#dying light fanfiction

[dlthedescent]

TWENTY-FIVE: A HERO'S RETURN

The ride was quiet—tranquil, even—but uncanny.

Crane stood at the bow, watching the scenery drift by. After everything he'd seen—the horrors and deaths—the peace almost startled him. How long had it been since he heard birds chirping and insects humming?

Far too long.

Caroline's boat slipped from the channel into a riverbed untouched by the undead. Against his hardened skin beat the morning sun above and the cool breeze from the water below.

But Crane knew better than to let his guard down. The peace wouldn't last. Above them, the Strait's highway stretched over with its looming shadow. Somewhere up there, he spotted movement—slow, staggering shapes—and faint, incomprehensible groans carried on the wind.

Stragglers huddled in the shade, and deeper within nearby tunnels, the Volatiles waited for night.

"Here we are," Jack's voice broke the silence, and Crane followed her gaze. "Harran."

The edge of Harran, though.

Further down the canal, low-rise buildings crept over the tree line. The urban architecture looked no different from Scanderoon: pillars of smoke rising into the golden horizon, the dreary atmosphere, and the haunting wails in the distance.

It hit Crane like a slap to the face, returning to where it all began. Not in the same light as coming back 'home' but heading to Harran's Borderway from a very long road trip.

And his fears about the state of Harran were neither unfounded nor proven. He wasn't close to the Tower, the Slums, or Old Town—miles away from anyone familiar. The only relief was that, somehow, the city hadn't been nuked off the map.

Now he stood at the threshold. The truth was waiting ahead. The same, suffocating questions buzzed loudly inside his skull.

"The Outskirts aren't too far from here either," Jack pointed from the helm, shining her warm grin. "...We could take a detour."

Did he show his anxiety again without realizing it? Once more, she offered baffling options to him when Jack made it her goal to go to Harran.

"Your call, mate."

Crane hesitated, only realizing himself. Nearly standing from his seat, his neck stretched out like a bird's as he stared at the approaching skyline. He exhaled and propped himself down.

"...Stay the course."

Again, Crane was grounded. Again, Jack didn't pry on his anxiety and relief. And again, he did not attempt to deflect his behavior. She gave him space and waited—as she said, she had all the time in the world.

At his own pace. Yeah, right. He could barely organize his thoughts when it came to Harran.

The joking offer, however… helped lighten the weight on his chest. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea, either…

But Kyle Crane couldn't keep running forever.

The boat trip had stretched for hours, winding through channels, with the Strait guiding them. The advantage of having a boat was blissful: no trudging through roads or tunnels filled with nests.

If only he had managed to get his hands on one in the past. Of course, Harran's infrastructure had never allowed for such vehicles.

When they would reach land, the Border would be an entirely new territory for Crane.

"Bzzt-zt! You reached Harran yet, Jack?"

Miles from Scanderoon, the comms crackled with a voice they wouldn't hear again for a while. They'd already said their goodbyes before leaving the Junction, but the young runner's presence felt like a breath of fresh air in the heavy atmosphere.

"Just made it to the Border," Jack replied.

"Is it as bad as Scanderoon?" Siv asked.

"Can't say for certain until we dock."

One deep sigh escaped the comms. Dodging the question wasn't what Siv wanted to hear, but she'd been down that road before. So Siv never pushed further, for the best.

She likely shared the same kind of worries as Crane did. A local from Harran, worried about her mother, friends, and family.

How small his world had become since awakening as a sentient zombie. Then it stretched further, bit by bit. First from meeting Jack. Then from a kid named Siv.

"If you've got something on your mind, now's the time to spill it," Jack urged, pulling back on the throttle and slowing the boat to a crawl. "Reception's horrible out here."

"Geez. Thanks for putting my mind at ease."

"I don't sugarcoat things, Princess. This might be the last time you hear from us."

"Yeah… You found Peri. Do…do you think you can find my mom?"

Omph, what a way to put the Retrieval specialist on the spot—Crane could see it in her body language, despite Jack's attempt to hide it.

It was a tall order; after four months, was it even possible to find anyone still alive?

But Jack didn't know quits

"I can try."

"...'But it might not be what I want'."

Siv was smart; keeping her hopes low had become the norm.

"Give me the details," Jack pressed. "If she's out there, I'll find her for you."

A deep sigh came from the other end. "She's a nurse. Eva. Worked at Harran City Hospital."

"Got it."

"And Jack? Freakazoid?"

Crane recoiled in surprise. He never thought the young Runner would call him—yes, with that nickname but he wouldn't hold that on her. Regardless, it was a sign that she was warming to him, despite their past hiccups.

"Good luc-zzzt!"

And that was it—the last call with civilization. A final wish of good luck they'd hear.

