have their own breaks down I'm sure but I don't know those. Then you have the lower class, which is everyone beneath them. There are Yulo's, top siders. People that work just to get by, they are straight laced and never visit the underground. Then there are Lulo's, people like me. I'm a topsider that dabbles in the underground network. Dulo's, they live and breathe the underground network. Then there are underlings, they are criminals. They will do anything for a buck, mainly to supply their habits." I watch the floor count as continued the descent down.

"How often do you visit the underground?"

"More then I care to admit." The doors pinged and slowly rolled open.

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[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

Chapter 8

The door slid open, creaking in protest. The smell was the first thing Sasha noticed, it was human waste. It was an overbearing stench, hitting her with a thousand pounds of force. Her eyes started to water as they exited.

She could hear whispers from all directions, a dripping was coming from somewhere a head of her. People turned their heads towards them, eyes narrowed. They scurried back to rooms, away from the intruders. For once she felt like an outsider that wasn't welcomed.  Reaper walked down the hall with confidence and purpose.

"You said she told you which ways to go." He spoke briskly as she sped up to match his strides.

"Yeah, she said at first you follow the corridor to the end. Then you hit a t junction at that you take a left. Follow that aways, she said then a hall crosses that path and you take a right. You'll come to the boiler room, she said when she was down here they had it off for cleaning purposes, but you go through that room and follow the hall on the other side." She explained trying not to make eye contact with any of the people, she step over someone sleeping in the path.

"Okay, what else?" He asked as the space between bulbs became farther apart.

"Uh, through the boiler room, through that hall you'll hit a y in the path." She heard glass crunch beneath her feet in the darkness. "We'll want to take the left at the end of the hall is a room. She said it was in there it had a metal blue print of the entire underground and where it connected top side. It's the only chance we have it might show us where the compound she's in connects down here."

"So it's a left then?" He remarked as they reached the end and hit the first junction.

"Yep." She took a deep breath.

—-

Elise slid down her apartment down, the tears wouldn't stop. Her friend would be dead by the end of week and it was her fault. She felt like the worst of people for betraying her, even if they didn't give her much of choice. She raised her head and looked across the room. Her father sat in the wheel chair just staring out the window lost in his mind somewhere, unable to come back to her. His body lived, but he was in some far off place. 

The older brother sat on the floor, playing with his trains. His mind had reverted back to his early childhood after he had had a run in with an underling and left for dead two years ago. They relied on her for food, housing, pretty much everything. They had threaten her, threaten them, though they never knew the perils they had been. Nor would her family know the sacrifice she made to keep them.

She just knew she couldn't let them take her family away, they threaten to take them to a care facility and worse. Her dad would of been one thing, his body would shut down while his brain had no idea. Her brother on the other hand would be confused, and wouldn't understand.

The thought of him being scared because she let them take him away, she couldn't do that. He would think she gave up on him, gave him away because she didn't care. Elise knew if Julianne found out the reason for her betrayal she would understand. Julianne knew how she she cared for them.

Her tears started to slowly roll down her cheek once again. Julianne didn't know though, and would die hating her. She wouldn't know that she had been left no choice but to rat her friend out.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

—-

Another shrill whistle startled me back to reality. I had just started to doze, thinking of ways to escape. The thought of doing this for another three days was torture, I was already hungry and thirsty. When the door clanged opened I didn't move.

"Julianne, how did your little friend get in?" Scarface asked, waltzing in.

"Don't know." I shrugged, I watched as the door closed.

"Surely you do." He looked back out the window.

"Nope, didn't ask. Or maybe I did and he didn't answer. Either way I have not the foggiest." I replied, watching him.

"Did you see our little pet?" His voice lifted a bit.

"Nope, slept right through it. Was it cute?" I feigned a yawn. I wanted him to go away.

"Oh, you and I know both know that's not true. I watched you on camera." He snickered.

"Oh, that thing, yeah. Wasn't impressed."

"That thing is something to behold, the way it stalks its food. It will drain a full grown man in under an hour, trust me, I've timed him."

"Meh." I replied nonchalantly.

"We caught it about a year ago, wandering around a bit before the sun rose. Must of been lost, we've never had them come out this far." He looked at me and grinned. "Its nice to have, he's been the easiest way to render meat. Before we could only use about four percent of the meat, now he drains it and we can use just bout the entire body."

