Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

They both nodded at her, willing to honor her wishes. The two men got gradually more and more worried as her health was failing, each of them doing everything they could for her. It wasn't looking good though.

It was the evening of the second day when Damien spoke up. "I... I'd like to spend the night with her," Damien said in a strained voice.

Sabastian felt all his own feelings bubble up for Cora, blinking his eyes and swallowing. The fact of the matter was that she had been sick for two days with no signs of getting better. In fact, she seemed like she was getting worse, weaker. He nodded, "Well then, we'll have to tie her up and gag her. It's what she wanted."

If it meant that he would be able to sleep with his body nestled up against hers, then Damien didn't have a problem with that. They searched the house and found some rope, finding some in the garage. For a gag, their choices were limited to duct tape and tying a belt around her head and Jaw to keep it closed. They went with the belt, wanting it to be easy to take off in case anything happened to her. Once it was fastened and she was tied on her side to the bed's bars, he laid down behind her, scooting up and spooning her. Sabastian went to go sleep downstairs on a different couch to the woman's. He had dragged her out to the shed in an effort to make himself feel better about sleeping down there.

Hours went by and Damien tried to sleep but he couldn't, not with the way her breathing had seemed to slow, her body shuddering every now and then.

"Loving and fighting. Accusing, denying. I can't imagine a world with you gone. The joy and the chaos, the demons we're made of. I'd be so lost if you left me alone..." The man started to quietly sing "Hold On." It was a song he had listened to several times, feeling a connection to it a little bit. However, he had never truly felt the song's lyrics until now, and he didn't know why but he felt he needed to sing to her. Maybe it was for her, maybe for himself; all he knew was that he was so afraid and he needed to express it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r79eaANM_o

"Hold on, I still want you. Come back, I still need you..." He softly sang, tears running down his face as he gently sang the lyrics. Damien held her close, hoping and praying that she would be okay, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was drifting further and further away from him. His greatest fear was waking up an feeling her body cold against him. What the fuck was he supposed to do without this beautiful, kind woman?

"Can you hear me screaming please don't leave me!" At that he broke down, sobbing against her back. He felt so lost and desperate, gripped by despair as the woman he loved was dying beside him.

 

[Drobabes]

When Cora had thrown up that black gooey liquid, she felt as if that was it. She had stared down at it, her medical research telling her that internal bleeding often looked like dark coffee grounds when puked up, and while she didn't understand where she could have been bleeding from, she knew it was a death sentence with no hospitals around to perform emergency surgery. She didn't want to give up then, she didn't want to die, but it seemed inevitable.

She was still aware of the boys when they began to tie her up, and even though she was too weak to respond, she was grateful for what was happening. She couldn't imagine a more peaceful way to go then being held in the arms of the man she loved, one last time.

Every part of her body ached and burned, but even through the pain of it, Damien felt so good against her. She wanted to tell him she loved him, and so many times throughout those hours of him restlessly holding her, she tried. Everytime though, it only came out as a pained noise in the back of her throat and eventually she gave up.

She had just begun to drift off, not quite into sleep, but almost as if she felt herself slipping, when he began to sing. It was a little like the PTSD, and a little like something else. She felt as if she could feel both Damien against her back, but also other things in the room that weren't near her. Her body didn't feel heavy anymore and it was almost like she was in water, just kind of floating. His voice in her ear was so sweet though, that she wanted to hear more of it.

Suddenly she found herself struggling to listen, struggling to feel more from her body so that she could feel his warm breath on her ear, and his arms around her chest. It was difficult, but little by little she clawed her way back to consciousness and opened her eyes. The room was dark and cooler than it had been since he had first deposited her on the bed, although it was still blisteringly hot. But what was more important than all of that was that Damien was singing to her. He had been singing to her and now he had stopped.

Tears leaked down her own face as she felt him suddenly let loose with his own sobs, and in that moment she would have traded almost anything just to be able to hold him and tell him it would be ok. She didn't know where she found the strength to do it, but maybe by some miracle, she manages to pull in a deep breath and then quietly, oh so quietly, she sang back to him through her gag. She couldn't form the words of course, but she mumbled out the tune of and pitch of "hold on I still want you..."

Cora closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the sun was shining softly through the window.

 

[Poprockz]

When he heard that little tune from her, he choked out a little laugh through his sobs. She heard him, she was still with him. That was the best news he could have gotten. At the very least, even if she was going to pass on soon, he knew she was awake to hear his next words, His lips went very close to her ear and he whispered, "I love you, Cora. More than anything. Whatever happens, I'll hold you through it."

He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of her hair, his arms holding her so snugly. The man continued to sing the rest of the song to her, only this time it was softer ad more full of affection for her. One might say that it was full of love and acceptance, with just a small bittersweet tinge.

"I don't wanna let go. I know I'm not that strong. I just wanna hear you, saying baby let's go home.
Let's go home. Yeah, I just wanna take you home." Damien kissed the back of her neck, the tears seeming to abate.

"Hold on, I still want you... Come back, I still need you..."

With that, he found himself slowly drifting off to sleep with her. Though his cheeks were tearstained and his eyes were puffy, his heart aching for her, the fact she had been able to respond to him let him see a small ray of hope. He succumbed to his exhaustion, having not slept hardly at all for the last two days. This might be the last time he slept next to her, Cora, but he was willing to accept it now that he had been able to tell her he loved her before she went.

When Cora woke up, Damien was still sleeping soundly next to her, cuddled close against her. He hadn't used a blanket due to the fact that she had felt way too hot, so he had goosebumps on his arms from the chilly morning air.

Sabastian woke up downstairs, sighing and looking at Bowie. The snake had slept nestled between himself and the back of the couch, his head on Sabastian's chest while his little tongue flicked out. He didn't want to go up there to check on them, but he knew he had to. He couldn't sense Cora having turned, but that didn't mean she couldn't turn any minute now.