It was nothing new to Jack—dropped signals had become routine since leaving the Outskirts. Holding a conversation for more than five minutes felt like a rare miracle these days.

And just like that, silence crept back as she steered the boat down the narrow concrete river.

"So," Freakazoid broke the quiet and counted each name with his talons. "We got Umit, that girl's mother, and your cousin."

Then gave a narrowed stare at Jack.

"You don't find this overkill?"

"I thought you liked playing the hero." A low blow. She heard his muffled grumble beneath the scarf. "I'm still on the clock, mate. Bad for business if a Retrieval Specialist doesn't do their job."

"Yeah," Freakazoid didn't buy anything she said one bit. "Mind explaining to me more about your job?"

"What's there to explain? Find the mark and bring it back to the client," Jack dodged the question.

"That's oversimplifying it and you know it."

She shrugged. "Yes, well, professionalism's overrated. There's been times I've gone off the books before. I even have my eye on one particular mark."

She pulled a crumpled photo out of her sling bag she'd lifted during a forced interrogation with the GRE's boss. It was a priceless little gift: the face of Kyle Crane.

Freakazoid raised a hairless eyebrow—a fourth, really? "Someone I need to know?"

"Personal." Instead of showing him, Jack slid the photo back into her bag. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Huh. Must've gotten under your skin."

"You could say that." Her smile softened for a moment, then vanished as she spotted something in the distance.

"What?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she twirled the boat sharply, letting it drift until it lined up with a checkpoint at the end of the canal.

"I was afraid of this."

Crane followed her gaze to the culprit: a large metal gate stood their way. The standard to control water flow, but most importantly, to prevent a virus from spreading through the waterways.

There was no easy way past for a boat. Everywhere he looked, as far as the eye could see, were high concrete banks.

The only option would be to abandon the boat and climb out of the canal. And Crane had absolute confidence the brunette wouldn't be too keen to leave Caroline a second time. And then there were the quarantine walls.

"Is there another way in?" he asked.

Jack shook her head. "It's either through there or we cut through the Countryside."

Crane stiffened. His head whipped toward her, wide-eyed, horror written across his face.

"That'll take a day or two. No telling how safe that route is…" Jack explained, unaware of his sudden demeanor.

The Countryside.

The place where everything had begun for Kyle Crane.

Story continues on at these links: FFN and AO3.

[zeroth-writes]

One Person -Juan Rainer-

masterlist | request

Pairing: Juan Rainer / Fem!Reader

Summary: As they sit in the fish eye, Lawan tells Aiden a little story of how the big bad playboy Juan turned into a softie, for only one person.

Word Count: 496

A/N: Hello! I'm sorry if this is all over the place, i wrote half of this MONTHS ago and just finally started to get back into writing.

"You wanna know why he's stuck by her"?

Lawan pointed the neck of her beer bottle toward the couple at the bar before taking a short swig of the luke warm liquid. Aiden raised his eyebrows before chuckling. His gaze followed to couple before studying them.

The man was turned sideways, but when at back view he could still tell it was Juan. The jacket alone was a dead giveaway but you add in the hair and way to expensive bottle of old time liquor.

The women however, as her back was facing him had zero incline as to who she is.

"I know I'm still new the area, but even I know what he's after." Lawan shared the laugh. "Fair point, but she's different."

The sniper finished off her beverage before turning fully towards the bar, motioning the pilgrim to do the same.

"See how she's not even looking towards Juan as he talks to her? She's completely ignoring him, yet the guy's still wasting his breath on her. Which is weird for a guy like him. Normally he'd move on to someone else, try again another night."

The pilgrim took a few moments to look at the pair. Not once did Juan look around, even as a pretty girl passed right by him, his eyes never leave the women in front of him.

"So what makes her so special" The female chuckled at his question.

"She doesn't want him." Aiden's eyes narrowed before Lawan continued. "From the moment he first tried flirting with her, She wanted nothing to do with him. Didn't even make an excused - and i was there when she shut him down. If you ask him he'd say that she's just 'playing hard to get. She'll come around' "

The pilgrim's attention is fully towards the sniper as she talks. His face churning with each word the falls past her lips.

"That still doesn't answer my question." Lawan scoffed "Because you didn't let me finish. Juan is used to getting whatever he wants. Women, clothes, cigars, paintings, men. Except her. Sure this has happened a few times, someone isn't interested in him and he moves to someone else."

Lawan's finger moves to pair at each member of the pairing before returning towards the table "This has been going on for months now. And the reason he hasn't given up. He loves her."

Aiden nearly spills his full bottle of beer. " I didn't think he was capable of loving another human." Though is was just a mutter, the insult hit Lawan's ears, causing the women to bout out a laugh.

They turned they attention back to Juan and his 'partner' only to see her getting up to leave and Juan staring slack jawed.