"What are you going on about?" He wasn't making any sense. Rendering meat?

"The meat we use for your food blocks. Before the butchering process was messy and the people who were doing didn't know what they were doing. All the chefs refuse to make your guys food." He snickered. "But now, he drains the body, we throw the meat into the boiler, that is after we gut them. Once meat separates we pull it out and throw it into the grinder. From there it's processed and bricked up. Then you fools eat it non the wiser."

"Again you make no sense, are you sure that they didn't make you genetically dumber. Reaper definitely got the brains." He was suddenly on the cot, standing with me pinned to wall by my throat.

"Go ahead and make fun of me," He menacingly whispered inches from my face, grey eyes filled with hatred. "I'm not the one who argues over which flavor of human tastes better."

—-

They had finally reached the boiler room, it was dark. The smell was putrid, that of decaying flesh. It made Sasha's stomach turn, her eyes were having trouble adjusting  to the only light, a singular red bulb, that was twenty feet above them. She felt disoriented as it filter down through the metal grating over head.

It was exceedingly hot down there, she had started sweating within minutes of entering the room. The floors were slimy, covered in who knows what. She had started to slip a couple of times but caught her balance.

"Did your sister say which direction the door was?" Reaper inquired barely audible above the hum from the boiler, his pace had slowed for the first time.

"No, from the way she talked its was a pretty through and through." She replied raising her voice. "God, that smell is getting worse."

"It's just decaying meat, trust me it could get worse." He replied as they rounded the left side of the enormous vat.

"It could get worse." She mimicked, rolling her eyes. "How big is this room?"

"Who knows, lets just keep going." He kept is pace slow, his feet kept trying to slide out from underneath him.

"That's what I am doing." She snipped back, watching her step.

"Really? Sounded a lot like complaining to me." Reaper remarked, he could vaguely hear the metallic click of door opening somewhere above them.

"I'm not complaining, I'm just stating.." Her yell was cut short from him as he lunged and threw his hand over her mouth. She struggled a bit, he pointed up and made a shushing gesture. Sasha looked up, she could see two people pulling a body across the grating. One of them grabbed something, he then started hitting the body with it. She watched in terror, they were dismembering the body. The other person grabbed the head once it was detached and tossed into the vat.

"Oh god." She breathed out as it dawned her what was happening. She was a 'cook', they took the boiled meat and added preservatives to it, then it was turned into the bricks they ate. Her body start to heave involuntarily, she could feel what contents in her stomach start to come racing back up her esophagus. Reaper stood and watched her spew on the floor. This explained why the food tasted the way it did, he had eaten human meat to survive right after the blasts. Something he wasn't to proud to admit. She stayed hunched over, trying to recollect herself.

"We should keep moving." He whispered, rubbing her back.

"Please." She stood back up, taking a deep breath. She took a couple of steps when an arm flew down from above her, smacking her the crown of her head. It startled her, Sasha suddenly took a step back and she lost her balance. Her feet slipped out from beneath her and Shasha landed hard the slime. Reaper turned to look at her, the look of disgust covered her face as she slowly brought hands up. He attempted to hide the amusement on his own face as he reached down to give the poor girl a hand. Sasha reached out, grasping his hand. He could feel something wiggling between their palms, her face filled with horror.

"Oh, I landed in maggots." She exclaimed, pulling herself from the floor. "I think I'm going to vomit again."

"Shh. They will hear you." He pulled her from the slime covered floor as they made their way around boiler.

—

Night approached, I dozed in between the erratic blasts and the screaming creature. I was hungry, and thirsty. I laid on the metal cot staring up at the ceiling. It takes a toll on you, being sleep deprived. Studies have shown after a couple days of no sleeps psychological impact becomes permanent. Luckily, I was only in my first day though to be fair my eyes felt like sand paper and I was sluggish.

The metal clanged open, two men dressed in the same black swat uniforms walked into the room. One stayed by the door, holding a huge gun? I'm guessing here, I've never seen one in person. Supposedly they had all went the incinerator decades ago. Yet, here one was, really I shouldn't of been as shocked I was considering everything I had learned recently. The man that stood by the door had a ruddy complexion and auburn hair peaked out from under his helmet. He held the weapon across his chest, hugging it tightly. His green eyes, narrowed at me as his face tighten.

