Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Drobabes]

After he was finished training that small group, they headed back. Jameson did his usual check of the supplies for the day, then checked for any messages that might have been passed along while he was away. He hadn't heard anything from Tommy, Kyle, or Zac, but that wasn't too surprisingly. It hadn't been very long for them. As far as the other base where Stanley had left, he didn't hear anything from his contact there either, so he assumed things were running smoothly.

He then came into the kitchen, checking on how dinner was coming along.

"Smells good man."

His knee was starting to ache again, and the though of sitting a warm bowl of soup down on it had him smiling a little. Whether it was from arthritis, or from the beating he had taken from Jonathon, he wasn't sure. That little fucker had really done a number on him, and he was on the top of his shit list, right after Kuznet.
________

"...and when we reach our destination, we're going to try to find someway to help him."

Her soft eyes looked up at him, a bit of hope in her gaze. It was something at least, something to hold onto. They just had to make it to his safehouse, and once there, then they could figure it out. Perhaps they could go looking for another half turned person-someone who might be able to help.

She stood a moment after he did, and with a little sigh, she followed him out.
________

Delvin looked up, his eyes a bit moist, and he couldn't help but smile when Sabastian requested a song. With a bit of eagerness-as he finally had something that might actually be able to comfort him, Vin got up quickly and went and grabbed the guitar. When he came back over, he sat down, sniffing just a little before looking up into those soft eyes. Why was he getting such a terrible feeling all of a sudden? It wasn't like it could get any worse than it already had.

For just a moment, he hesitated on what to play. He almost wanted to play You Are My Sunshine again, but he felt like that was just a bit too melancholy, and he didn't want to have to sing the line of waking up to find him gone. However, he also didn't feel like singing anything too upbeat. After another moments hesitation, he finally looked down at the strings and started to pluck them softly.

https://youtu.be/E5bAawsa7_s

He couldn't look at him as he sang, instead choosing to just stare down at the floor as he played. He didn't even dare to look up as he saw Damien and Cora from his peripheral.

His fingers continued to strum softly, his voice a bit quieter than normal. Why had he picked this song? Out of all the songs he could have picked, why this one? Perhaps it was just his mind, forcing him to find some kind of outlet for the pain and fear he was feeling. That deep fear of losing him, and the pain of having watched his back as he ran away.

 

[Poprockz]

Stanley glanced up from the magazine he was reading while he waited for the stew to be ready. He nodded, "Thanks. We've got to use those bags of endless potatoes somehow. The carrots and meat are just garnish in this case." He gave Jamison a bit of a small smile before looking back at his magazine and turning the page.

After a moment of pause, he asked, "how's training going? Doesn't look like many of them have any desire to take their protection into their own hands. That one though... the girl. I'll be helping her increase her awareness and reflexes. She wanted hand-to-hand, but I figured she might get better use of this and that it wouldn't tire her out too quick. Just wanted to let you know so you weren't alarmed when I knock her on her ass until she wises up."

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Taking her hand, Damien walked side-by-side with her until they reached the main room. He hung back though, hearing Vin singing. The man didn't want to intrude if they were having a moment, simply standing and listening.

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"Stay with me... Let's just breathe..."

Sabastian couldn't stop the tears from coming, those crystal eyes shimmering as the tears silently rolled down. It almost felt like Vin somehow knew on some unconscious level that Sabastian couldn't stay. He couldn't stay, not now that he knew they weren't safe from what he might one day unleash upon them once more. It didn't matter how much they cared for each other- love wasn't enough to keep them safe. That knowledge didn't make things any easier though, each word tearing at his heart, trying to tether him to Vin so he couldn't escape.

"Did I say that I need you? Did I say that I want you? Oh if I didn't then I'm a fool you see..."

His lip wobbled from behind the blanket, the soft material covering his mouth as he watched Vin play for him. Why was he making this so much more difficult? The last thing Sabastian needed was for Vin to remind him how much he meant to him. God, he wanted so badly to fly across the room and bury his face against Vin's chest, sit on his lap, and let him lie to him and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

 

[Drobabes]

He looked a bit surprised for a moment, and then he chuckled. He should have known she would go behind his back and try to get things moving. That wasn't just her fire speaking there, however, that was also a dumb teenager move. He would have to find a way to teach her how dangerous impatience could be as well.

"I told her I would start training her in hand to hand tomorrow, but it looks like she couldn't wait. That sounds good though. Hell, I might even throw a little something in myself. I bet a bamboo switch won't feel too great when it's coming out of nowhere."

He drug a seat over to take some weight off his knee, then looked over his shoulder into the main room before looking back.

"As for the others, not, not many of them are being very cooperative. Maybe we'll have to put a little fear into them. I'm thinking this house is starting to get a bit crowded, and I planned on moving us to a bigger place. What do you think of having everyone camp out at the firing range for a night, and while we're there, we give them a little fright in the night? Just something to drive home that they aren't safe."

It wasn't a lie. While they did have military men living with them, they lacked the safety of barriers, walls, and snipers. And the ammo that they did have wouldn't last forever.
________

Cora stopped with him, although, when she heard what he was playing, she couldn't help but try and move back in the doorway a bit. She too did not want to interrupt, and she didn't want them to see her crying again.

When the song came to and end, Vin simply sat there with his hands hanging loosely over the strings. Words had failed him completely now, and the only thing he really noticed was that they were still in the doorway, likely with some clean rags. Without looking at any of them, Vin propped the guitar up against his chair and then stood, making his way towards the door.

"I'll go get the grill lit. Make us some coffee or something."

He shut the door softly behind him, and when he stepped out from the building, he realized it had started to rain again.

 

[Poprockz]

The other man chuckled, closing the magazine and setting it down on the table at his comment regarding the bamboo switch. She was an idiot to go behind the other officer's back, too impatient to wait for even a day for more instruction. If she was actually in the army, she would certainly have been punished for that sort of thing, so it would be fitting if she at least got some bruises to discourage her from doing so in the future. Enthusiasm was valuable, but patience more so.

At the suggestion of scaring them, he donned a more serious face. "If that's something we're going to do, we want to be very careful about it. I'm sure more than a few have already lost loved ones, so they know how dangerous things have become. I think part of the problem is that unlike that little girl, most of them don't think that the training will make a lick of difference. I also think that we need to be careful not to damage the trust they have in us as well."

He leaned forward a bit, resting his forearms on his legs. "Fear is a powerful motivator, but it can paralyze as well as inspire."

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Sabastian was left sitting there, feeling horrible about what he was going to do to Vin later. He wasn't going to back out, but it still twisted the knife in his chest. By now, his cheeks had a streak of clean skin cutting through the blood where his salty sadness had washed it away.

Watching Vin exit, Damien swallowed hard and followed after him, hovering just outside the door as Vin made his way over to the grill. "Vin," he called, "if you're going to use the grill, please boil some water for me. I want to make some broth for him. I'm thinking a small, easy meal of broth and crackers might do him some good."

His eyes watched Vin's face and he could see how badly the man was hurting. Looking back at Cora for a moment, he nodded his head at Vin, indicating that he was going to talk with him for a bit. With that done, he walked over to the grill and sat down opposite Vin.

It was quiet for a moment before he spoke up, "Vin... I..." He really didn't know what to say to Vin, just as he hadn't with Sabastian. "I'm here if you need a shoulder."

 

[Drobabes]

Jameson was politely quiet as he listened to the other soldiers advice, giving a little nod when he was done.

"Hmm. Yea, I think you're right. You have any ideas on how to get them motivated, then? I don't want to risk letting them train on real zombies, and it's definitely not safe enough to take them out to any old training sites. Honestly I feel a little out of my element here, these aren't the soldiers I'm used to training."
_________

His brown eyes looked over his shoulder, nodding at his request to boil some water. He would do that first then. Not that he had really planned on making coffee anyway, he just needed to get out of that room for a minute.