Aiden was about to make a smartass comment, but before his lips could part, Juan had slapped a stack of cash on the counter before jogging after her while yelling something.

"Maybe one day prince charming with get the princess"

[tafferling]

Dying Light: Monsters, We.

a fan fiction| Season Two | Blood from Stone

Chapter 24: Careful What You Wish For

‘You can’t be the one to kill me,’ Fi had written to him on the day when she’d decided to take that choice away from him.

>> Read on Ao3 <<

“The choice is yours, Crane. You. Or her.” No choice at all. It’d always be him. Kyle found himself conscious as suddenly as a flip phone snapping open. With a single flick, the waking world greeted him. Or—more accurately—ran him down as his body reported in, shouting out every single thing wrong with it. Aching jaw. Raw throat. Brittle fingers. Burning skin. A clenching in his chest where his heart should have been. Pinching and stinging on his stomach, his chest, his arms. And let’s not forget the tinnitus. Ring. Ring. Ring. He sucked down a shaky breath. Initially, Kyle wasn’t ever sure why he’d been out. Let alone when he’d laid down on the bunk, his toes sticking out on the far end. Then his short-term memory upended like the devil’s own kitchen drawer and it all came back. Well. Most of it. Thankfully, the main attraction liked to remain vague. At first, anyway. It’d come back eventually. Sometimes hours or days later and sometimes in his nightmares, where he’d struggle to pin down the difference between a memory and his imagination. For now, all he got were the moments leading up to the show. “It’s time,” Fraser had said. His voice had struggled to make it through the thick haze of feverish anger in Kyle’s head. ”You’re ready, but the choice is yours, Crane. You, or her.” “Me.” Moments later, he’d collapsed. Because why sit down while he waited for the gas they pumped into his box to wipe him out when standing around like an idiot until his legs bucked was just so much more fun? Grimacing at the memory, Kyle stared at the smooth, white ceiling. Hey. They’d cleaned up his tennis ball art piece. Jackasses. All his hard work bouncing the ink-stained off the evil science lair ceiling, gone. He sighed. They’d also dimmed the lights. Why’d they do that? To be cute? Show him how they cared, because they knew his eyes were going to sting like hell otherwise? He squeezed said eyes. Tight. They stung anyway.

>> Read on Ao3 <<

[winchesterszvonecek]

Chiaroscuro 18+

Chapter 1 - Last Hope

Word Count: 7368

Series Masterlist | Full Masterlist

The streets outside were all but full of zombies and yet, for Lexi, the strangest thing was that she was riding in an elevator. It just didn’t seem like it should at all be possible. For there to even be such a luxury when the world beyond the Tower walls was in shambles blew her mind completely and the higher up the building she ascended, the less this entire situation made sense to her.

There was even music playing. As faint as it was, she could still make out the soft melody over the worrying, screeching sound of metal grinding against metal. It was almost… soothing, honestly. Allowing her a small touch of relaxation amidst the nightmares that lay beyond the doors below. She’d only been in Harran for five days and she was already done with it.

For the duration of those undeniably unreal feeling hours she’d succumbed to the worst experiences possible and yet as she stood there, focusing on the tune with her eyes firmly closed, it was almost like she was back in the real world. Back home. Where the dead stayed dead and the only thing for a woman to fear about the darkness was men. She kind of missed that: the normality of regular life. She knew she’d only been out of it for less than a week, but to her it almost felt like it had been years.

Time seemed to move slower in Harran, especially at night. It was almost as though the universe was throwing another big, blazing fuck you right on top of that which it had already dumped all over the city. As if the virus wasn’t bad enough. As if wiping out the majority of the population and forcing those who’d managed to survive into quarantine wasn’t already a shitty move, it just had to go and make the days feel longer too — fucker. 

“How is it only 4pm?” Lexi sighed in annoyance, dropping her watch-covered wrist down to her side and throwing her head back against the wall, watching impatiently as the flickering lights of the elevator continued to climb with each abandoned floor they passed. “I feel like I’ve been up for days.”

“That’s because you don’t usually surface until noon,” Kyle said casually, his fingers tapping absently against the railing as they grew closer to their floor. He could just about see Lexi nod reluctantly in agreement out of the corner of his eye and he chuckled. At least she was honest enough to agree with him. “ And you were up all night, weren't you?”

“I couldn’t have slept even if I wanted to,” Lexi said, pushing off the wall and making for the door as it quietly dinged, the latch popping open onto the nineteenth floor. They made their way out, passing two shopping carts full of equipment no one ever seemed to use and quickly rounding the corner towards headquarters — with Lexi still complaining about her temporary abode from the night before, “That place was damp. It smelled like pee… and I’m pretty sure a sleeping bag atop a thin mattress doesn’t make a bed.” 