The second of the two walked toward me, chain in his hands. His skin lightly tanned, and smooth minus the light five-o-clock shadow. The strap of the helmet hugged his square jar tightly, kind electric blue eyes held my gaze. He stopped just infront of me, he gave a slight look back.

"Turn around prisoner." His voice boomed from full parted lips. I did as I was instructed, to tired to fight him. He leaned in close to me, loosely wrapping the chains around my wrists.

"I'm getting you out of here, on my mark be prepared to run." He whispered into my ear, I felt my eyes widen, my heart sped up. "Turned around and walk."

I followed his instructions, and exited my metal prison. He pushed me ahead of them. I tried to keep my breathing even, tried to keep my fear at bay. What did he mean get me out of here? Out of the prison? Out of the building? A large crack from behind me drew my attention. I looked over my shoulder, green eyes had dropped the weapon, a large angry crimson welt was forming between his eyes. He had already cocked his arm back and was in mid throw when I heard the blue eyed one yell for me to run. He spun on his heel, his other leg brought up. He connected squarely with the other mans head. The first guy stumbled back, regaining his footing. He lunged, blue eyes turned his head toward me.

"I said run!" He yelled at me, I didn't hesitate this time. I sprinted down the hall, turning the corner with such force I lost my footing. I slipped landing on my hip sliding into the wall. I pushed myself to my feet and kept running. I followed the corridor, taking random turns, I had no idea where I was running to but I just kept going.

—-

"Hopefully this is the right room." Sasha stated as her and Reaper heaved the heavy iron door open. They walked in, it was bright. Both shielded their eyes that had become adjusted to wandering the underground. Reaper stepped in and smashed a couple of lights out, till it was dark enough to handle. Sasha walked in behind him, a metal giant machine stood on the opposite side of the room. Colored lights sparkled randomly all over it, switches labeled for random things. She walked around the room before it dawned her this was the control room for the complex.

"There's the map!" She exclaimed as she half sprinted to the wall. Reaper followed her. "Okay, there is the prison building I think, and we are here. So it looks like we follow the other side of the y to the end of the hall and hook a left, there should be ladder that leads up to a utility room. From there we should be able to get to the prison rooms."

"Sounds simple enough." Reaper added.

"You should go back, I'll get your sister and we'll meet back at the tube."

"What?!"

"You heard me."

"You're right, I heard you but as a stupid plan I've elected to ignore it." She smarted, crossing her arms. "I'm going with you."

"No, that's a stupid plan. You coming me will get you killed and I don't need to worry about babysitting you." He replied sternly, walking out the room, back to the junction of the y.

"I don't care what you think, I'm coming like it or not. She's my sister." They reached the y, foot steps echoed from the direction of the boiler room.

"Damn it," Reaper whispered, Sasha looked down the hall then looked back at him her head cock. "We better hurry then."

——

I had locked my self in a small room filled with cleaning supplies. I had taken the liberty to hide in the corner behind a mop bucket. Did I really think this was the best hiding place? Of course not, but it was the only unlocked room and best place I could find on such short notice. I watched as the knob jiggled and slowly started to turn. I armed myself with best weapon available, a mop stick. When life gives you lemons, you learn to improvise. The door slowly opened, I sprung out of hiding with viciousness of long lost dog, the chihuahua.

Blue eyes grabbed my stick and shoved me back into the room, closing the door behind him. He turned the thumb latch and snapped it off. His cheek was red and his eyebrow split.

"Who are you?" I asked, suddenly realizing I was in a room alone with him and now the room had a broken lock. He stalked over to the large heavy rack, and pushed it easily out of the way. Blue eyes knelt down and swung a hidden grate open. "What are you?"

"We need to keep moving, he'll realize what has happened once he gets back." Ignoring me, gesturing down the hole. I hesitated, looking from him the hole and back. "I'll explain, but really we need to get moving we haven't much time."

I did as asked and lowered myself down the ladder. It was a long way down, seemed like ages before I reached bottom. My arms were about to give out, and to say I was happy to feel the floor beneath my feet was an understatement. A thump next me reminded me I was not alone. I could see he landed on his feet in squaring position, he slowly stood. Motioning me to followed, I could hear my foot steps echoe though the silent corridor.