He made his way up the stairs with Bowie draped around his shoulders, opening the door softly so as not to wake them if they were still sleeping.

 

[Drobabes]

All the heat seemed to have left her throughout the early morning and she had started to get a little gooseflesh of her own. Her body ached, but not in the way that the heat had made it ache. No, this was just the physical ache of having gone through a very rough and intense sick period, and that realization made her shed a few tears. She didn't want to hope just yet, but it looked as if it was over.

She closed her eyes for a few moments, still feeling so extremely weak. The belt in her mouth and the restraints holding her arms prevented her from really doing anything, but that was just fine by her. Damien was by her side.

When she heard the door open, her own eyes opened slowly and she struggled to lift her head and look. A little smile crept on her face, as odd as it probably looked with the belt in her mouth, as she took in the sight of Bowie and Sabastian standing there in the door. If she could have, she would have given him a little thumbs up, but as it were, she had to lay her head back down and just rest.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian was surprised to see her lift her head and smile at him. From what he heard from Damien, the other woman had basically been comatose before biting Cora, completely unresponsive until she turned and struck. The fact that Cora had gone through a period like that and could now respond even with a bit of positivity made his heart beat faster. A bit of hope stirred in his own chest and he approached the bed.

Bowie was laid down between Cora and the bars of the bed, the snake cuddling up to her chest for warmth as Sabastian retreated down the steps. He was back in about fifteen minutes with a large glass of chocolatey brown liquid. It was a chocolate-flavored protein shake with lots of vitamins. He had found it in the cupboards and stirred some up for her. Hopefully, it would help her get a little bit of strength back and some liquid in her.

This had been really rough on her it seemed, and if there was any chance she could recover, he was going to jump on it with everything he had. The blonde set the glass down on the bed-side table and then sat in the chair, waiting for a little while.

After about an hour, Damien stirred. Based on the fact that she still felt warm, he could assume that she was still alive. This filled him with so much gratitude that the first thing he did was squeeze her slightly. He then let her go and glanced over at Sabastian.

Sabastian smiled and came over, starting to untie Cora from the bed as Damien got up and sat in the chair himself. The belt was removed as well, and she was now free to move around.

"She was able to hum to me last night..." Damien said softly, his eyes fixed on her back.

The little blonde smiled, "she smiled at me earlier too. Let's try to get some liquids in her today and see how it goes?"

 

[Drobabes]

She had drifted off back to sleep, her body desperately trying to recover some of its energy. When Sabastian started untying her though, she opened her eyes and watched him with some lucidity. Once the belt was out of her mouth, she immediately moved her sore jaws a bit and tried to build up a bit of spit in her mouth to wet it and swallow. Once that was out of the way, she smiled again, though she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"I love you guys" she said weakly, her voice barely being able to crack over a whispering volume.

___ ___

Delvin had drank very little and eaten even less. The memories of that terrible place kept replaying over and over in his mind, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop it. A deep, deep disgust had nestled itself down in his soul, making his mind linger on his own actions. The way his body had responded so easily and so readily to that filthy freaks mouth and those disgusting tentacles. He couldn't get over it. He barely even moved around in his seat, as every small jostle he made reminded him of the lingering, sticky moisture in his ass that made him want to puke. When at last, after almost a full twenty four hours of just staying in the car, he couldn't ignore nature's call any longer, he did end up puking. The feeling of it, so wet and slippery, making him gag. Afterwards though, he had felt a bit better. Not much, but a bit, as if his body had cleansed itself of the last violating touch of that man.

It still took him some time to recover enough to continue on his journey, but once he got going, he didn't stop again till the morning. He pulled over to take a leak, and a large sign on the side of the highway caught his eye. Someone had thrown a huge blanket over the old highway advertisement, and now spray painted in it's place was the general directions to a church. It offered refuge, beds, and food, but what Delvin really wanted was a confession. It wasn't something he had done in quite a number of years, losing a bit of his faith along the way, but right now he felt as if that was the only thing that could chase away the dark thoughts clouding up his mind.

He got back in the car, his appetite suddenly a bit better, and he drove until he pulled up into the old prison yard that the church had supposedly taken refuge at.

He slung his guitar and backpack around his chest and got out of the car, putting a hand up over his eyes to block the sun out.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian smiled widely at her when he saw her look at him and heard her whisper. It was too soft for Damien to hear, so he asked him what she had said. "She says she loves us." The blonde looked back at Cora and replied, "we love you too. Even that dummy in the armchair named Damien." He cracked a grin at her and rubbed her shoulder.

"Hey!" Damien protested from the chair. "I mean I do love her, but I'm not a dummy."

With a chuckle, Sabastian ignored him. "There's a protein shake on the bedside table next to you with a spoon in it. If you wait too long to drink it, it might separate, so be sure to stir it again. I made it with a carton of rice milk I found, so it hasn't gone bad and should help you get some of your strength back. Please try to drink it when you can, okay?"

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In the prison yard, there were a couple people working on a garden, watering and taking care of the vegetables they were growing. One of the women stood up and wiped her brow, her straw hat casting shade over her a bit. She walked over to him and smiled brightly, "Howdy there, stranger. Are you here to get shelter with us? The lord welcomes anyone with kindness and humility in their hearts. My name is Samantha." She stuck out her hand for him to shake, beaming at him in a welcoming way.

The others stopped working and waved in a friendly manner before beginning to work once more.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora smiled again, especially amused when she heard Damien's little protest at being called a dummy. Her eyes then travelled to the drink and she gave a quiet little "ok" while she tried to reach out and grab it. Her mouth was so dry that she would have drank just about anything he gave her right then.