As they approached the familiar green door of apartment 190, Kyle scoffed, “What do you expect? Four posters and duck feather pillows?” 

“Oh, if only,” Lexi exhaled, swatting at one of the rather large moths that always seemed to flutter around the light above the door. God, she hated them. Disgusting little creatures. She was almost tempted to whip up a makeshift flamethrower and sort out the sudden infestation had Jade not appeared in front of them. She pulled them both aside rather quickly, stopping their movements from going any further beyond the headquarters outer door. “Jade? What’s going on?” 

“It’s Brecken,” Jade replied quietly, glancing over her shoulder as though checking her surroundings. “He took a group of runners after an airdrop last night and things went bad… He lost the entire team to biters and then Rais’s men ambushed him, beat him to a pulp and stole the drop.” 

“Jesus,” Lexi muttered. Perhaps there was a lot more she had to worry about in this world than where she was going to spend the night. She folded her arms, pity flashing across her face, “How’s Brecken doing?” 

“Not good,” Jade said grimly, once again glancing behind her. Guess she didn’t want Brecken to end up hearing any of this, which in hindsight was probably for the best as Lexi can’t imagine that it would have been any good for what remained of the poor leader’s dignity. “He can barely stand upright and yet he wants to go after the next drop himself… But we can’t let him. And I need you both to back me up on that, okay?” 

Though hesitant, both siblings still nodded in agreement and made their move to follow Jade towards the double doors that led into headquarters. They could hear a muffled voice coming from behind them, partially raised and if you listened carefully enough, it was almost like that of a parent scolding a child. 

Guess someone was already trying to give Brecken the how to on staying alive, so here’s hoping that the addition of three more mouths helped get the message across. 

“Okay, we’re going in,” Jade said, pushing the wooden door open a crack before pausing to add, “Act confident.” 

Lexi couldn’t help but scoff quietly to herself. That was a hell of a lot easier said than it was done given how their first day in the city had played out. It had been a shitshow since the moment they crash landed in the murky depths of the Slums. Kyle had been bitten, Lexi almost lost an arm to an unnaturally large man with a machete and, oh yeah, they’d gotten the man who helped save them from a pack of virals killed — the “ perfect”start to their adventures in Harran. 

Still, regardless of all their journey had entailed and the guilt she felt over Amir’s death, Lexi did what she was told and straightened her back, lifting her shoulders as high as they could go without popping. She followed closely behind Kyle, sucking in a rather nauseating breath and slipping through the doors after him and Jade, acting about as confidently as one could force themselves to be in a situation such as this one. 

Lena was already inside, looking as furious as any doctor could as she finished up in bandaging the still bloodied head of the Tower’s leader, Brecken. Or at least, that’s who Lexi assumed he was as he was the only other person present inside the room and given the tale she’d been told about his ambushed mission last night that left him looking like a punching bag, there wasn’t much speculation left to be had as to his identity. 

“Brecken. Lena,” Jade greeted amicably, drawing the immediate attention of the pair towards them. 

“Jade, I’m glad you’re here,” Lena huffed out, grabbing her medical bag from atop the messy table. “Maybe you can get through to him.” 

Knocking Lexi’s shoulder lightly as she passed, Lena stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her, leaving a light, but highly noticable, tension building in the near-musty air around them. 

“Jade,” Brecken said with a nod, his British accent taking the Crane’s by surprise as he pushed off the table and peered over at Kyle, giving him a quick, almost satisfied, once over before directing his hardened gaze towards Lexi. He looked her up and down attentively, unable to stop his eyebrow from raising as his gaze softened a little. Pretty, he thought to himself. A little too pretty to be standing before him clad in runner’s gear and splattered in blood, guts and God knows what else. “Who are your friends?” 

“Kyle Crane,” Kyle said, shuffling to the side a little and forcing Lexi to fall in line with him rather than try to hide behind him. “This is my sister, Lexi.” 

Before Lexi could say anything, let alone flash Brecken a proper smile or give him thanks for allowing them to stay here, he’d already brushed off the far from pleasant introductions and made his move towards a fridge at the back of the room. She didn’t hold it against him, though. He’d just been to hell and back within the space of a few hours so she could easily forgive him for not wanting to be overly nice to the new names and faces being thrown at him. 

“Look, Brecken,” Jade said, leading the way as the three of them trailed after Brecken and his stained yellow t-shirt. “The last thing we need is for you to go back out there… I know we need more Antizin, but we can figure out another way— A safer way. Without jeopardising you, right guys?” 

As Jade turned eagerly towards them in hopes of agreement, Kyle was the first one to speak up in affirmation, “I’ll do it. I’ll go after the next drop.” 

“Right! Yes,” Jade agreed, thankfully, “Crane will do it. He’ll be happy to.” 