When Damien sat down, Vin didn't answer him right away, instead focusing on getting the grill going once more, thinking that there was still enough of the old bricks to keep it going for a few minutes at least. Enough time to add a little wood. Once it was going, he tossed in a small piece of chunky stick, and then he scooted back a bit, finally looking up at the steely eyed man.

"Why do I feel like he's going to do something stupid?"
_________

Cora watched as Damien shut the door, and then she was left standing there alone. She didn't linger long, instead taking the rags over and sitting them down next to the wash bin.

"Do you want to get your face clean, Sabastian?"

She sat down slowly, the pain in his eyes wrenching at her heart.

"You know it might not feel like it's worth it, to clean up, but you'll feel a little better if you do."

The feeling of washing the filth from one's skin went a little deeper than simply wanting to be clean. It had the power to bring back a bit of normalcy. To be able to physically wipe away the evidence of something traumatic could leave one feeling like that had control over themselves, even if it wasn't much.

 

[Poprockz]

"I hear you on that. Seems to me like they're simply civilians hoping that someday this will all "blow over," or that people will unite and live in some kind of safe city underground." He shook his head, leaning over to check the timer on the stew before looking back up at Jameson.

"As far as motivation goes... I'm a bit at a loss myself. I almost wish we were able to conduct those practice rescue missions they do sometimes for the special ops units, you know? Something to really get them working together and focused on someone other than themselves. That would really give them a sense of pride and cohesiveness." He sighed, knowing that there wasn't anything they could do like that. Nothing ethical or safe, anyway. Usually he imagined that if it was a kid or something, people would rally around that cause, but it wasn't like there were any kids to use, and that would just be wrong.

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Damien patiently waited for an answer, knowing that he may not even get one. It was obvious that this was all weighing heavily on him, so maybe just Damien's presence might be helpful. When he finally did get a response, his lips pursed at what Vin had said.

"Maybe it's because you know him well." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Cora and I were just discussing it ourselves. We think it would be best if we kept any weapons out of his reach for the next few days until he gets a bit of normalcy back. I don't know if he would actually do anything like that, but he can be a bit single-minded when it comes to what he thinks is the right thing to do, just like when he rebuffed you due to his... special circumstances."

His eyes watched the embers in the barbeque glow as the little flames burned the kindling he had put inside.

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He did want to wash up a bit, the smell of animal blood all over him not being a pleasant one. On top of that, it was dried and caked upon his skin, making him feel so disgusting. The blonde nodded at Cora. Getting up, he unwrapped the sleeping bag from himself and set it down on another chair, Bowie having moved from his lap to his shoulders. Sabastian approached the tub and grabbed a rag, dipping it in the water and bringing it to his face.

Slowly, he started to clean the blood from his skin, dipping the rag in the water each time. He was about halfway done when his eyes fixed upon the water in the tub. It was red now, the blood having mixed with the water itself. he wondered to himself how red the water would become the more he cleaned himself. How much blood did it take to make it look as though it was simply a tub of blood?

He wished he could take a shower and get the blood off of his entire body, especially out of his hair. His previously blonde locks were stiff and red, the blood having soaked into his hair considerably.

wringing the rag out before starting to wipe the other half of his face, he looked over at Cora. "Thank you... Maybe we can find a shower tomorrow so I can get myself a bit cleaner as well." He knew very well they wouldn't see him tomorrow, but he felt like it was the sort of subtle insinuation that Cora might like to hear- hope that he was planning on trying to put things back to normal.

 

[Drobabes]

"I almost wish we were able to conduct those practice rescue missions they do sometimes for the special ops units, you know?"

He thought about that for a moment, rubbing his knee in an absentminded manner. After another moment of silence, he opened his mouth and pulled in a breath, getting ready to speak, but then shut it. His hand moved down his leg once more, and then he finally spoke.

"You ever played any video games? This might sound a bit dumb, but my son would always drag me into playing that Left 4 Dead game. Like zombies verses survivors. What if we split the group and had them 'play' that out at the firing range? Except no guns, and we can wrap the batons in cloth, just encase anyone gets freaked out and carried away?"

His eyes left Stanley for a brief moment to look towards the garage door.

"I have a little equipment stashed away from the last base, before we blew it up. It's not much, but I have a few soundbites of the infected making some different noises and screams. I could blast it through my truck speakers and get them set in the right mood."

That was something he regretted. He hadn't planned on that base going down in such a disastrous way-he definitely hadn't wanted anyone to actually get infected, nor to lose civilians. However, what he had found in those tunnels was far worse than what he ever could have imagined, and he had had to take the risk of killing it. Them. Whatever they had been...he couldn't risk Kuznet building some kind of sick, twisted, army.

Still, he knew the face of that sweet women would haunt his dreams until the day he died. Those beautiful green eyes, with the ring of purple around her pupils, and the tears streaming down cheeks as she begged him to put an end to it.
________

He turned back to the fire, nodding a little as he threw another stick in.

"That's a good idea."

Vin couldn't find anything to say after that, so he simply watched the flames and listened to the rain as it started to come down hard once more. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought to go get the pot out of the car, nor any water to fill it with, and he didn't look as if he was going to remember any time soon.
________

Cora watched him as he tried his best to clean up, noticing how quickly the water had turned red. When he mentioned taking an actual shower, her hazel eyes looked up to his, and she couldn't help but give him a little smile.

"Yea. As soon as we all get up, we'll go and find you one."

She cleared her throat a little, looking back down at the tub of water.

"Do you want me to go change that out for you?"

 

[Poprockz]

He rubbed his chin and nodded, that sounds like an interesting idea. "We should give them a reason to win also. Like some kind of prize for the team who performs well." The man grinned, liking the idea of that sort of team-against-team training session.


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Vin hadn't needed to remember, as Damien soon took care of the rest. He boiled the water and put some chicken bullion in to make a broth, stirring until fully dissolved. Not much after that was said, the two men simply sitting out there together while Cora spent time with Sabastian.

Inside, Sabastian had agreed that more water would be needed, cleaning himself until at least his face had been washed clean. When he left, he would have to make a point of showering somewhere. Soon, the men came back inside with the broth, offering Sabastian crackers along with it which the blonde had accepted. He didn't feel all that hungry, but he ate nonetheless, not wanting them to be too concerned about him before he went.

Soon, it was time to go to bed, the guns being put close to them before they got in their sleeping bags. Sabastian didn't question it, the man having an idea about why they might have kept their guns close. It took a while, but they eventually fell asleep, Vin being the last one to close his eyes. It seemed like the man had been trying to stay awake, but even he couldn't fight sleep for very long.

About an hour after he knew they had fallen asleep, Sabastian got up. There was no candle this time, and it was darker than the night previous, clouds blocking out the light of the moon. Nonetheless, he could see just fine.

He dug in Vin's pack a bit and found a guitar pick with a dragon carved into it, taking some scissors he found and also cutting a snippet of fabric off of the edge of one of Vin's shirts. Both of these items he put into his locket, knowing that in the days ahead, he was going to need a bit of comfort to get through this, and to remind him of why he was traveling away.

Once everything was packed up and ready, he simply stood Vin's sleeping bag, watching the man he loved sleep so peacefully. He wanted to crawl back into the bag with him, kiss him, hold him until the morning and repeat that forever. But more than that, he wanted Vin to be safe from him. Vin would find someone to love him; he was the perfect lover, after all. His heart, warmth, and charm were far too great for the man to be alone for very long.

He had been given another chance to do things the right way and he wasn't going to waste it. Sitting down, he found a pen and a piece of paper and started to write. Sabastian really needed to sell this, to make it seem as though he had truly gone insane and had fully turned during the night.