"Who are you?" I repeated breaking the silence.

"Does it matter?" He stated just a head of me.

"Yes."

"I beg to differ, at least in this day and age. Names means nothing, you're given a number or a title and it's supposed to mean something. Names are meaningless." His voice was on edge, hinted with sorrow. I reached out and placed my hand on his large shoulders stopping him. I walked around to face him those kind eyes looked tired and annoyed.

"Your name matters to me." He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Call me.."

"Preacher?!" I heard Reaper's unmistakable voice in the dark. "Good god man."

"Reaper?"

"And Sasha if anybody is wondering." They both came into view. I pushed my way past Reaper, engulfing her a huge hug. Only to punched by the scent of death and decay.

"Oh god, what's that smell?" I asked holding my nose, pulling back my arms noticing they were covered in a slimy goo.

"Don't ask." She replied.

"We can't go back." Reaper stated to Preacher. "Guards are on our tail."

"They'll be on ours soon enough." Preacher added. "Follow me."

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Not Our Home

Chapter 7

An shrill blasted penetrated the silence, startling me back to my reality. It had been the fifth one since the doors had closed. I was disoriented, looking around my surroundings. The metal shined brightly as the sunlight poured in the window.

I stumbled over and peered out, the grass swayed in the light breeze. In the distance I saw tall columns, dabbed in various shades of green. Trees, I had seen them in pictures and movies. It was marvel to behold, beauty that I had no words the describe.

I felt my stomach tighten and rumble, I knew what laid a head of me. Part of me wondered since there was little to no radiation how they managed to kill those sentenced to death. Bullets were scarce, and hard to make since the dropping of the bombs.

Other methods that they had used previously to kill those on the death row were no longer available. I had a week to figured out how to escape, or if I even could escape. All while becoming dehydrated and starving, with little to no sleep.

❧

"Sir, the prisoner is awake." The guard informed him. It was time to figure out how this girls little friend was getting in the building, disrupting the flow of things.

The metallic door slid open with a large bang, baldy stepped in waving his lakies away. The door slid closed with another large clang. He walked in towards me as I sat on the metal cot, his eyes concentrated on the window.

"It's amazing, never ceases to surprise me. It only took a couple of years for the trees to come back." His voice was cold, almost disgusted. "We almost had the perfect utopia. Everyone in their appropriate social classes, not mettling. Then you came along."

He finally turned his head toward me, his eyes narrowed. I stayed silent, I didn't know what he was planning but I didn't want to be a part of it. He looked down at me and folded his arms.

"You know, we only took the brightest of lower middle class. Before the bombs dropped, thinking maybe, just maybe it would make all of you smarter in the long run. Remind you guys if it hadn't been for our generosity to your grandparents you wouldn't exists. However, I felt obligated to personally take your dad in." I heard the disgust in his voice, it dawned on me. This man was easily a hundred and fifty. Which meant he was one those genetically modified.

"That's right, little girl, I'm like your little friend out there. The only difference is, I was able to live out my life in luxury. You see I was promised an amazing life if I didn't disarm the nuclear warhead in the bomb. I'm sure had your little friend not been so focused on her he would've noticed." He gloated. "Things ran smoothly for the most part around here, everyone happy in their classes, content. Till you started dabbling in the underground."

"Me?" I was genuinely confused by this.

"Yes, you. Bringing your books and movies top side had a long impact on our society. People talk, and whisper through the community. Telling stories of things you'd bring back to your friends. We let it slide, as at that point it hadn't caused to much trouble. People were still complacent in their dull little lives, that was till Reaper showed up."

"Reaper showing up had nothing to with me."

"Your right, and wrong. Had you not been curious that night and walked the tubes he would never had seen you. He would not have been fixated on you, as you look so much like your grandma. He had to come in, and you just had to make contact with him. Then stories swirled about that outside isn't as deadly as people were lead to believe, if people know that life is capable of surviving out there society will crumble again."

"I was right." I whispered, looking towards the ground. My mind began to tail spin.