Before the words even had time to settle in the air, Brecken slammed the fridge door closed and leaned his arm against it, muttering a few choice phrases under his breath before turning back around to face them. 

“No offense, friend,” He said, yet his tone was anything but friendly. “But you’re about as green as grass and to send you out there alone…” 

“He won’t be alone,” Lexi interrupted, folding her arms and stepping forward as she kept her attention fixated coldly on the so-called leader before her. “I’ll be going with him.” 

“Is that so,” Brecken mused, once again drawing his doubt-filled eyes up and down the length of Lexi’s lean body. “Because no offense…” 

Lexi held up her hand, quietening him instantly, “I swear to God if you follow up that phrase with something offensive, you and I are gonna have problems.” 

“Easy, Lex, he’s just being cautious,” Kyle said, placing his hand on Lexi’s shoulder should he need to hold her back, as she always could get a little testy around people in places of authority. He shifted his focus back towards Brecken, curiosity sparking deep inside him at the small smile which tugged on the leader's lips. Strange. Most people didn’t seem to take too kindly to Lexi once she opened her mouth like that, let alone smile at it. “Look, Brecken, my sister may seem like she’s incapable of surviving out there, but trust me… There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side than her.” 

Though the doubt still sung loudly in the back of his mind over the word of this…stranger, Brecken pondered the option for a mere handful of seconds before he agreed with Kyle, albeit reluctantly. He hated to say it but Lexi didn’t look like she was anything more than another innocent civilian. One who shouldn’t be allowed to leave the sanctity of the Tower without being heavily, heavily protected. 

Brecken normally didn’t like to judge someone based solely on looks alone but when it came to Lexi, part of him just couldn’t seem to help it. For starters, she was short. She was barely passing five feet, and he’d bet real money that she wouldn't reach a hundred pounds soaking wet. And sure, Jade was shorter than most and relatively slim too, but she was a professional fighter. She had that little bit of extra meat on her bones in comparison to Lexi, who honestly looked like she’d be swept away in one harsh gust of wind. 

To be brutally honest she looked like she belonged in a Disney movie , not out doing runs in a world as dangerous as the one they lived in. Brecken definitely had his doubts about Lexi and her capability to withstand life outside, that much he knew for sure, but he also knew that he was in no condition to go back out there himself. He was dizzy and lightheaded. He couldn’t even see straight, and the very last thing he wanted was to risk anyone else’s life should they have to come to his rescue when he inevitably passed out from exhaustion. 

It would be a bold move sending Lexi and Kyle out there, he knew that. It was risky sending just about anyone let alone these two rookies, but if it meant giving him and his people a fighting chance at scoring some Antizin then he knew he had to take it. He didn’t want to have to give in and go begging at Rais’s doorstep for supplies and if this is what it took to prevent that from happening… then so be it.

“If you two are serious about going out there, then we need to get you better equipped,” Brecken said, motioning for the siblings to follow him over to a small crate in the corner of the room after Jade left them — something about her needing to go deal with Rahim and his own obsessive need to find some explosives. “That rusty old pipe you have on your belt ain’t gonna do you much good if you get swarmed out there.” 

“Thank God,” Lexi mumbled, unhooking said pipe and tossing it aside. “That thing is useless.” 

“No surprise there,” Brecken said, kneeling down and lifting the heavy lid from atop the crate. He set it aside with a clunk and began to fumble inside it, muttering to himself as he pulled out all kinds of weapons, tools and pretty much anything else he could think of that might come in handy. He then straightened, laying each item out onto the small coffee table next to him. “It’s a dangerous world out there now. Better to be over prepared than under.” 

“Agreed,” Lexi said, a partial chuckle leaving her lips as she glanced at her brother, who shared the same questionable look as she did at the huge mass of items littering the surface. ”But uh… Where do you expect us to put all of this?” 

Brecken narrowed his eyes, “What’dya mean?” 

“Well for starters, there’s four��machetes and three swords…” Lexi pointed out, to which Brecken simply nodded in an embarrassed understanding and Kyle chuckled. “Not to mention the ten flares, the two guns, the… one… two… three… eight throwing axes, five flashlights, the pile of firecrackers and is this…” She lifted the item from the table, her eyes wide, “Is this a grappling hook? Who am I? Batman?”  

With a frown, Brecken reached out and took the hook from her, “Alright, I’ll admit… It might be a bit much.” 

“You think?” Lexi couldn’t help but scoff, to which Kyle elbowed her lightly and widened his eyes, mentally telling her to play nice. She then rolled her own and mumbled, “I’m just saying.” 

“What my sister meant to say is we appreciate the help, Brecken… Don’t we Lexi?” Kyle said emphatically, causing Lexi to nod half-assedly in agreement as she briefly examined a machete with a line of green paint covering the edge. “But all we really need is a few basics.” 