She managed to get her hand on it, but it shook a bit when she tried to lift it up, so she sat it back down. She knew she was going to have to sit herself up so she could hold it properly, but she was so damn tired still it almost didn't seem worth the effort.

___ ___

Her smile seemed sweet and kind, and it instantly set him at ease, helping to melt away some of his nerves. He gave her a warm smile in return and gently took her hand.

"Yes mam, at least for a while. My name's Delvin, but you can just call me Vin."

He took a better look around and gave a little wave back to the people working in the garden. The sense of community in the air was tangible and helped keep the smile on his face.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian watched her struggle with the cup. He reached out as though to help her with it, but she had already put it down. Reaching under her legs and behind her back, he very gently lifted and adjusted her body so that she was sitting upright. Her pillow was put behind her back to make it more comfortable also.

“Hey Damien, could you go to the kitchen and grab her a straw and a little cup?” The blonde asked.

Damien nodded and jogged downstairs, quickly returning with the items requested. Sabastian poured some of the protein shake into the little cup and put the straw in it, knowing that it would be much easier for someone who was feeling weak. His mother had needed similar accommodations when she was feeling really weak.

Once that was done, Damien sat on the side of the bed, rubbing her calf and sticking around to make sure she didn’t need further help. “Let me know if there’s anything you want or need,” he said, giving her a small smile. In the light of day, Damien kind of looked like shit. His hair was disheveled, he had some stubble going on, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Despite all of this, he looked very happy that she was awake enough to speak.

————————————————-

Samantha shook his hand back and then turned, gesturing for him to follow her as she led him into the prison. “Well, you can stay as long as you like, Vin. All we ask is that you help out while you’re here. You could garden, cook, clean, build, or just help out with general tasks. I hope you don’t think we’re being too demanding; it’s just that during these troubling times, we need all the help we can get. “

The woman was in overalls with a red shirt underneath, her brown hair in a ponytail to keep it out of the way. She looked to be in her late thirties. Leading him inside, she badges in through the checkpoints via an access card on her lanyard. The prison wasn’t full, but it wasn’t empty either. There were people going to and fro, giving them polite nods and smiles as they passed by. Eventually they entered the church, a large cross set up in the front with pews for the congregation. They had put a lot of effort in making it feel warm and holy, even putting little seat cushions on the benches.

 

[Drobabes]

"Thank you" she said once he had her sitting up, her voice sounding scratchy, no doubt from being so dehydrated. She waited until she had the cup in her hands and she could take a few small drinks, testing her stomach to see if it would take it, until she spoke again.

"I will... God that kicked my ass."

That protein shake tasted like heaven right at that moment, and in no time at all she had finished it off and sat the cup on the table. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever been so sick, barring toothaches, but those were just painful. She felt as if she could sleep for a week straight, and then maybe another.

Her gaze went up to Sabastian and she gave him another warm smile, and then she looked over at Damien. Despite his rough exterior, she still found him adorable. His hair all tussled and the bit of five-a-clock shadow he was sporting gave him a bit of a rough and rugged look, and she couldn't help but reach out and smooth his hair down a bit, smiling at him with affection. She couldn't imagine what she looked like herself, but she didn't think she wanted to ask for a mirror.

After she let her hand come down and sit in her lap, surprised to find that Bowie had quickly crawled on her again, she closed her eyes for a moment and just let out a small sigh. She felt dirty and sticky, and her chest hurt from all the puking, but, she was alive. She was still kicking with all her marbles it seemed. Her thumb rubbed along Bowie's neck and jaw as she opened her eyes and looked at both the men who had taken such good care of her.

"Do you guys think it's done?" she asked quietly, not being able to hide the slight concern in her tone.

___ ___

"I hope you don’t think we’re being too demanding..."

"Oh of course not. Even if all this wasn't going, a person still has to earn their keep in my opinion. I would be more than happy to help out in return for a few days of rest. I'm not the best cook, but I have a strong back. I also play the guitar for anyone feeling a little blue."

He gave her another smile then, if she were to turn and look. He was always looking for an excuse to play and entertain an audience, big or small, and he found right now it brought him a bit of comfort from the normalcy of it. It was something familiar.

Her swiping an access card caught his interest, and he wondered how they were getting the electricity. He didn't know a whole lot about prisons. Was it solar power? Did they have a generator? It might be something worth learning about for future needs, so he made a mental note to ask whoever seemed to be running the show, a bit later.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian smiled back at her, secretly relieved at just how much she seemed to have recovered. She was still weak, but so much better than she was yesterday.

Damien reached over and filled up her little glass again from the bigger, heavier glass in case she felt up to drinking the other half of her shake.

When he returned to his normal sitting position, he found her hand trying to tame his hair a little bit. He knew he had some stubble and didn’t look particularly put-together, but he figured they all got a pass right now. Cora still looked beautiful, though. Even though she looked frail and a bit sickly, he admired those gorgeous eyes and the shape of that cute, smiling face.

“It better be, or I’ll kick its ass!” Sabastian replied, grinning, “jokes aside, it seems to be going away. Your body seems to have stabilized during the night after you hit your lowest point, so now I believe you’re entering the recovery phase.”

Upon hearing this, Damien smiled and his eyes watered. He let out a few tears, trying to wipe them away as they came. God, he was so relieved and happy to hear that. His heart felt ten times lighter, and he felt like he could finally breathe.

——————————-

The woman grinned and looked excited, “you can play? We’ve been looking for someone to play during the hymns of church service! Our pianist didn’t make it, God rest her soul, so we haven’t been able to find anyone to fill her place yet. I’m sure the father will be so pleased to hear it!”

She led him to a hallway of rooms. Each door had a little whiteboard on it with a name to let others know it was currently claimed. She found a blank one and wrote his name in. “These were the more extravagant cells, and they’re the only real rooms here besides the warden’s and the father is in that one.”