"It took hours of persuading your friend Elise to rat you out. Ultimately we had to threaten her family but you get the point. She will be taken care of after we are done with you. We will slowly eliminate everyone you have had contact with, so not to draw any attention."

"You have held us hostage, kept us from a better life because the lot of you are to lazy to do your own work? That's what this comes down to?" I sprang up from my cot yelling, my entire body shook with anger. "You think by getting rid of me that will solve your problem? You think that nobody else will question your ideas of utopia? Your wrong, there will be others like me. Word is already spreading, you can't kill the idea once the doubt is put in their minds."

"How cute, you think this is the first time people have wondered if it's safe out there. News flash child, it's not. We will deal with it as we have always done, destroy the non-believers. We are due for a reduction in numbers anyhow, can't have over population happen. It makes people unhappy once the over crowding starts. Can't have that, unhappy workers make bad decisions."

"You’re a monster." I stated in disgust.

"So is your little friend, how do you think he earned the name Reaper." His lip curled as he smiled at me. "This has been a marvelous chat but I have better things to do now."

I watched as he banged on the metal door and left. I felt sick to my stomach, my chest started to heave. The realization of how bad our society really was hit me like a brick. Lives meant nothing to these people, killing people for having thoughts that didn't conform to their beliefs.

A scream startled me from my thoughts. It was deafening, and inhuman. A hallow metallic sound that chilled you to the core. My heart raced, I sprinted to the window and peered out. I watched as a pair of boots walked passed the window struggling to pull something. Another shrill scream pierced my ears louder then before. I clamped my hands over my ears.

Large pale white hands planted into the soil before my eyes, long talon like nails dug into the soil. The skin was almost translucent white, marred by large bloody blisters. It lowered it's massive head to the ground. It's smooth face was void of any eyes, sunken skin covered the sockets in the skull.

The creatures body was heaving with each heavy breath. It opened its mouth, sharp jagged teeth glistened, its eye teeth absurdly long. The abominations tongue slipped out and graced the ground licking the soil, saliva sticking to the ground.

It's body braced back as it took in a deep breath, that shrill, ear piercing hallowed scream exited it. I winced in response to its call. The thing snapped its head in my direction, I was confused as to how it sensed me.

It lunged at me through the glass, hissing. Pressing its flattened nose against the glass, and started clawing erratically. I instinctively took a step back, it lunged again and shrieked. In horror I heard a small crack and watched as a small fissure appear in the glass that separated us.

The boots came back into view, I heard the zap of electricity. It spasmed, and turned to the boots hissing. The thing slowly crept away from the window, growling. Whatever that thing was, whatever it's genetic make up, it was far from what it had originally been. Years of genetic mutation from radiation had taken its toll.

❧

Sasha waited in the tube as night approached, she didn't know who else to turn to. Reaper had found away into the building surely he could find away to rescue her sister. She had no idea where they housed the condemned, but she knew where the blue prints were contained.

She could see a storm rolling in, the first few droplets twinkled in the fading moonlight. A green light flickered through the night sky, thunder rocked through the tube. Sasha stepped closer to the tube wall, pressing her hands to the cool glass.

Lighting graced the blackened sky, she saw him. Reflecting in the glass, an irrational fear ripped through her body as she spun around. Their eyes locked, confusion etched across his worried eyes.

"They have her." She breathed out, his eyes narrowed.

"Where?" His voiced boomed.

"I don't know, I don't know where they house the condemned." His body began to tense up at her words. "I know where the blue prints are, Julianne found them once. She told me where they are."

"Where?"

"They are deep in the underground." Sasha stated turning walking toward the tube door.

"Do you know where at in the underground?" He asked as they paced through the door, he turned toward the elevator as she had turned to take the stairs.

"Yes, but we need to her bag, it has pepper spray. We're outsiders they will attack us." She watched as he pushed the call button.

"Then let them, you won't need the pepper spray. You will be safe." The doors dinged and slowly rolled open.

"Are you sure?" She asked, stepping in the elevator car.

"Yes." He pressed the U button, the car started its rickety descent downward.  Sasha watched him out of the corner of her eye, he was tense. His hands clenched into fists, causing the veins in his forearms to pop out a bit. She adjusted her weight to her foot farthest away from him.

"You don't trust me." His voice flat, her eyes trained on the door.