“Right,” Brecken cleared his throat, taking no offence to Lexi’s attitude. He kind of liked it, actually. It was almost like a refresher from all the bad-temperedness and angst that surrounded him on a daily basis. “Sorry, it’s just… After last night, I want to make sure I have you both as prepared as I can.” 

“So long as we have a blade… We’ll be fine,” Lexi said assuringly — softly, as she seemed to momentarily forget what Brecken had been through last night. What he’d lost. “But if it makes you feel better I’ll take a gun for backup… And a flare… And as many of these firecrackers as I can shove into my ordinary woman sized pockets.” 

As Lexi wouldn’t lie, those firecrackers? Incredibly handy when you’re in a tight spot. 

“You know, you are wearing cargo pants,” Brecken pointed out, folding his arms across his chest and watching as Lexi secured a single flare to the belt she had slung over her shoulder. She then glanced up at him, her brow a little furrowed as she tilted her head in question, prompting him to elaborate, “They tend to have more pockets than normal.” 

“Not women's ones,” Lexi said, dropping her hands to her thighs and tugging at the flaps of the so-called pockets that lay there. “See… Fake. Because according to clothing manufacturers women don’t��need pockets.” 

At that Brecken simply chuckled whilst Kyle muttered exasperatedly under his breath, earning a hardened glare from Lexi as he filled his very realpockets with more firecrackers than she could carry in hers. She had complained about those fake pockets the entire duration of the plane ride over here and if he had to hear about it one more time… he was going to let himself turn. 

“Shall I get you a handbag for your throwing axes then?” Brecken teased, holding two axes up by either side of his head and wiggling them a little. 

Lexi frowned, reaching out to snatch them from his grasp before pointing one at him — blade side up, “Don’t make me cut you.” 

“Easy tiger, I’m only messing,” Brecken said, struggling rather hard to stifle the smile that wanted to rise on his lips. He managed, though. Barely. It only took a quick glance towards Kyle — who honestly felt a little uncomfortable right now, not to mention invisible — for it to fall from his face. He then cleared his throat, “Goodness knows we could use a few laughs around here.” 

Humming in agreement, as the Tower did seem pretty glum and it wasn’t all that surprising, Lexi secured the two throwing axes to her waistband, already able to feel the uncomfortably harsh tug on her belt from the weight of the metal. Oh, she didn’t particularly like that. It made it seem like her pants were falling down and that’s not exactly something she needed whilst traversing the dangerous city surrounding her. It was bad enough worrying about the dead, let alone whether or not she was going to end up accidentally flashing the nearest settlement. 

Therefore, Lexi quickly changed her mind about the axes and unhooked them, tossing them back onto the table to join the rest of the weapons she’d deemed unnecessary. It’s not like she’d even use them, anyway. It was a hassle she didn’t need: having to run to collect them again and besides… She already had a preference in using one-handed weapons, as it was far easier to take down the infected that way, so there was really no point in wasting space in her limited real-life inventory with items she knew for a fact she wouldn’t be using. 

Anyway, with the internal deliberations now finished and their belts full of more useful equipment, Lexi and Kyle were finally ready for their first proper exploration into the murky depths of the city. And sure, they’d both been out once before setting traps and securing a few safe zones for Spike, but they'd never actually had the chance to fully take in the atmospheric, and rather beautiful, surroundings that made up the city of Harran. 

“Remember: try not to use your guns unless absolutely necessary,” Brecken said, as the three of them entered the elevator and began their slow descent of the building. “And if you run into any of Rais’s men, do not engage. Those bastards are savages and they won’t hesitate to kill you… Or in some cases, take you.” 

Lexi shivered profusely, “God, I don’t even want to know why you looked at me when you said that.”

“No… No, you do not,” Brecken muttered, catching the way in which Kyle’s fist clenched tightly by his side. Clearly he was thinking about the sole reason as to why Rais’s soldiers would kill men but kidnap women, so here’s hoping that little detail might help lift his guard up just a little higher in order to ensure safe Lexi’s return. “But if you’d rather, we have masks downstairs. Some of the runners like to wear them to stop the scouts from recognising them.” 

“I’ll take my chances,” Lexi exhaled, yet she could easily feel the nausea build in her stomach again as now that she was thinking about it…. Back when they first landed? When they were ambushed by that big guy with a machete? He wasn’t trying to cut her… He was trying to lift her and God knows where she’d be now if it hadn’t been Jade and Amir. “But uh… Maybe I’ll rub some dirt on my face and tie up my hair… You know, just in case.” 

“You don’t have to go with me, Lex,” Kyle said softly, turning to face his sister as she began to scoop up the chestnut strands of her hair in her hands. “I’m perfectly capable of handling this myself.” 