After writing “Delvin” on his, she showed him in and patted the small twin bed. “You can leave your stuff here if you like. The key to the room is on the nightstand if you want to lock it your door when you’re gone.” She smiled, “you can rest in here if you like, but I would like it if you could get up near 6 this evening to join us for our evening service.

 

[Drobabes]

She indeed was up to drinking the rest of the shake. She probably would have eaten a whole plate of food and then some of they had offered. As it were though, she just chuckled at Sabastian and then let out a contented sigh when she was done with the drink.

Her eyes caught Damien wiping his face and it made her own feelings of relief start bubbling up. Sitting the cup down and clearing her throat a little bit, she looked down at the pillows.

"I should probably sleep more."

It was true she was exhausted, but what she really wanted was to hold Damien in her arms, and seek and provide that comfort that she had so desperately wanted to do last night. She felt like it was safe enough to do so now, the fever having broke and her body feeling mostly normal, if very, very weak.

___ ___

He felt very grateful and warm when she led him to his own room and let him sit his things down. The hospitality was so nice, making him feel right at home.

He did pick up the key when she told him where it was at, as he didn't plan on staying in the room for long. After spending those two days with nothing but his own thoughts and the silence of the car, he wanted to be around people.

"Actually Ms.Samantha, if I can, I would like something to do. I've been pretty alone for a few days now and I wouldn't mind the company of other people-even if it's just working. Well actually, especially working. I've had uh...rough time of it. I wouldn't mind a little something to keep my mind occupied, you know?"

 

[Poprockz]

Damien nodded and stood up, reaching under her like Sabastian had and laying her down once more. Once that was done, he sat back down and simply watched her for a moment or two before looking a bit sheepish. "I probably shouldn't just stare at you while you're trying to sleep. Do you want me to leave or stay with you?"

"Obviously she wants you to stay. Just stop being a weirdo and you'll be fine." Sabastian snickered before leaving the room, the thumps of his footsteps being heard as he made his way down the stairs.

Sabastian was in high spirits and he thought to himself that maybe he would try to whip something up for them. But what? Damien had to dig deep in the outside freezer for the ice pack, so there couldn't be any perishables, and Sabastian couldn't cook with an open flame. The blonde decided to go to the car to search for something to cook that would be easy on her.

After Sabastian left, Damien shook his head, "do you really want me to stay? I mean, I want to, but I don't want to encroach if you wanted some alone time. We've been hovering over you like mother hens for two days now, so I could understand if you did." The man was gently rubbing his fingers up and down the side of her thigh, his steely gaze looking down at her leg.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Samantha gave him a sympathetic look when he admitted to not wanting to be alone. She walked up to him and hugged him, patting him on the back, "these are trying times we're in, and all we can do is keep faith that the good lord will come through for us. I hope you find comfort here, though. I know that they're setting up for something in the church service room, so maybe you could help them out."

She took his hand and led him out of the room, pausing to allow him to lock his room if he needed to. Once that was done, she took him back to the room with the pews and cross, a couple men in the area.

"George, do we have any tasks this newcomer could help with?" She asked one of the men who had a big, bushy black beard.

He nodded, "as a matter of fact, yes. Listen sir, we need to move this cross to the corner of the front of the room. We'll be moving it back tomorrow, but we need it out of the way tonight. I need help unscrewing the bolds keeping it anchored in the floor, and keeping it steady so that it doesn't fall on somebody. Does that sound like something you'd be interested in?" The man seemed more serious than Samantha, but he still had a kind gaze as he looked at Vin.

 

[Drobabes]

"I always want you to stay" she said quietly. Did he really even have to ask that? Silly man.

Her hand reached out and patted the spot beside her on the bed, hoping he would come lay down next to her like he did back in her apartment.

___ ___

He wasn't expecting the warm hug, but he appreciated it nonetheless. After he locked his 'room' and followed her out, he listened to the man's instructions and eyed the cross. It did indeed look pretty heavy, but it probably wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

"Yea I can do that no problem. I can probably help you get it moved too."

He was curious why they would need to move it, but he would find out soon enough, so he didn't question it. He simply got ready to hold it as the George began to get the bolts out.

 

[Poprockz]

"Good. Because I always want to stay with you," he smiled warmly and crawled up onto the bed. The man laid next to her and turned his body to face her, snuggling closer. He was quiet for a moment or two, simply looking at her an feeling so grateful that he had been given the chance to have a life with her once more.

"I think that was the scariest two days of my life," Damien murmured, reaching out and caressing her face, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb.

----------------------------------------------------

The black-bearded man smiled and nodded, "excellent, good man. Let's get to work then." Over the course of the next couple hours, they unbolted the cross, took it over to the corner, leaning it securely against the corner. Once that was done, they started laying down plastic on the floor, taping it down and moving the pews a bit further back.

"The plastic's for the bathtub they're bringing it. The father said he was going to be having a special sermon tonight, so I think this is just a precaution in case it gets knocked over or something. You know, it's actually good timing you came today. One of my men, Robert, has been MIA today. Probably snuck off with his wife somewhere. He rolled his eyes, "I swear, those two are going to give me diabetes someday if they keep up that sweet shit."

"You know how Bess feels about those swear words, George," another man teased, grinning.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. She's not here right now, now is she?"

The other men laughed at him, continuing to work until everything was finished up. Once it was, people slowly started to file in, surprised at the bathtub and whispering excitedly amongst themselves.

 

[Drobabes]

Her hand reached up and held his to her cheek and she looked at him with a mixture of sadness and love.

"I'm sorry I scared you..."

She let her hand move up his arm then, so she could stroke the back of his neck gently.

"I could hear you singing to me. I felt like I was floating. It was really weird" she chuckled.

"But when you started singing, I wanted to keep listening, and it helped me focus."