Dear Cora, Damien, and Vin,

A lot has happened between us, so I thought I at least owed you a letter before I left. While I was scared at first, I thought about it a bit more during the night and decided that this is what I want- this is who I am. Denying my nature only caused it to grow stronger within me it would seem, so I'm done trying to be something I'm not anymore. I'm not human, and that realization lifted my shackles and freed me. I realized that what I was truly afraid of, was taking that leap and giving in to what I was meant to be rather than what I thought was expected of me. The raw power I have at my fingers must be used and I'll be damned if I let you all hold me back. I've been chosen for higher things.

I haven't been entirely honest with any of you, so I'd like to set the record straight.

Cora: I think you're a sad, hypocritical bitch. Why would I be friends with anyone who didn't have the self-confidence to actually choose someone who wasn't... well, who wasn't Damien. I remember our conversation when you were sick. How do you justify to yourself staying with a man like that? Are you happy settling for a shit-stain like him? I hope so because you're obviously the settler. You talk about your past like it was some horror-fest, and yet you continue to take things into your life that mirror your past. Maybe you secretly like it. Perhaps you should be honest with yourself. Or maybe you should keep Damien and marry him in that white dress of yours; he's obviously willing to put up with you when you act like a spoiled brat.

Damien: Fuck you, water-boy. You know what you are- you don't deserve her and you never will. Your mother was right. Cora would be better off without you.

Vin: I know you only agreed to be in a relationship so I wouldn't pull away from you. After all, I was the only person there who could scratch that itch in-between your legs, despite the fact that I probably disgust you like that bowl of worms in the bathtub. Now that Lizz, Maverick, and your sister are waiting for you at home, do me a favor and find someone who will actually put up with your annoying Dom bullshit. Like when I threw you in the lake and you got all butthurt. In actuality, I'm a bit relieved since the timing couldn't be better. I realized a couple days ago that when I envision my future, I can't see you in it. I'm bored of you, the way you act all dom and macho. It was fun the first few times, but it gets old fast. I was actually going to have the talk with you on our "date" with the bottle of rum, but I suppose this will suffice. I won't miss you.

PS: Don't fucking try to find me, I'm sick of all of you fucks. I hope I never see any of you again.

Sabastian finished the letter with difficulty, crying a bit and having to wipe his cheeks. It was all intended to burn their bridges, make them hate him so they didn't risk coming after him. It would be easier for them to move on if they hated him, and Vin would be able to move on easier. Someday he would simply be Vin's asshole ex. He had made sure to pick at their wounds to distract them and convince them that he truly meant what he said and that he never intended to see them again.

Satisfied but heartbroken, he put the page on the front door and secured it with a magnet before turning to grab his pack. In front of him was now Bowie, his head raised up a bit as though asking Sabastian if he was truly leaving.

The blonde crouched down to Bowie's level for a moment, his voice the softest whisper as he spoke. "I have to leave, buddy. I can't stay here and put them in danger. Please watch over them for me, will you? Take care of them, and make sure that Vin doesn't hurt himself, okay?" A few more tears spilled down, but he couldn't give in to his sadness. It was time to go.

He exited the building and walked, heading to the nearby mall. It was sad to call it a mall since it was really small, but he needed to get properly disguised before he left. Popping into one of the houses on the way, he showered and cleansed himself of all the blood before continuing, shaving his legs as well in preparation of the clothes he intended to wear.

Upon reaching the mall, he entered the clothes shop first. He donned a simple forest-green dress, putting on a pair of stockings and cute green sneakers to match. When that was done, he went into the next shop and got himself an orange wig, the longer hair coming past his shoulders. He was surprised at the quality of the wig, satisfied with how much it changed his appearance. Next were the contacts. He found a pair of contacts that were green, putting them into his eyes and blinking. One of his eyes looked slightly darker, but not enough to draw too much attention. He even painted his nails a soft pink as well, really wanting to sell it.

Next, he put on eyeliner, mascara, and some soft pink lipstick. He stood in front of a mirror, shocked at how different he looked. He looked like a woman, his feminine features perfectly fitting in with his presentation. A pair of reflective sunglasses was also grabbed, the man knowing that he would probably need them.

It was almost time to head out and find a working car, the little man slinging his pack over his shoulder and walking out of the shop.

 

[Drobabes]

Delvin woke up with a start, sitting up off the ground and looking around with nervousness. When had he fallen asleep? He shouldn't have had any trouble staying awake, and yet, somehow he had. His hands began to shake again as he slowly looked around the shop, not seeing the little blond, and with his stomach flipping, his eyes finally notice the note on the door.

"No...Bastian, you didn't..."

His voice hadn't been loud, but he couldn't control the way that his feet stomped heavily across the cement floor-not having bothered to take his boots off last night. He ripped the note down and had to hold it with both his hands to keep it steady enough to read, but once he started to, he wished he hadn't.

Denying my nature only caused it to grow stronger within me it would seem, so I'm done trying to be something I'm not anymore. I'm not human, and that realization lifted my shackles and freed me.

His brows furrowed, and he brought the note up a bit closer to his face. What the hell had happened while they slept? Had he actually gone mad? But if he had, then why leave them a note at all?

The rest of the note was difficult to read, and while he was very confused by what Sabastian had to say to Cora and Damien, his own fear was clouding his mind so heavily that he didn't have time to really think on it, dreading getting to his part of the note.

I know you only agreed to be in a relationship so I wouldn't pull away from you. After all, I was the only person there who could scratch that itch in-between your legs, despite the fact that I probably disgust you...

That couldn't have hurt him more than if Sabastian had actually been there, saying it to him directly and then slapping him across the face. Had he really thought that Vin had only wanted him for his looks? After everything that had happened? And to say that he was disgusted by him?

"How could I be?..." he choked, his hands suddenly dropping down slightly. The rest of what he had to say was inconsequential, as those first two lines had shot a bullet right through his heart. Taking a look down at the paper, his hands stopped shaking and he let it drop to the floor before he reached out and opened the door and stepped out. Once outside, he reached behind him and slammed the door shut, hard, and then he walked away and around to the back of the building.
_______

Cora's whole body jumped, the slamming of the door having startled her badly out of her sleep and making her sit up and pull her gun out. However, there was no immediate threat, and the only thing she saw that was different was a piece of paper come floating towards them, pushed over by the gust of wind that Vin had left in his angry wake.
________

Jonathon pushed the end of the rifle into the women's back, causing her to hiss in pain. She didn't want to do this, but to refuse would mean that her son would be killed, and she already knew that they were more than capable. He hadn't been able to walk on his foot in days, and they she was pretty sure he would forever have a limp if they ever let him go.

Walking out into the cold morning, she favoured her arm in the makeshift sling. Jonathan had made sure to give her a good, deep, wound so that the half zombie would smell the blood and know she wasn't faking being injured. And, he had also given her a little vile of something to inject him with, once she earned it's trust. He had told her that once injected, it would put him out like a light, although it had done little to quell her fear.

"Help..." she called weakly, limping around the corner of the mall. She had been told that he would be dressed differently now, like a women if she had heard the soldier over the radio correctly. What she hadn't been expecting, however, was how convincing it would be, and for just a brief moment, she thought she had the wrong person. However, one look over her shoulder at Jonathon confirmed to her that it was the right target.

"Please, oh god please help me...my son..."

She fell to her knees, not really having to fake her exhaustion as they hadn't fed her much in a few days, and had only sparingly given her water. If it wasn't for the fact that she had been allowed to sleep, she might not have been able to limp out there at all.

 

[Poprockz]

The slam had startled Damien as well, the man looking around in equal alarm as he tried to see if it was Sabastian who had just stomped out. He caught a glimpse of black hair though, so it was Vin it seemed. Maybe he and the blonde had an argument or something. His eyes were caught by the fluttering sheet of paper, the man leaning forward and picking it up before starting to read.

His expression went from shock to disbelief, though when he got to his own and Cora’s sections, his face went pale. Had Cora told Sabastian what happened between the two of them? If had she told him when she got bitten like the letter said, then Sabastian had to have known for quite some time. It shocked him that the blonde hadn’t immediately thrown him down the stairs or something, instead treating him normally.