“I’m going, ” Lexi said sternly, fixing her hair into a ponytail and giving it a gentle tug to tighten it. “I’m not just gonna sit around here whilst you go out there alone, okay? I won’t.” 

“Alright,” Kyle breathed out reluctantly, running his hand over his chin and glancing towards Brecken, who simply pressed his lips together apologetically and chose to say nothing. 

Kyle didn't like this. It was bad enough dealing with the infected out there, but knowing that they also ran the risk of being ambushed by Rais’s men… And that if they caught them, they’d simply kill him and take Lexi to do God knows what to her, it made him furious. It made him… scared, actually. For the first time in his life he was genuinely afraid, and he was very tempted to simply lock Lexi up somewhere if it meant it would keep her safe. 

It didn’t matter that she knew enough moves to fill a book. That he’d personally trained her in hand-to-hand combat and that she was perfectly able to fend off whatever may come to her, if they got taken by surprise… If they got jumped by more than four guys, he knew there was a slim to none chance of survival. But he also knew it was useless trying to argue with her. Lexi was as stubborn as the day was long, and if she was thishellbent on going outside with him, then he’d just have to take a little extra care to make sure that he protected her. 

“Brecken, you know anyone with a taser?” Kyle asked, just as they landed on the ground floor. 

“Yeah, I might do, actually,” Brecken said knowingly, stepping out of the elevator and holding open the door, allowing the siblings to exit. He then clicked it shut, glancing behind him and picking up the faint whistle of machinery. “Just give us a sec and I’ll go check with Alfie.” 

“Alright, thanks,” Kyle nodded appreciatively, watching as Brecken disappeared around the corner. It was only then did he feel a rather blunt point dig harshly into his side, sending a rippling pain shooting up the length of his torso. He recoiled a little, catching the last motion of Lexi pulling her elbow back towards her, “What the fuck was that for?” 

“A taser? Really, Kyle? What good is a taser going to do other than satisfy my very eager curiosity to know what it feels like to lick one?” 

“Do not lick the taser,” Kyle said, his brow deeply furrowed as he couldn’t believe he even had to say those words together. He then took a gentle hold of her arm as his face shifted, growing serious as he pulled her closer in order to whisper, “Look, I know you’re trained in combat. And I know the GRE wouldn’t have sent you here if they didn’t think you could handle it but Lex you’ve seen it out there. It’s a whole different world, far worsethan we could have ever anticipated. And these people… These thugs… They’re the kind who take what they want without caring who they hurt in the process. Now tell me, do you really want to end up in that position?” 

“I…”

“You’re in luck. Alfie had one working taser left in his supply,” Brecken’s growing voice soon forced the siblings to part abruptly as he approached, his motions then slowing by the askew dartboard that hung on the wall facing them as his face grew tight, “Shit. I’m interrupting something, aren’t I?” 

“No,” Lexi said quickly, clearing her throat and forcing a smile. “No, we’re all good.” 

“Good,” Brecken was blatantly unconvinced by that, but he let it slide. It was clearly personal and absolutely none of his business so instead he simply stepped closer, placing one hand on his hip as he held out the other, showcasing the black cased taser with it. “You still want this?” 

“I, um…”

Pausing, Lexi glanced momentarily at Kyle, easily picking up the desperation he tried so hard to mask behind the cocky confidence he had over knowing he was right. And shit, as much as it truly pained her to admit, he really did make a rather valid point. She was vulnerable out there to a hell of a lot more than the infected. They were highly predictable, after all. And slow. They only ever had one sole agenda and that was to kill, but when it came to people? There really wasn’t a clear motive with them sometimes and with the world the way it was, that risk of things turning ugly fast was a lot higher than with a simple brainless biter. She’d seen it plenty of times in her life: how easily the wolves would come out when things went awry and if a single taser helped put Kyle’s mind at ease, even just that small bit more, then what harm could it really do for her to take it? 

“Fine. If it’ll keep you happy, I’ll take it,” Lexi mumbled, sighing in minor annoyance as she reached out to take that tiny box of electricity. “Thanks Brecken.” 

“You can thank me when you get back,” Brecken said, making a move towards the drop down point of the Tower’s exit. “And do me a favour… Make sure you come back.” 

“We will.” Lexi tried her best to sound convincing as she hooked the taser to a loop on her pant leg, but even she knew the odds of returning were far lower than those of dying… Or disappearing. “We’ll stick to the high ground and be back with that Antizin before you know it.” 

“Don’t you go jinxing it now,” Brecken joked… sort of. “We haven’t had much luck with these Antizin drops lately.” 

“Well, that’s about to change,” Lexi said, carefully lowering herself down the drop and landing with a soft thud in the rubble. She unsheathed her machete in one quick swipe the moment her feet hit the ground, glancing back up at Brecken with a playful smile on her face. “As I can be very, very lucky when I want to be.” 