___ ___

Vin was enjoying the atmosphere immensely. The comaraderie, the light teazing going on between the men, and the sense of fulfilment he got from a couple hours of work. He was really curious what they we're planning with the bathtub though. He wasn't really one to be into big, showy displays of faith, and he wondered if that's what was going to happen tonight. Maybe they were going to baptize a few folks or some such thing.

He wasn't all too sure what to do with himself once they were done, so he went ahead and stood with the crowd, near the front. It wasn't his business what these people chose to believe, and while he did hold some basic faith, he probably wasn't as into it as any of them. Tonight he would just be an observer and guest.

 

[Poprockz]

"It's okay," Damien replied softly, turning his head to kiss her inner forearm as she rubbed his neck. He listened to her talk about having overheard him. His cheeks went a bit pink and he cleared his throat. The man felt a bit embarrassed that she had witnessed that moment of weakness in him. He had been so deep in despair that at the time, he didn't care about anything other than the fact that he was afraid of losing her.

He had sobbed unabashedly like a little boy, choking out the lyrics to a song with no music. His eyes looked away from hers. "I... well, I suppose I'm glad you liked it. I can't help but feel just a tad embarrassed, though." Damien's lips pursed slightly, not sure how to come back from that.

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Once everyone had filed in, they sat down in the pews, George patting the seat next to him. After a few moments, a man walked in wearing priest's robes. He had short, combed-back silver hair and a clean-shaven face. Though he was a bit older, he seemed to be in fairly good shape, standing and walking confident and tall as he smiled and looked at his congregation. His eyes fell upon Vin and his smile got just a bit wider.

"Welcome to the evening service! As you all know, this is a special service, though I haven't told you why yet. Now it seems the service is doubly special seeing as we've been joined by musician Delvin here." He gestured at Vin to let everyone know where he is. "I trust you know to welcome him the way the lord would want you to, and to you Delvin, I say welcome."

The man nodded his head to Vin and then rubbed his hands together. "Alright. So I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that Robert is missing." He let that fall upon the crowd, a small smile still on his face as he waited for the whispering to abate.

"Now, the good news is that he was never missing in the first place. I'm sure you all remember how our Robert would wear sunglasses on account of him being blind. Well, I was shocked to find that he could indeed see. In fact, such a revelation opened my eyes, and the lord showed me his heart. Bring him in, boys."

Two men carried in a man who was completely wrapped in chains with a shock collar on his neck. The man looked terrified, his orange hair curly and unkempt. The most surprising thing about him though was the fact that his eyes were double-shaded. The bottom halves of his irises were violet while the other halves were blue. They were beautiful with the contrast of the two striking colors, and yet at that moment those eyes were brimming with tears.

"Here's Robert without his glasses. Seems he can see just fine. I think the lord put him in our midst to show us that you can never take the lord's grace for granted, or evil will start to worm its way into the hearts of men. Robert, show them what you are."

The man shook his head and started crying, "please just let me leave. I won't come back, I swear on God's name that I won't!"

The Father bowed his head and pushed a button on a remote he was holding. Robert screamed and twitched, making several of the congregation flinch. When it was over, he let out a broken sob and between the chains, four tentacles emerged from his side, sadly drooping over the lip of the tub.

"Now, I'm not sure I can believe the word of a demon, Robert. We all can see plain as day what you are."

Robert sniffled pathetically, "I didn't chose this- it just happened to me! I've been a God-fearing man my whole life, never hurt a soul. I still wouldn't! I haven't changed... Please have mercy."

 

[Drobabes]

It hurt to hold her arm up, even for such a short amount of time, so she let it come down to rest on the bed. She didn't pull her hand away from him though, her fingers still gently nestled against his collarbone. After the last two days, she couldn't bear not to be near him.

"Don't be embarrassed sweety, it helped. I slept a lot better knowing you were there to keep the nightmares away."

She felt her eyes drifting close but she fought it, blinking and looking back up into his gaze. He was so damn cute, even as tired as he was.

"What music did you like when you were really little?"

Sleep could piss off for the moment. Until Damien fell asleep, she wasn't going to let herself close her eyes.

___ ___

He took a seat when it was offered and began to watch the show. When the priest pointed him out to the crowd and announced that he was a musician, he simply offered a polite smile and a quiet "thank you". He would have shown off a bit if asked, as tired as he was, but the priest seemed intent on continuing the show so he waited patiently.

When he announced that this Robert person was missing, he felt a little sad. Was the preacher going to ask for a search party to be formed, to go out and find the man? If so, he would be more than happy to help them. What happened next, however, shook him to his core.

As they brought the man out he felt a shiver go up his spine. He didn't notice the man's eyes right away, as all his attention was diverted to the chains and shock collar around his neck. He sat bolt upright and one of his hands gripped the seat under him, not sure of what was happening exactly, but knowing that it wasn't fucking right, whatever it was.

As he heard the man speak, his gaze finally travelled up to his eyes, and he sucked in a breath. Violet eyes. Similar, though not quite the same, as that bastard Raphael's. How could this be? Was he another one of them? Vin watched in quiet shock and as the preacher used the collar on him and forced himself to reveal the appendages hidden somewhere inside his body. When they came out, Delvin felt disgust and hatred so strong, that he almost wasn't willing to listen to his humanity as the man begged and pleaded to be released.

Vin didn't want to believe that this man, this freak, was anything more than a disgusting monster...but yet, he found himself feeling guilty. The words that left the man's mouth, that he didn't choose it, that it just happened to him, struck a chord in his heart and made him feel almost weak. He had had no choice in what happened in that diner, and yet, he hadn't been able to stop his body from reacting the way it had.

His big brown eyes turned to the preacher, and then out over the crowd, seeking some kind of confirmation that what he was feeling-such strong confliction, wasn't wrong.