Based on the letter, it obviously sickened him, and it made Damien wonder whether Sabastian had been nice to his face, secretly hating him but holding himself back for Cora’s sake. He hadn’t noticed, but his hands had started to shake. The man didn’t offer the letter to Cora, simply staring at the page and trying to process what had happened. He was so disturbed by the content of the letter that it hadn’t occurred to him that it could have been for the express purpose of covering Nd Sabastian’s exit.

———————————-

Sabastian heard and smelled her before he saw her, his now green eyes going to her with concern. She looked injured and exhausted, and he wondered what had happened. Perhaps she had been holed up in one of the houses and the gunfire alerted her that there were people there. Maybe she came out looking for them and got injured in the process, possibly bitten even. If that was the case, then he was the perfect person to at least make her last moments as comfortable as possible.

Running over to her, Sabastian knelt down in front of her and put his hands out as though he was going to rest them on her shoulders. They hovered about an inch or two from her though, not wanting to frighten or overstimulate her. He looked down at her arm, the smell of blood coming from it. She probably needed some first aid.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, ma’am. Is your arm hurt?” He reached out and tucked some hair behind her ear to better see her face, hoping she would find the gesture soothing. She looked so weak, as though she hadn’t been taking care of herself at all. “Is your son hurt too?” His concerned eyes looked into hers, hoping she could tell him where her son was before she passed out. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a granola bar and opened it for her, putting it into her hand before going back into his bag for some water.

 

[Drobabes]

The next day, over breakfast, Jameson explained to everyone that they were going to be trying a new form of training. One that was a little less militaristic, and a little more lighthearted for the dreary times they were in. With Stanley's help, they went over the basics of what they planned to do, and then let them ask any questions they might have.

"I'm also taking suggestions for what type of prizes the winning teams might get. Remember, we'll be doing this exercise multiple times, with everyone switching off to play different roles at one point and to build trust in all of us, so the prizes can't be too grand or deplete our resources."
________

Cora watched Damien's face change multiple times, but when he went pale and started to shake, her stomach dropped. That was the same look he had gotten when he had seen his mother, and her mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion-that Sabastian had found a way to kill himself.

"D-Damien," she choked, fresh tears starting to pour down her face.

"Did he?... How? We kept all of our guns right by us all night!"

She started to get up out of the blanket, intent on finding him. Or...perhaps only what was left of him...
________

He had fell for it, that was good. It was good. She just needed to drug him now, and there was no guarantee that they would outright kill the little man. They just wanted to bring him in...him, for her son. And she would do anything to protect her boy.

"Yes" she said weakly.

"He's hurt... I had to leave him, to find help..."

She took the granola bar with a shaky hand, trying to be sneaky as she readied the small needle that was tucked into her sleeve. Jonathon had given her a very specific type of needle. Small, concealable, and he had told her that she didn't need to get the whole plunger into him but only a small bit. That she only need stick him with it, really, and cover it up as her own nail having scratched the poor man's skin. Unlike that crazed General, Jonathon didn't seem to want to take risks of failure by 'testing' her capabilities, and in that moment she was very grateful for that slight personality shift.

The women waited until he turned back with the water bottle, letting her other hand shake as she reached for it. Instead of directly grabbing onto the bottle, however, she went a bit further and grabbed his wrist, and, very quickly, stuck him with the needle.

Her hand pulled back with some speed, as if the touch had shocked her, and her eyes stared down at the small bead of blood that was pooling, threatening to drip, down his skin.

"Oh, I'm sorry...I think I scratched you."

Her old grey eyes then slowly looked up to meet those green, hoping and praying that it would work quickly, before he had time to figure out what had really happened.

 

[Poprockz]

Jesse was excited about the prospect of doing that sort of drill, though she intended on still asking Jameson for that hand-to-hand training later. Having a team match was fun and all, but the people in the match would likely be very new at fighting and therefor not skilled enough to accurately pose as a military opponent.

Her hand went up at the question of prizes. "What if one of the prizes was an extra helping at dinner? Or maybe a shot of alcohol?" A couple people perked up at the mention of booze, wondering if they would actually let them dip into that supply.

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

Reaching out quickly, Cora's arm was grabbed and he pulled her back down next to him. "No. He didn't hurt himself he just..." Damien struggled for words, not knowing what to say about the letter and what it implied. It seemed like Sabastian had gone mad, or at least had left them to never come back again. To never see him again would almost feel like he had killed himself, the man completely out of their lives forever. "... he just left, Cora."

The man ran a shaky hand through his hair and looked at her with pained eyes. This was going to be hard for all of them, and he didn't know how he was going to be able to comfort Vin. Cora, he could hold in his arms with little physical touches to sooth and ease the pain. Vin... he didn't know if he should touch the man, or how he liked to be comforted. He didn't know if Vin could even be comforted.

Besides that, he was having a tough time digesting all that he had said in the letter himself. It hurt to hear from Sabastian that Damien was a disgusting man, not worthy of Cora. It only served to target his insecurities and make him question his relationship with her.

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

"Yes... He's hurt... I had to leave him, to find help..."

He gave her a soft smile, knowing that it she was probably so frightened to have gone off on her own for the very slim chance that there would be someone that could help them. The woman had courage do do such a thing for her son.

"He's lucky to have you. I can carry you to him and we can see about helping him out. Don't worry, I'm stronger than I look." The man started going to give her the water.

Sabastian was surprised by how sharp her nail was, the sensation having felt more like a pin-prick than a cut. Looking down at his wrist, he stiffened when he saw the purple droplet of blood pool and then drip down his pale skin. his eyes met hers in apprehension and then confusion, wondering why she wasn't alarmed by the color of his blood. When she had reached out, he had also caught a whiff of a very familiar scent, though he thought to himself that it couldn't have been her; it was more likely her perfume or something.

"Do I know you...? Your perfume smells famil..." He asked, suddenly feeling extremely tired. It was the sort of tired one had no hope of fighting, and he was helpless to resist it as his eyelids came down like weighted shutters. The little blonde (or rather, redhead currently) slumped over onto the ground, breathing softly in his forced slumber. The water bottle fell out of his grasp, rolling away over the pavement.

 

[Drobabes]

Jameson looked over at Jesse, still pretty annoyed with the fact that she had gone behind his back, although he was careful not to show it on his face. Besides, she would be getting her comeuppance later, in the form of the switch.

"Hm. Alright, alcohol it is-although it will be proportioned out accordingly. I don't want anyone getting wasted when we could get attacked at any minute."

Yes, alcohol seemed like a fine reward. After all, they could always make more.
________

The women moved back, scooting away from him with a bit of speed as he slumped over onto his side. A shuddering breath worked itself up through her, and she began to cry from the stress of the awful thing she had just done.

"Oh god, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be."

Her head whipped around, looking into those simple blue eyes.

"You just saved your son's life, Lizalia. Now, get up and walk."

She did as she was told, only looking back over her shoulder to see another soldier bend down and pick Sabastian up into his arms, after their eyes had lingered on him. With a shudder running down her back, she turned her eyes away and walked to the truck with them.

...

Sometime later, Sabastian would become aware of a man bending over him, taking pictures with an old fashion camera. He would still be very out of it and lethargic, the General having figured out just the right mix of drugs to keep their little bodies compliant.

A click was heard, followed by the sound of the photo being fed out. The man took it, giving it a good shake, and then sat it on the small truck seat beside them. When he turned his blue eyes back to Sabastian, a little smile lit his lips.

"There. Right there. Don't move."

Click.

Another photo was taken, given a shake, and this time he held it for a moment to look at it.

"That look of confusion...it's beautiful."