"I don't know you, or what your intentions are with my sister. All I know is you've killed at least three people since you arrived, and now I'm standing in a small elevator with you, descending into bowls of darkness riddle with crime and filth. My sister is awaiting death and we have absolutely no plan on how to rescue her and you're worried that I don't trust you?" She scoffed. "Trust is the last thing I'm worried about."

"Trust is needed in any mission." He replied, looking at her.

"The isn't a mission, and I'm not a soldier." She quipped, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her gently to face him.

"Without trust, you're going to worry that I will hurt you and not those who intend to do is harm. If I don't trust you, you could be leading me on wild goose chase that could get you or I killed. If we fight with each other the odds of us getting to your sister are slim. Trust is necessary."

"Okay, fine, I trust you." She stated, her eyebrow raised. He let go of her, his chocolate eyes bore into her, her body relaxed. She could almost understand why her sister felt at ease. There was something about him. "Why are you fixated on her?"

"She reminds me someone. Reminds me of a woman who gave everything, and expected nothing in return. I wanted to keep her safe, so she could return her family but I failed." He tore his gaze from her, and watched their reflections in the elevator door.

"Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. Trust me I learned a long time ago that you can't save everyone." She looked back the door. "My father said he failed us and my mother when they arrested him. I was tasked to take care her after they took him. Julianne would tell our mother amazing stories of adventures he was going on to get her the help she needed. Our mother thought our dad was on journey went she passed."

"Your father didn't fail though."

"It didn't matter, in his eyes he had. That's the thing, you may see yourself as failure but in reality to her, you weren't." The car started to slow as the number hit fourteen. "Just like no matter what happens from this point on, we won't fail. You can't fail if you don't stop trying."

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[jlpat82]

Not Our Home

Epilogue

The next couple of weeks were spent clearing the debris and the dead. We threw the food bricks in the furnace, never again will we cannibalize each other. Our numbers in total had been drastically reduced, our fight totaled our numbers in half. The last few members of swat turned themselves in, most relieved it was over. They had only been falling orders, and wished to start new lives and that they were given.

We toured the old elite side of the complex. They had large rooms dedicated to growing small crops, plants I have never seen. Green round leafy plants that you could eat, I was told it was lettuce but to me it just tasted like water. It was sight to behold, wonders I had never seen.

I had always thought growing up there were more of them, the elite, than us of the working class but in reality there wasn't. Their side of the complex was large and expansive but only contained half as many as ours. A lot of the their space was put aside for growing food, wether it be crops or some weird little creature called a chicken.

There had been no tubes or tunnels connecting to other places like ours. We had been a lone society in the middle of no where far removed from other people. It was an odd thought to think that we might be  what was the last of descendants of humanity.

Then came the day I had wanted all my life. I walked with Reaper up to one of the doors that led to the outside world. The place I had been dreaming of since I was child.

"Are you sure you want to, kid?" He asked, looking down at me with those beautiful honey eyes.

"More then anything." My voice raised in excitement.

"Then open the doors." He chuckled.

Tentatively I place my hands on the large bar and pushed down. I heard a click as it unlatched, I closed my eyes and braced myself. So many things raced through my head, wonder to fear of eminent death.

"Seriously Julianne, just push the door open!" My sister urged from behind us.

I gave the door a shove, warm wind kissed my bare skin as the sun was starting to set. I opened my eyes, looking out as the sand swirled against the ground. Slowly I started to step out, taking a deep breath in. I could smell the earth, the ground was warm and it felt weird, gritty and soft, beneath my bare feet. The wind made a whispering sound, it never occurred to me that the wind could make a noise.

I took a couple steps out, turning slowly in circle taking everything. In the distance was the old city, grey and distorted, hills of sand between us and it. My eyes landed on my sister, a huge smile was across her face she looked around in wonder. This is what the outside felt like. Openness in every direction, it felt free and I felt small.

"This is my world." Reaper finally spoke, wrapping his arms around from behind me. "There is reason being in those buildings is foreign to me. I have lived the last hundred years in this open vastness the walls close in and it makes it difficult to breathe for me."

"Julianne," My sister spoke up, I turned to look at her. "Do your lungs hurt?"