 

[Poprockz]

"Well... If it helped you then I suppose I'm okay with it." He smiled and kissed her nose once before softly kissing her forehead, then cheek, then finally her lips for a moment. God it was so good to be able to kiss her and feel the warmth of her skin on his lips.

"When I was a kid? Damn... I liked some rock, some pop, classical. I don't really remember much of what I listened to. That time for me is a bit foggy. After that I would listen to rather depressing and angsty stuff, being an angsty teen and all." He thought it was so cute how she was struggling to keep her eyes open for him.

------------------------------------------

A lot of the congregation looked shocked and disgusted, while a few of them looked conflicted about the whole thing. The father's eyes scanned the crowd, looking at each of the people who weren't comfortable, his eyes also checking for Vin's reaction as well before he continued.

"Now, I know some of you may have doubts. You are kind-hearted men and women of God, after all. You may think to yourself that this-" He gestured to Robert, "is deserving of more. But I pose to you a question: wouldn't anyone in his position beg for mercy? Wouldn't anyone with purple blood running through them try to twist our kind hearts? Do not let yourselves be deceived. He is no longer human, an therefore no longer deserving of your pity. Don't believe me still? Genevieve, come up here please."

A small, thin woman with black hair came up, looking apprehensive. Her eyes went anywhere but Robert, but he looked at her as though his life depended on it. "Genevieve..." One of his tentacles slowly reached toward her as though he was only conscious of the desire to hold her close. However, when he did, he was zapped once more, the man screaming and writhing again. When it was over, he simply let out a small whimper as he watched her.

The father put his hand on the small of her back and gestured to the audience. "Tell them what happened."

She looked down at her feet. "After I realized he had turned, he threatened to kill me. Robert started speaking in tongues and saying awful things that I just can't repeat. He tried to pin me down, but I was able to push him off and get away just in time. It's only thanks to the father that I'm alive right now." The woman started crying, the father rubbing her back.

"That will be all, thank you." He said as she sniffled and walked quickly to the back of the pews. "Now, if that was what he tried to do to his wife, then what do you suppose he would do to the rest of us if he got the chance?"

While the priest was talking, Robert was looking at Genevieve and something he saw made his eyes soften a bit, though he still shed tears. He looked more accepting of what was happening at this point, seemingly stewing to someone who wasn't looking closely. However, he was simply closing his eyes and taking a deep breath or two, trying to quell the shaking of his body before he struggled hard- at least it would seem so.

None of the chains broke, and his tentacles simply flailed around uselessly rather than pulling the chains or trying to grab the father. He was shocked again of course, but this time he said something, "that's right! I would have fucking killed her if it weren't for you!" His voice shook slightly, not enough to be too noticeable, certainly not by the now completely convinced congregation.

 

[Drobabes]

She had closed her eyes and smiled as he kissed her, but she didn't let them stay closed for long. They roamed all over his face, drinking in his features like a cup of water in the desert. When he mentioned angsty music, she giggled. The small action made her sore chest hurt, but she didn't care.

"What type of angsty music? My Chemical Romance? Linkin Park? I was rather fond of Backstreet Boys myself."

Was he going to tease her for that last mention? Probably, though she was kind of looking forward to it.

___ ___

Delvin had watched it all with growing horror, hanging on every word being spoken. When the women came out and told the crowd what had happened, he felt disgusted again and angry at the man, his eyes going over to glare at him. But, yet again, he felt that conflict boil up.

The way that man was looking at his supposed wife held no trace of the cocky attitude or twisted pleasure that he had experience with Raphael. Infact, he looked like he was in pain. Not physical, although he was sure there was plenty of that going on, but more mental pain at seeing the women cry. Why would he feel bad for her if he had truly done those awful things?

He watched him carefully after that, and although it seemed as if the rest of the people around him we're believing every word coming from the preachers mouth, Vin couldn't help but feel like he was being played.

He didn't believe the man when he said he would have killed her, and come to think of it, he didn't believe the women either. If he, a full grown man of two hundred and twenty six pounds with most of that weight devoted to muscle, couldn't even budge one of those tentacles off of his body, then how the fuck could that little women have done it? No. This guy was putting on a show, and he thought he knew why.

He didn't notice he had stood up, but the next thing he knew, he was in the preachers face, his earlier conflicted emotions having quelled. This wasn't right.

"You need to stop this and let that man go."

He spoke quietly so only the preacher could hear, but each word was punctuated white hot anger.

"What you're doing right now is wrong and frankly disgusting. I don't know what that little women thinks happened, but that man that you have chained up didn't do what she is saying he did. I know" he said, punctuating it by jabbing a finger at his own chest.

"I had to deal with something similar not two days ago, and there is no way she could have fought him off. No way. Let him go preacher, and let him go on his way. Do you think god would look kindly on you for continuing to torture someone who can't even fight back?!" he hissed, his body suddenly shaking with anger as he clenched his fists at his sides.

He knew that last part wasn't true. If that guy, Robert, really wanted to break loose of those chains, he could probably do so easily. Vin didn't understand why he wasn't, nor completely understand why he was trying to protect the women that had seemingly turned against him-perhaps out of fear, but he knew that continuing to torture him was just a sick pleasure being indulged. If they thought he had done wrong, then they could have thrown him in a cell or outright killed him. What they were doing now was just cruel.

 

[Poprockz]

"All of the above actually." He paused and then a grin crept up his mouth, "except for backstreet boys. An edgy teen like me wouldn't listen to such upbeat songs. You want it that way? Tough shit, Timberlake." He laughed softly.

"Once I got over myself as much as I ever would, I liked backstreet boys too." Damien yawned and closed his eyes, trying to snuggle even closer to her, resting his forehead on her collar. "What about you? Besides the aforementioned, what was your music of choice?"