He turned away from him, sitting down on the seat just in time to not be jostled as the truck ran over a rather large bump in the road, although it did cause Sabastian to roll back into a soft pair of shoes and legs-the women who had drugged him, now tied and gagged.

They had stripped Sabastian of his wig, contacts, and dress when they put him in the truck, and now he simply wore a loose T-shirt and some black slacks. His hands and ankles had been bound together with heavy chain, and something equally as heavy had seemingly been wrapped around his torso, where his tentacles came out of his sides. These were all just precautionary measures, of course, as the drugs should keep him nice and weak.
__________

She was a bit startled when he grabbed her arm so quickly, pulling her back down, but she did as he wanted and sat. She then watched his expression as he explained that he simply left. Letting out a stressed breath, her eyes travelled down to the note, then, and then back up to him.

"Wha...what? He just left? But..."

She felt relief flood through her, but also worry. Had he snuck off, still afraid that he was going to hurt them? But then why was Damien so scared? That shouldn't have scared him so badly.

"Let me read."

Her hand reaches out tentatively, asking for the letter. She still had absolutely no idea what he had written.

 

[Poprockz]

The group murmured its agreement, a lot of them hopeful for a taste of that comforting elixir.

Randy raised his hand as well, narrowing his eyes at Jesse before adding, "for those in the party who aren't old enough to partake in liquor, maybe you could do something like dessert of their choice for one night."

That comment only caused Jesse to mutter "for fucks sake dad..." under her breath. He could be so stubborn and uptight sometimes. As she had told him before, this was the apocalypse and she was an adult. She was old enough to enlist in the arm even; she should be allowed to have a drink of booze.

Stanley paused before shrugging, "if they're old enough to fight for their life, they're old enough to drink in my book at least, but ultimately that's Jameson's call." He raised his eyebrow at Jameson, leaving it up to him to add anything to that or decide that Randy's stance would stand. While Stanley was definitely an experienced military man, Jameson definitely outranked him in experience and seniority. Respect was given where respect was due, and Jameson had certainly earned his respect.

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

He blinked groggily after he heard the first click, the smaller man looking up at Jonathan and trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. The request for him to remain still only left him more confused, not knowing why he was now the subject of some impromptu photo shoot. Who the hell was this strange man anyway? He smelled... so familiar though.

Sabastian felt rather disoriented in addition to being groggy, not quite being able to command his full mental faculties. He tried to move his arms so he could stand up, but found them and his legs chained up, not to mention his torso bound as well. An attempt was made to bring out his appendages, but they couldn't penetrate the metal wrapped around him. It was odd, usually this sort of thing could simply be shrugged off, his strength treating most metal like it was made of bubble gum. However, whatever drugs he was on seemed to be sapping his strength. It was certainly not the type of bondage he preferred.

When the bump caused him to roll back, he looked up at the woman, his eyes slowly widening. So they had captured her too. What had happened to her son though? He hadn't connected the dots that it was she who drugged him, so he merely gave her a worried look before rolling back the other way.

At that point he gave a slightly more energetic try at breaking his chains, slowly wiggling and struggling. Unfortunately, he was still unsuccessful, only leaving himself panting and dizzy on the floor of the truck. His mismatched eyes found Jonathan again and he spoke in little disgruntled huffs, his eyebrows forming a defiant little frown. There were so many questions he wanted to ask the man, but he would try to ask more important ones first.

"You... I know your smell. Who are you, and why are you taking us?"

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

Damien looked at her, still ruffled from the contents of the letter. "It's not a nice letter. It's basically him telling us that he's accepted being a zombie, and insulting each one of us in turn, no holds barred." He looked hesitant about handing it over, his concern being how she was going to react to it. While Sabastian hadn't needed to mince words with Damien, Cora and Vin each had their own paragraph.

"I don't think you should read it," he said after a pause, folding up the letter. "I think it will only hurt you more. Not only to read your part, but to read Vin's as well. Just... take my word for it." The fact of the matter was that the letter was basically the little man breaking ties with them before leaving them. Beyond that, Cora didn't need to know the contents. Cora wasn't any of the things Sabastian had said she was, not did he think his assessment of her was fair or true, and he wanted to protect her from that.

 

[Drobabes]

Jameson sat crossed armed as he looked at Randy, listening to his question and then simply staring at him for a moment.

"if they're old enough to fight for their life, they're old enough to drink in my book at least, but ultimately that's Jameson's call."

His eyes slowly roamed over to Stanley, giving a slight nod of his head, before he looked back at Randy.

"We can discuss that later. Any other questions from anyone?"
________

Jonathon simply stared down at him for a long moment before he turned his eyes away to put his camera back in it's carrying case. The pictures he gathered up into a neat pile, then put them away in a folder, and then he began to busy himself with loading a needle with liquid from another vile. He acted as if he hadn't even heard what Sabastian had said, although, it was very obvious that he had as he had made eye contact with the little man.
________

Cora stared at him in disbelief. Accepting that he was a zombie? Insulting them? She could maybe see him accepting what he was, but not in the way that he was describing. Not that sweet little man with a heart of gold that had been so kind and gentle with her.

Her hazel eyes watched as he folded the paper, and then she frowned. On top of all the other feelings that were swirling around in her mind, now she was feeling annoyance. Her brother always had tried to do things like this to her-to hide her from the brunt of things thinking that he might somehow spare her feelings. But this wasn't something that was dangerous anymore, and Sabastian was just as much her friend as he was theirs. She had a right to read that letter.

"Damien," she said, her voice becoming a bit cold as her eyes travelled back up to his.

"I'm a big girl. Give me that letter."

 

[Poprockz]

The group looked at each other, none of them speaking up. Some of them were still reluctant, but more than half had been swayed by the promise of booze. Jesse had a little smile on her face, thinking to herself that Jameson and Stanley probably both felt like she deserved some booze. On the other hand, Randy thought he could probably convince them otherwise. She was his daughter after all, so he had final say on what she was allowed to do.

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

Sabastian waited for some type of response, looking into the man's blue eyes for a moment expectantly. When the man blatantly ignored him, he narrowed his eyes, positive that the man had heard his questions. It seemed as though the stranger was content to be weird and mysterious, and also decidedly antisocial. It infuriated Sabastian, not getting any kind of response or answer, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

His eyes went to the way he was loading up a needle with something, perhaps the drug that was currently coursing through his system right now. He didn't want to go to sleep, to be at their mercy as they drove him to god knows where. A bit of fear crept up on him, sending a bit of adrenaline through his body.

Once again, he struggled against the chains, not wanting to give in on his hopes of freedom. If he could just get the chains off and get a bit of his strength back, he could take them all on. However, it would seem that the drug wasn't fast enough to wear off despite his fast metabolism and he ended up tired and dizzy again.

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

"Damien. I'm a big girl. Give me that letter."

The man's face became conflicted again. He hated the way she was looking at him, as though almost disappointed in him that he would keep the letter from him. It made him feel like a shitty partner, and yet he still really didn't want Cora to have to look at those hurtful words.

She had a point though. Cora wasn't some little girl that he could shield from the world. She had dealt with her fair share of misery and shit, and here she was sitting with him and still living her life as best she could. He wished he could save her from pain but he was a man, not a god who could wave his hand and have her live in a dream land.

His face became serious with a touch of sadness, the man scooting closer to her and putting his arms around her, the letter resting loosely in his hand that was resting on her thigh. "I'm sorry... I just know this is going to hurt you, and I hate to see you in pain. At least let me be with you when you read it, okay?" Damien kissed her shoulder, closing his eyes and then turning his head to lean his forehead against her hair. Was he making the right decision? It was so hard to tell, and yet he just wanted to do right by Cora.

 

[Drobabes]

Jameson nodded.

"Alright then. Finish breakfast, and then get ready. We won't be wasting any time today."