I could feel it, the slight burning sensation deep in my chest. The air seemed to become thick suddenly, my heart started to speed up. I looked up at Reaper as I started to take deeper heavier breaths trying pull in more oxygen, I saw a pained look sweep across his face.

"Let's get you back inside." He put his hand on my back guiding me back to the building. I was starting to get light head as we made the short trek back into the building. I was gasping as we shut the door, my chest heaved painfully with each intake.

"How can be toxic?" My eyes connected with Reaper's.

"It's not." Preacher replied, rubbing my sisters back as she doubled over breathing as hard as I was.

"Then why?" I stammered.

"You're not used to it." Reaper replied for him. "I've lived out there so long, my body is used to it and I differ from you."

"You didn't have any problems?" Sasha questioned Preacher.

"Mod.." He started before being cut off.

"If you even say modified so help me, Lucas." She barked back him. I glanced the door, my dreams had just come crashing down around me. I couldn't enjoy the one thing I had hoped for, and now I was unsure of what I was going to do.

We walked back to the apartment in silence, we passed by the common room. People were laughing and dancing on the hardwood floor. Kids ran around trying catch one for fluffy precarious birds. I wished I could be joyous with them, but there was a gnawing sensation growing in the pit of my stomach.

After walking through the door of our home I flopped onto one of the couches. Preacher came in and took a seat on the other, watching his friend as he walked to the window gazing out over the moonlit landscape. Sasha waltzed over and curled up onto the seat next to Preacher, the two had become inseparable.

"You really should just get this over with." Preacher stated, breaking the silence, his eyes never wavering from the man at the window.

"Get what over with it?" Sasha stared at him in bewilderment. There went that twisting turning feeling in my gut again.

"Being here with the three of you has reminded me what it was like being around close friends and family. Something I never thought I would ever feel again." Reaper finally spoke, his back to us. "However, I feel like a caged animal, yearning for freedom."

He finally turned, his eyes landed on me. I dared myself not to cry, as he calmly walked to me. He knelt before me, taking my hands into his. This it what I had been dreading, upon the realization I could not stay in the outside world.

"Julianne, I cannot stay here. This is not my home, my home is out there." I could hear the pain in his voice, I could feel a tear slowly travel across my cheek.

"I know, I've seeing with way you stare out of the tubes when you think you're alone. But.." I trailed off, my head down casted, hair spilling in front of my face. He reached up, tilting my chin till we made eye contact.

"Your place is here, you have a society to rebuild they will need someone to lead them, and guide them." His words were soft, another tear collided with the first and fell from my chin it pooled on the back of my hand.

"I can't." My words caught in my throat.

"Yes, you can. You'll have Preacher and your sister to help you." He glance over the two sitting on the couch.

"You won't go at this alone." Preacher spoke up. "Besides, I fear if I leave this one alone she'll winding up pinned by some slithering beast."

"I loath you." She smacked him on the shoulder as he chuckled. Catching her hand as she went to smack him again.

"I loath you too, love."

"So this is it?" I asked meekly meeting his eyes again. "Your leaving."

"I'll always come back to you, kid." He wrapped his arms around me, embracing me.

~~~

Reaper and I stood at the door again, alone this time. He held me for a long time as I pulled myself together. I felt like I had known him my whole life and that he only just entered at the same time. I hated myself for crying, I worried that he would never come back, that something would kill him and I'd never know.

"You promise to come back?" I asked pulling my head back off his chest.

"For you, always." He replied before kissing me, I leaned in grasping his shirt hoping this moment would last forever.

He finally pulled away, I watched as he open the outside door. We both stepped out together. Droplets graced my skin, cool and wet. The moonlight twinkled in the puddles that had formed, rippling with each new drop of rain that joined. The rain made a light pitter patter as it danced across the land. I stopped just outside the threshold, my arms crossed as I watched my watcher walk confidently out into the night.

He left just as he came into my life, on a rainy night. Quietly just like the first time, a hurricane had in between that short time and life for me would never be the same. A mixture of feelings rolled through and a cold shiver racked through my body.

I stayed longer then I should of, past the point of my lung burning. I could no longer see him when I turned and walked back through the door. I gave it hard shove, closing it. I walked to the tube I first saw him and sat on the floor drench to the bone as a green streak arced in the distance.

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