-------------------------------------------------------------

The father listened to him, his lips curling into a little smile that only Vin could see as he was told to let the man go. However, it only lasted a second before he side-stepped Vin and addressed the congregation.

"This man still has doubts. He thinks Robert's poor, grief-stricken wife is lying about Robert's actions when he himself admits to the deed. He thinks he knows better than us when a literal demon is before him!" The father took a few steps away, playing the crowd by twisting Vin's words. "He says that he encountered a demon not a few days ago. I think... you might be one of them as well. Who's to say he didn't infect you with his unholy demon spawn? He needs to be locked up to keep us safe!"

By the end of his speech, the crowd was on its feet, angry and unwilling to listen to Vin. Genevieve was still sitting in the back, crying into her hands. Robert was looking at Vin in shock and slight horror as though he wished to God that Vin hadn't condemned himself by standing up for him.

Three big men came out and grabbed Vin's arms, the father taking the shock collar off of Robert and putting it onto Vin as he struggled. Once it was fastened, he had them let go and he shocked Vin, forcing him to his knees.

"Robert requires a baptism, that the lord might forgive him when he is sent to the afterlife. No ordinary baptism will do, as it must be equal to the evil coursing through him. Bring out the ice." The crowd still stood, watching with anger, excitement, and vindication as two men came with bags of ice, while a couple women had pales of water. Robert went pale and he looked like he was truly tempted to struggle, that everything in him wanted to run away, but he stayed chained up in the tub as they approached. The large ice bags were dumped into the tub with him, the water poured shortly after, the tub being more ice than water.

The zombie whimpered, shivering and shaking violently in the tub. His skin slowly started turning purple, his breathing slowing. "I'm s-s-s-s-sorry..." He was barely able to get that out with how hard his teeth were clicking together. It was as though the sentence was not only directed at his wife as his eyes went to Vin also. He groaned as though his body was nothing but deep, stabbing pain, closing his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks.

"That's a good start, demon. Now repent and the lord might show you mercy when the time comes. Take the newcomer to the cells along with the demon. Separate cells though." The father handed the remote off to one of the men in charge of Vin and went to mingle with the crowd.

Robert was lifted out of the tub and dragged away, Vin being shoved along with him. Anytime that Vin struggled, they would shock him, sending him back to his knees. Once they were back to the cells, he was shoved roughly into one while Robert was unceremoniously tossed into the other, chains and all.

 

[Drobabes]

She smiled again, and when he snuggled closer, she lifted her arm and draped it over him. Her fingers rubbing his back ever so lightly. She gave him a little kiss on his head before answering.

"Mm. Don't ever tell anyone, but I secretly loved country music. It was the only time my mom would sing, and she would only do it when she thought she was alone in the kitchen."

She chuckled a little as she remembered something, then winced slightly as her chest cramped. Even that small bit of pain felt good in a way though; it let her know she was alive.

"I remember this one time I was hiding on the couch listening, and I thought I was being really sneaky. I peaked my eyes over the top of the cushions, and I saw her dancing around with a spoon. It must have looked really weird, only seeing a half a head and little eyes staring at her, cause her pitch changed and got really high and squeaky, and the spoon went flying."

She started laughing then, not being able to stop herself at the memory of the way it had sounded and the way her mother's eyes had widened like saucers. She clinched her body for a few seconds as her laugh was cut short, and then she let out a quiet little "ow".

___ ___

Vin couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing, the preacher twisting his own words around on him so easily. When the crowd stood and began to turn on him, he tried to fight back.

"That's not what I said! He's a fucking liar!"

He was pissed then, and he began to stomp towards the manipulative bastard when suddenly the three men were on him. He fought hard, trying to shake them off and throw a punch in however he could, but soon enough they had him pinned and that damn collar around his neck. Even then though, he didn't stop struggling, the debilitating pain of the shock only making him angrier each time they did it.

When they deposited Robert into the tub, Vin growled. How could they do that to him? Wasn't it enough that they had shocked him and had him bound? What more did they want?

"Hey! Get him out of there! Can't you see he's dieing you sick fucks?!"

His complaining was cut off with another shock, and he fell back to his knees once again, forced to watch helplessly as the man was tortured until he 'repented'. When at last it was over and they were dragging them to their cells, Vin tried one last time to break free, even going so far as trying to ride the shock out. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work, and he soon found himself in a cage. He hated cages.

He gripped the bars hard and yelled at the men as they walked away, "you better pray to your twisted God that I don't get out of here, you hear me?! Fucking pray!"

He took a step back and kicked the bars, rattling them loudly and sending a shockwave of aching pain up his leg that only added fuel to the fire.

"Fuck!"

He stomped around his cell, gripping his hair and looking for something to take his anger out on. When nothing sufficient was found, he started pacing. After about five minutes of this, he calmed down enough to go over to the door.

"Hey!"

He tried to get Roberts attention.

"Are you ok?"

He wasn't sure what he could do for the man, being locked up how he was, but he had to at least see if the guy was still breathing.

 

[Poprockz]

He made a little fake gasp when she said she liked country music, chuckling a little bit afterward. Country wasn't really his thing, but if Cora enjoyed it then he might give it another try.

Damien put his arm around her waist and sighed in a contented manner, a smile on his lips as he listened to her little story about her mom. He could definitely imagine a little Cora poking up over the back of the couch, the image so fucking adorable in his mind. He tried to imagine her mom, but was less successful. In any case, he loved the bit about her mom letting the spoon loose.

When Cora laughed and made a painful little noise, Damien opened his eyes. "Both of you sound absolutely adorable- too wholesome for this world. I think it's kind of funny how it sounds like she was really shy about singing, and yet you're more outgoing about it."