After that, Jameson stood with his own empty plate, giving a look over to Randy before heading to the kitchen to put his plate away. If the man wanted to discuss it, now would probably be the best time.
________

Jonathon tapped the needle, seemingly not bothered by Sabastian's struggling. Once he had the air out, he got up and moved over to the little man, holding it before his face.

"I liked your face better when you were sleeping."

With that, he pricked his arm, letting the liquid seep into his bloodstream. Perhaps to Sabastian's surprise, however, he didn't immediately pass out.

"However, he wants you awake when we arrive. Shouldn't be too much longer now."

Jonathon capped the needle and put it in his pocket, turning away from the little man and sitting down once more. He scratched his dark brown hair absentmindedly, then glanced at the women sitting on the opposite side. His mere gaze seemed to inflict fear through her, as she suddenly began to sob and moan behind her gag.
________

His whole reaction was freaking her out more than whatever words might have been on that paper. Words were just words, after all. She knew who her friend was, and who he had been. If he had truly changed, and whatever was written in that letter was the writing of insanity, then she also knew that that wasn't words from Sabastian.

She took the letter, finally opening it and reading over it. Her eyes widened in shock, but then she narrowed them and read the letter once more, more slowly this time.

"What the fuck?..." she breathed. Cora was simply trying to make sense of the first thing he had said, and it hadn't quite clicked with her yet that Damien now knew that she had let their secret slip when she was sick. However, on her second read through, she suddenly stiffened.

I remember our conversation when you were sick. How do you justify to yourself staying with a man like that?

Very slowly, she sat the letter down, and then she tried to turn to look at Damien, her eyes wide. She couldn't hold his gaze though, and with a blush of shame, she looked back down at the paper.

"I..."

This wasn't right. None of this was right.

Her hand took the paper, accidentally scrunching it up as she gripped it too hard, and then she put it down on the ground next to her before she moved out of Damien's hug and got up. Her eyes were still wide, scared, but her voice was steady as she looked down at him for a brief moment.

"We'll talk about this later" she said, meaning to imply the 'conversation' she had had with Sabastian.

With that, she quickly jogged across the room, not having taken her shoes off either, and she opened the door, darting out before Damien had time to call her back.

"Delvin! Delvin, where are you?!"

 

[Poprockz]

Randy shoved the rest of his food in his mouth before chewing with intention. He hadn't missed that look, knowing that the man was basically inviting him to speak in private. Getting up, he took his empty plate and followed Jameson into the kitchen, setting his own plate into the sink.

"So... about the alcohol prize. What are your feelings about it? Regarding Jesse, I mean." He crossed his arms and waited, hoping the man would side with him on this one.

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

Sabastian was at a bit of a loss for words. Usually he might snap back with something like, "I like your face better when it has my fist in it," but he was dizzy and felt rather lethargic right now. He didn't have energy to waste on a creep like him. Besides, he was left with a bit of a chill at the thought of the man watching him with that intent expression as he slept. Who knew what was running through the guy's head?

It seemed like this guy was content to play the pronoun game with him, not actually telling him who "he" was. Whoever it was, he didn't imagine he would like them based on how weird and off-putting his lackey was. The only good thing about their encounter was that he hadn't passed out cold, and that they would be reaching their destination soon.

When the woman started crying, Sabastian looked at her with concern. Honestly, she seemed like just as much of a victim as he was. They hadn't even gone back for her son, so he was probably dying or dead back in that town. Based on her reaction though, she was deeply afraid of the other man, which made him suspect that maybe he had done something to her while Sabastian was out.

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

Watching her reactions, Damien's heart beat quickly as he anxiously waited for her to be done with her read-throughs. Her reaction was a bit unexpected though. He thought she would cry, feeling heartbroken that her friend had knifed her in the guy metaphorically speaking. The letter said some pretty cruel things to her, but it seemed like se almost felt embarrassed by its contents.

He wanted to continue to hold her, but she was up quicker than he could react. Before he knew it, she was running out the door; Damien didn't know whether he should chase after her or hold down the fort. Sighing, he decided to stay, thinking that maybe she needed some time alone, or that she'd have a better time consoling Vin.

God, he felt fucking useless.

 

[Drobabes]

Jameson turned to him and crossed his arms, once again staring at the man for a moment before deciding to speak.

"My feelings on it don't matter in the long run-she's your daughter. However, if you want my opinion... I think you should pick your battles. If the apocalypse wasn't happening, that girl would be at the age that she could legally move out if she wanted, and since it is, basically, the end of the world, I think you should let her have a beer."

He stared at him for a moment more, then he sighed and let his arms come down.

"Look man, father to father here, not Jameson the soldier. You can't protect her from making mistakes. All you'll do is... well, do you think she'll come to you when she's in trouble, if she's afraid of what you'll say?"

His eyes softened, a look of sadness coming to his face as he stared at Randy.
________

The man had not been exaggerating, as what seemed like less than five minutes might have passed before the truck slowed and then pulled over. As soon as it was switched off, Jonathon stood and pulled two black cloth bags from inside his coat pocket. The first he put on the women, but the second he held in his hand. Using a small spray bottle, he sprayed both sides of the bag down with tea tree oil, thoroughly soaking it through, before fitting it over Sabastian's head. He didn't care if the little blond liked it, or even if he gagged and threw up, so long as his sense of smell was dampened.

After they were blinded, they were both lifted up and led out of the truck, beginning a fast paced walk to god knew where.

Jonathon kept his hand on the man's arm, both holding him up and ensuring that he walked at a satisfactory pace.
________

Francisco had come down to visit with Sayori that morning, spending a bit of time with her while she ate breakfast, and then hanging around after. Once they had played a round of two of some simple card games, he stood and gave her a bit of a sad sigh.

"Well Ms.Sayori, I'm sorry, but I am going to have to move you again. It shouldn't be permanent, but the General has use for you. Now, I know it frightened you quite badly last time, so I will tell you now, I didn't drug your food this time. I do have a mild sedative on me, however, and I will have to blindfold you again."
________

Vin had walked to the back of the shop, not knowing what the hell to do with himself. The day was cold and raining once more, and while he did feel it, he simply didn't care. Nothing seemed to really matter now, not that the love of his life had left and stabbed him through the heart on the way out.

Why was he so fucking stupid? Why did he keep falling for this same game, over and over, never learning his fucking lesson? He should have known it was too good, that something would go wrong again.

"Delvin! Delvin, where are you?!"

His head turned, watching as Cora came running around the side of the building.

"Go back inside Cora. You'll get soaked."

"Delvin, he didn't mean it."

She ran up to him, panting slightly as she reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. Something about that touch, combined with her words, pissed him off and made him shrug his shoulder hard, taking a step back from her.

"Bullshit."

Cora didn't back away, instead trying to reach out to him once more.

"Vin, listen to me. He didn't mean what he wrote. He was trying to make us mad, Vin."

He shrugged her off again, but this time, when she wouldn't stop talking, he rounded on her, his face full of anger and pain.

"Yea well it fucking worked, didn't it Cora?!" his voice boomed, finally making her stop and cringe back.

"And how the fuck would you know, anyway?! Can you read minds? You weren't there! You didn't see his fucking face! Maybe he really did change his mind!"

 

[Poprockz]

"All you'll do is... well, do you think she'll come to you when she's in trouble, if she's afraid of what you'll say?"

Randy opened his mouth and then paused, the man seeming to deflate a little bit. The man was right; he couldn't protect her from making mistakes, but the urge to try was so strong. She was the most precious person in the world to him, and he couldn't stand the thought of losing her or having her turn away from him.

"She's my little girl... It's hard not to... Well, not to want to steer her away from pitfalls that might be coming. She may be 18, but every time I look at those little pigtails of hers, I think about when I used to read to her before bedtime and tuck her in. The way she would run around in the morning and squeal and giggle when we tried to catch her and get her ready for school."

He chuckled weakly and rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm worried that she already won't forgive me for taking her here when she wanted to be with Tommy. I'm not sure how much deeper I can dig myself."

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

The teatree oil was hell. He could smell that strong scent the moment the man had made the first spray, the blonde watching in horror as he soaked the fabric before approaching him. He tried to shake his head and wiggle away from him, but soon he found the hood pulled over his face. The scent was so strong it hurt and made him absolutely dizzy as hell. Jonathan had to keep a firm grip on Sabastian to keep him from falling over due to him walking as though he was close to fainting.

It almost felt like he was choking on the smell, the oil making his eyes water as his head pounded. At that point, all he could do was focus on trying to get through this, doing his best to quickly follow that hand pulling him along so that he could get to wherever they needed to go and get that godawful scent away from him.

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

Sayori looked up at him and nodded. She was still afraid, but it felt nice knowing that he cared enough about her comfort not to drug her without her knowledge. What a strange world she now lived in where that was a mark of friendship- not secretly drugging one another. It wasn't necessarily the journey that scared her, it was whatever task Kuznet needed her for. No doubt he wanted to test Quint's gel again or something similar.

She sighed and stood up, holding her hand out and assuming he had a pill for her. "I don't know what he needs me for, but it can't be good. I will take the sedative. At least then I won't be as frightened when the time comes for whatever he has planned." The time with Francisco was always enjoyable, and she almost felt like he was a trustworthy man for the most part. He would do what Kuznet told him without question, but if given a choice, he seemed to lean toward making them as comfortable as possible.

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

Fuck.

Damien couldn't just let her run out into the rain, especially since there could still be zombies around. Even if she was going to Vin, he should probably go out to make sure she was safe. Holstering his pistol, he walked out into the rain, looking around before hearing voices from behind the shop.

He made his way around the village, coming in on the conversation around the time Cora was trying to tell her that Sabastian had just done it to make them angry. Not having thought about that at length, he supposed it was certainly possible that Sabastian had tried to cut ties with them in an effort to drive them away and ensure his own escape.

"And how the fuck would you know, anyway?! Can you read minds? You weren't there! You didn't see his fucking face! Maybe he really did change his mind!"

Damien quickly stepped up next to Cora, meeting Vin's angry gaze with a stern look of his own. Everyone's cords were drawn tight, ready to snap at a moment's notice, but if they needed to have this argument, then so be it.

"Is that what you really believe, or are you just hurt? What we have in there is a piece of paper. You told me once to read someone's body language to really know how they were feeling. Did he ever seem unhappy to have you with him? From where I stood, he adored you more than anything, even maybe enough to stab you in the back so you couldn't follow him. What would you have done if he had written a nice little goodbye? You would have marched out and dragged his ass back here and told him that it was your own choice to be with him or not. How could he let you do that if he wanted to protect you?" Damien hadn't really thought before he spoke, simply saying what felt right.

 

[Drobabes]

The look on Jameson's face only seemed to become more sad. He refrained from saying anything until Randy was done, though, and then he nodded in understanding.

"I know Randy. But whether we like it or not, our babies grow up. We don't stop being parents though," he said, patting the man on the shoulder.

"We just have to adjust ourselves to what they need. And sometimes what they need isn't what we want to give them."
________

He pulled a little bottle from his pocket and shook out two pills into his hand, before handing them to her. Once she took them, he waited with her for a while until they began to work. He checked her pupils, nodding in approval that the drugs were actually working, and then he went ahead and put the blind fold on her and began the dark journey through the underground lab once more.

Just as before, he held her just a bit closer to his chest as they walked through those awful noises until they reached the elevator, and then, he loosened the grip once they were on their way. When at last they arrived at their destination, he took her over to a hard table and sat her down. However, before he pulled the blindfold off, he bent down and handcuffed her wrist, securing it to the table. With that, he took her blindfold off and stepped back away from her, his expression back to that all business look.

Sayori would, unfortunately, find herself back in the torture room once more. The cold table that she had been sat down on was the same cold table in which Niles had shackled her to once before.

Francisco walked away from her, going to stand by the wall and taking a stiff stance with his arms crossed behind his back. He wouldn't meet her gaze.

Almost as if on cue, the door opened, and in shuffled the women and the man who had shared the opposite cell to her own. Following quickly after them was the blond haired young man, who had consistently asked for his brother, and even through his bindings and gag, it wasn't hard to tell that he was defeated, his walk slow and shuffling, all hope gone from his eyes as he stood placidly where they moved him.

Following soon after came the General himself, his gun pulled out as he approached his prisoners and had them all line up against the wall. Once they were lined up how he saw fit, he turned to Sayori and gave her a small smile before walking over to her, putting his gun away just before he reached her. Reaching his hand out, he ran his calloused knuckle along the bottom of her jaw, stroking her with almost an affectionate touch.

"Mm, my little lamb" he all but whispered.

"You're going to be a good girl, aren't you?"

Despite the way he seemed to say it as a question, he turned away from her before she could give him an answer. Raising his radio up, he clicked it on.

"Bring him in Jonathon."

And so he did. Another soldier walked through the door, his dark hair in a basic army cut, and his blue eyes taking a quick glance around the room as he shuffled a smaller man in front of him. Once inside, he finally pulled the mask off of Sabastian's face and threw it outside the door before shutting it behind them.

Kuznet stared down at the little blond, his hands going to cross behind his back.

"Hello Sabastian. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
________

"Is that what you really believe, or are you just hurt?"

His brown eyes glared at him, still just as angry, but he couldn't hide the way that he still seemed to flinch slightly at those words. As Damien talked, he threw his hand up and turned away from them, not willing to listen. Not wanting to listen.

"You don't know what you're talking about..."

His voice had quieted and his shoulders slumped, so Cora knew that they were starting to get through to him. With a soft little touch to the front of Damien's hand, she looked up at him briefly, and then tried one more time to approach the big man.

"Delvin...Vin,"

She reached out to touch his arm, one more time, and ever so gently pulled him back around, even though he still wouldn't look at them.

"You asked me how I knew? It's because I did this too. I did this to my brother when we were younger, except that my note wasn't a goodbye note...it was a suicide letter."

He finally met her gaze then, his eyes turning back to her, a bit wide with shock.

"I wrote out every hurtful thing I could think of. I picked at every single wound, knowing where I could dig the knife in the deepest. I was awful, and cruel, and...downright fucking sadistic in what I wrote. But," she said, letting her hand fall down.

"I was being stupid. I thought that I could, save him...from me. But it didn't work, and all I ended up doing was hurting myself. And that's what is going to happen to Sabastian if we don't go get him-he's going to hurt himself. Maybe not physically, but emotionally. He won't ever feel safe to be around other people if he can't face this part of himself, and Vin, it will slowly kill him inside."

It was very quiet for a moment, the big man simply staring at her. Then...

Was he crying? Or was it just the rain? It was difficult to tell in that moment, but Cora had to swallow back her own sob as she watched the way that his face twisted, the way he looked away for just a moment, and then the strain in his voice when he finally looked back to them and spoke.

"I'm sorry" he said, his arms opening a bit to pull Cora into a soft hug.

"It's okay, we're all scared for him Delvin."

When he let her go, she had to take a deep breath to control herself, watching as he then stepped over to Damien and offered him the same soft hug.

"I'm sorry man, I just feel so fucking useless..."

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori blinked as the bag came off, the familiar room sending a shiver of fear down her spine. She was glad to be sedated at that moment, knowing that if they were in this room, nothing good was going to happen. Her panic was manageable thanks to the drugs, so she simply watched as the other people came in. It was surprising that they would bring in so many people at once. She imagined she was there for the same reason they were, though she assumed she was apart from them due to her being Kuznet’s little pet.

Her eyes didn’t linger on them, instead looking away toward the door. Kuznet probably still didn’t want her to interact with them, and she didn’t want to risk anyone being punished due to her wandering eyes. Speaking of Kuznet, she looked up at him as he approached her, shrinking a bit under his gaze. She hadn’t seen him since he watched her shower and had a little chat with her, but she couldn’t say she was happy to see him.