----------------------------------------------------

Robert groaned, his skin still purple as he slowly turned his head to look at Vin. "I'll... be fine soon. It still hurts, but I won't die from it. That doesn't come until Sunday." He sighed and tried to shift to a more comfortable position, wincing in the process. "What about you? Why did you do that? If you had just kept quiet, they would have let you leave... You don't even know me." Robert looked regretful, his face contorted into an expression of shame.

"If you apologize to him and stroke his ego a bit, he might still let you go. He's right- I am a freak, and I'd hate to see something terrible happen to you because of someone like me." The man retracted his tentacles, slowly starting to move back and forth to loosen the chains. Eventually, they slipped off of him without him having to break them. Now free, the man shivered as he took off his soaked shirt, then his pants and underwear, hanging them at the foot of the bed before laying on the miserable excuse for a cot they had. The threadbare blanket was pulled over himself and he simply breathed, waiting for his body to warm up once more.

 

[Drobabes]

"You're too wholesome for this world" she playfully grumbled, acting offended. Then she let out a little yawn and rubbed her nose in his hair for a moment, breathing in softly. She kind of got why he liked doing that so much, now.

"She always encouraged us. She had a way of setting her own hangups aside to make sure they didn't effect us. She would be whatever we needed her to be, and if she messed up, she apologized. I think..."

Cora paused for a moment, not really sure if she wanted to go down that particular path. Blinking back a few tears, she cleared her throat and tried to change the focus off of herself.

"Did you have anyone that you looked up to when you were little?"

___ ___

"I couldn't sit there and watch them torture someone that didn't deserve it."

He watched the man shake himself out of the chains, listening to him speak.

"No fucking way am I kissing that sick fucks ass" he said, stepping back from the bars before he got so angry he kicked them again. He didn't answer that last part for a few minutes, instead just pacing around his cell again with his hands in his pockets. When he came back around by the door, he stopped and looked over at the shaking man.

"Hey. You're not a freak."

He felt a little bile rise in his throat, the irony of the situation not lost on him. Not twenty minutes ago, he would have denied that proclamation. After what he had just witnessed, however, knowing full well that Robert could have easily broken out of his restraints and killed multiple people if he had wanted, he knew he couldn't hold onto that foolish hatred any longer.

"I don't know what happened to change you, but you still got all your marbles, don't you?"

He went back to pacing after that, and eventually finally sat down and crossed his arms, staring at nothing in particular. This fucking blew.

 

[Poprockz]

He listened quietly, thinking to himself that her mother sounded like a beautiful person. It was such a shame that she was taken from Cora at such a young age. When she trailed off, he really wanted to hear what she was going to say, but didn't want to push her. If she decided the time was right, she would continue and tell him about it.

Regarding her question, Damien thought hard, trying to wrack his brain for an answer. His parents were obviously out of that equation, and none of the staff had been kind to him. Most of them were either indifferent, cold, or simply polite. He really only went to his private school to learn and to have some time away from his parents, but all the teachers sucked up to him because of his family. Not one of them didn't secretly despise him. When he was little, there was one teacher who treated him with as much disdain as he did everyone else, but while Damien appreciated the man's commitment to being an asshole, he wasn't a candidate for someone to look up to.

He and Toby used to laugh about how that teacher probably just went through 8 years of educational training to have the certification to be an asshole to children.

"Police Investigator Amy Watts. She was one of the only adults I had come into contact with that I truly respected. When I was questioned, she wasn't able to prove anything, but she saw through the bullshit. I suspected she had an idea about what happened, and she tried to get me to talk. I never did, but she tirelessly looked for evidence, pulling out all the stops and cashing in favors to try to get enough to link what happened to my family. I respected her because she had been an officer for many years, and yet she treated each case like it was just as important as the last. She couldn't be cowed or bought off, and it took the chief of police firing her for her to be cut off from the resources she needed to pursue the case. I had thought people like that only existed in movies."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"Like it or not, that's the only way you'll get out of here..." Robert commented, sighing.

When Vin said he wasn't a freak, he simply stayed quiet for a little while, not looking at Vin. When he did speak, his voice was sad and slightly bitter.

"I didn't even get bitten... it just happened. One moment I was packing my bags with Genevieve, planning on trying to escape somewhere, the next I was on the floor. It burned so badly like my body was on fire." He let out a shivering, disheartened chuckle. "I did everything right and still ended up like this."

He paused for a moment or two before his eyes brimmed with tears again, "that's the thing, though. I don't know what's happened to me, and I don't know what will happen in the future. I have my marbles now, but what if it's only a matter of time before I don't? What if I truly turn into one of those monsters and lose who I am along the way? The thought of that scares me more than anything. By the smell of you, I'd say you've gotten more than one experience with unusual zombies like us, so you probab-"

Robert stopped and looked up, gathering the blanket around his shoulders and getting up to go to the bars near the door. He looked toward where they came in and seemed like he was expecting something. Not a few moments later, Genevieve came walking in. She had a large, wool blanket over her arm and when her eyes found him, she rushed over and put the blanket through the bars. He took it and wrapped it around himself, sighing from the warmth of it.

Genevieve was still crying, reaching through the bars to hold his hands, "I'm so sorry Robert... I'm so sorry."

His gaze was warm and forgiving for a moment before his nose wrinkled and he leaned closer, sniffing. A horrified look came to his face and he simply stared wide-eyed at her, "why?! Why would you do that?!"

She sobbed harder and lowered herself onto her knees, clutching the bars. It was difficult for her to choke out a response, her sobs wracking her body. "He-he-he said he would let you go without an-anyone knowing, that he'd tell them you escaped or-or that you tried and they had to put you d-d-down. If there was any chance of saving you, I had to take it, even if the lo-lo-lord frowns on what I've done."

Robert was now in tears, looking like someone had shived him in the gut. The man knelt in front of her, reaching through the bar to caress her face and wipe away her tears. His voice was soft and forlorn when he replied, "honey... he was never going to let me go."