The tender touch of his knuckles upon her skin was met with no resistance, but she did avert her eyes from him. His soft voice chilled her, not liking that little nickname for herself. “Little lamb” was probably pretty accurate though, the woman feeling like she was a lamb surrounded by wolves, Kuznet being the wolf in sheep’s clothing. No doubt he wanted to tear into her flesh just to hear her bleat. The rest of what he had said about her being a “good girl” sounded more like a warning than a question, and she was starting to get a bad feeling about all this.

When the bag was finally taken off, Sabastian gasped and coughed for a moment, glad to be free of that overwhelming scent. He soon recovered though, looking up to find several people lined up, a woman with a bruised face handcuffed to a table, and two army men he didn’t recognize (in addition to the creepy bastard who took him here). The blonde one was fucking huge, dwarfing Sabastian simply by standing upright, though he imagined that most people felt comparably small next to him.

"Hello Sabastian. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

“I wish I could say the same, but I currently don’t know where the fuck I am, why I’m here, who the fuck any of you are, or how you even know my name.” Sabastian glared at him, not amused at any of this. He wished he could simply rip the chains off his wrists and get that weird torso shackle off of himself, but they wouldn’t budge.

Over by the table, Sayori’s eyes widened. She recognized him from the pictures as being the little blonde that travelled with Cora. His eyes were stunning, the man looking more beautiful than she remembered from the pictures. His lipstick had been wiped off, but he still had mascara and eyeliner on. That purple eye... no doubt he was like Quint, a half-zombie. How had Kuznet gotten his hands on him?

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

"You asked me how I knew? It's because I did this too. I did this to my brother when we were younger, except that my note wasn't a goodbye note...it was a suicide letter."

Damien's eyes widened as well as he looked over at Cora. She had tried to kill herself? Based on the way she talked about her past, he could understand why she would do that, not wanting to live another day when there was a monster stalking around and waiting to strike again. To live one's life in constant fear and self-loathing... That was never easy.

He hadn't ever had anyone he really cared about after Toby though, so he hadn't had anyone that was forced to bear part of his burden. Damien didn't quite understand why she felt like her past was her own fault though. Her bastard of a guardian had done terrible things to both of them hadn't he? It couldn't have been only her fault. On the topic of fault though, it wasn't like it was either of their faults for attracting that monster's attention.

Still... It made his heart wrench to think of Cora so broken down that she was ready to leave this world, his eyes misting slightly. He hoped to god she never felt that way again.

A sigh of relief left him when Vin finally hugged Cora. They had gotten through to the man and all come to the conclusion that Sabastian was simply trying to push them away in the hopes of saving them from himself. That realization had Damien feeling a bit better too, but he couldn't help but wonder if the things Sabastian said didn't have a bit of half-truth to them. Vin's part sounded like insecurities that he might have had, while his own part was very... to the point.

He hadn't expected a hug from Vin, so he looked a bit surprised. That didn't stop him from accepting it though, putting his arms around the man and answering with a quiet, "me too."

 

[Drobabes]

His icy eyes watched him, a little smirk of amusement twisting his lips as he started to slowly walk away from Sayori and towards the other prisoner's.

"Hmm. Well now, that is interesting."

Behind him, Jonathon grabbed a hold of his arm once more and began to shuffle the little man forward, stopping him once he was standing next to the table that Sayori was on.

Kuznet stopped once he reached the older women, his mere glance causing her to shrink back and against the man who was standing on one foot beside her. Together, they cowered against each other, seemingly trying to hold onto each other, even though their hands were bound.

"I would say I am surprised that you do not know who I am, but,"

He turned back, looking down on Sabastian once more.

"It seems as if my little Quinton has been a naughty boy-lying to his sister for all these years. She probably did not even think to mention me in any conversation."
________

Quint had been sleeping, but something woke him up. It was a strange sort of tugging. A pulling sensation at the back of his mind, making him feel as if there were another zombie nearby.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes blearily, but then he held his head and furrowed his brows. No, this wasn't a normal zombie.

"Well that's different..."
________

Vin let him go and took a step back, his hand coming up to push his now wet hair out of his face as he took a deep breathe. Looking at them both, he could tell they were going to be soaking wet soon if they didn't get inside.

"Here, let's...let's get back inside. We'll figure this out."

His words might have sounded confident, but his voice betrayed him for how truly lost he felt. What were they going to do now? How were they going to get him back and convince him to stay?

 

[Poprockz]

Now that the teatree oil wasn't obliterating his senses, he felt a vague tingling in his mind, very similar to the connection he felt with Robert. Though he pushed that aside for now. While he was deeply curious about who was on the "other end of the line," he needed to focus on the conversation at hand. Sabastian scowled at Jonathan for a moment as he was shuffled next to Sayori, though when he looked at her his expression softened before his eyes went to Kuznet again.

Quinton... He had just been wondering at the general's words, but the name seemed to intensify the feeling in the back of his mind. Who was that..? Sabastian thought hard, trying to recall the name. The memory of Cora mentioning his name popped into her head and when he realized, he narrowed his eyes at Kuznet. So he knew Cora, did he?

"Cora doesn't really talk about her past much, and the only people she's ever mentioned were her brother, her parents and a legal guardian, but they're all dead. I don't know who you're supposed to be." He kept his eyes on Kuznet, but every now and then, he would slowly test the chains on his wrists while disguising it with a restless movement, not wanting to attract attention to it. No matter how big this guy was, Sabastian could easily take him if he had his strength back.

Sayori hoped to herself that Sabastian didn't say anything to make Kuznet mad. Of course their conversation seemed civil for now, but Cora was a touchy topic for the general.

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

Damien nodded, patting Vin's back before walking back to the front of the building with them. Once inside, he sighed and sat down on one of the chairs, his lips pursing as he looked over at the blanket Sabastian had used on the chair, blood and dirt on the inside of it.

Even Bowie seemed sad, curled up on Sabastian's blanket. No one knew it, but the little snake could feel that Sabastian was no longer within range. He didn't raise his head as they came in, his tongue flicking out almost despondently.

"So... I'm still wracking my brain on how we're going to find him. Maybe Bowie could try to find him again. He seemed to be able to find him last time." Damien's steely eyes went to the snake, wondering if he was listening to their conversation.

 

[Drobabes]

He smiled once more, but this time he remained quiet. His eyes looked down at Sabastian for a tense moment, and then they flicked up to Jonathon.

"Well I suppose it does not matter. After all, Cora is not the one I need right at the moment."

From behind Sabastian, Jonathon would pull out a set of keys, reaching down to unlock the metal that was wrapped tight around his waist. Just before he did, however, he gave the little blond a warning.

"Do not get any ideas. It will not end well."

"Now," Kuznet said, turning his attention back to Sabastian.

"I have brought you here for a specific task, Sabastian. I am in need of eggs, which I know you can produce, with the help of a host, of course."

He brought a hand out from behind his back to gesture at Sayori.
______

Bowie didn't even acknowledge their presence, although Cora was almost sure that the snake had heard him.

"I don't think he'll be able to find him this time," she said, walking over to the snake so that she could scoop him up and cradle him in her arms. She kept him in the half ball shape that he had been in and tucked him close to her chest, holding him similar to a baby. In a way, he was her baby.

"Last time I asked him to go find Sabastian, we could still hear him knocking trees over..."

Her voice was tired and strained, bringing Bowie with her as she came to sit by the boys.

"If he left in the night, who knows how far he would have gotten. Especially if he got a car."

That was another thing that had alerted Cora to the fact that he hadn't simply gone insane. He had cared enough to leave a note and say goodbye. If he actually hated them, why would he have even bothered? Why not just steal their car and go, or kill them in their sleep?