And with that shimmering spark of hope now left lingering with those in the Tower, Lexi and Kyle quickly disappeared from sight and began their harrowing journey into the deep, dark depths of the city. Their first stop was the Cauldron, a relatively condensed part of town that was easily crossable given its flattened sheet roofs, many of which lay covered with a rather thick, blue tarp that seemed to add a little extra slip protection. 

In fact, now that she was paying attention, the whole city appeared to have been made that little bit easier for those left inside to traverse. There were arrows guiding them. Bags of trash or strategically placed mattresses littering the streets should they fall. And many of the buildings even had wooden planks connecting them, meaning there was far less chance of Lexi breaking her ankles by jumping them. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure who was responsible for all this glorious help, but Lexi did have a sneaking suspicion that many of Brecken’s runners, perhaps even Brecken himself, might have had a hand in setting things up like this. 

It would have been rather odd and one hell of a coincidence had they not, as it was simply far too effortless for them to make their way across the ridged rooftops and towards their destination. Someone had to have made it that way on purpose, and Lexi especially liked the conveniently placed ramps that they’d scattered around the place, offering her that little extra momentum she needed to make it up the slightly taller buildings that stood around her. 

Unfortunately though, even with the Cauldron’s easy accessibility, the only airdrop to have landed in that area was empty when Kyle and Lexi got there, forcing them to backtrack on themselves and head off in the direction of the second drop that fell no more than a few minutes later.

However, despite their smooth sailing across town once again, that hope they’d left with the people of the Tower was slowly becoming that of a fool's at this point. The second drop was already taken over by Rais’s men by the time they practically parkoured there, that dark green attire they wore and painted orange logo all but unmissable in the softening light of the approaching dusk. 

It didn’t feel great, having to leave that open crate of Antizin when it was so far within their reach. Inside the safe zone they personally helped activate. They could practically see it: the vials, just sitting out in the open whilst Rais’s men looted the surrounding area. They could hear them arguing. Bickering back and forth like a couple of rowdy kids, and making it seem incredibly easy for Lexi to simply sneak over the fence and shove as many vials as she could into her limited amount of womanly pockets. 

But both she and Kyle knew that would be a bold move. A risky one. A potentially fatal one should a soldier happen to look over at the exact wrong time and spot them. There were too many of them for Kyle and Lexi to handle on their own, as much as it pained them to admit, so instead, despite how hard it was to force themselves to leave the area without that Antizin, all they could do was carry on across town and pray that that third and final drop had landed somewhere within their reach. 

And as though the God’s were surprisingly on their side for once, it did. It had dropped ridiculously close to their current location and, like two bats out of Hell, Lexi and Kyle began to leap across building after building in hopes of being the first ones to make it there. 

“ Guys, you need to turn back,” Jade’s voice soon crackled softly through the radio, startling Lexi momentarily as she kicked a zombie off the roof, an amused smile tugging at her lips as she watched it splat over the ground in a deep shade of murky red. “ It’s getting too close to sunset!” 

“We’re almost at the third drop,” Kyle replied, his voice a little strained as he leapt furiously across a small gap between two neighbouring rooftops, continuing to lead the way towards the red smoke that was fading out in the distance. “We can do this.” 

Landing with a quiet thud next to her brother on the thin, metal sheet that was the houses roof, Lexi couldn’t help but glance over at the sun that was slowly disappearing amidst the clouds in the West, already able to feel the winding rope that forever lingered in her stomach begin to tighten itself immensely. She knew well of what lurked through the city once the darkness rolled in. She had heard them. Back when she and Kyle took refuge in an old boiler room after fixing some traps for Spike, she hadn’t slept a wink due to the blood curdling roars of the fearless monsters who tread through the streets under the cover of night. 

They were unlike anything her own mind could ever think to dream up and the mere thought of being stranded outside with them armed with nothing more than a machete, a taser and a pistol filled with a handful of bullets, terrified her right down to her very core. But she knew she had no choice in the matter. If they didn’t get to that last drop right fucking now then Rais’s men would beat them to it and Lexi simply couldn’t allow that to happen again. 

Kyle was infected . He was slowly succumbing to the virus eating away at him from the inside and until they could figure out a cure to end this hellish nightmare for good, then they needed all the Antizin they could get their hands on. Not to mention that getting there and securing the drop before Rais’s men would be the ultimate fuck you to that greedy prick — and something told her that the people of the Tower might care more about that , than the actual drop itself.

Of course, that was utter nonsense though as there was nothing more important than those precious vials of Antizin, but still… If Lexi could give not only the Tower’s occupants, but herself, and Brecken, the satisfaction of knowing they’d screwed over Rais, then she would. Here’s to hoping it wasn’t at the loss of her own life, however, as that wouldn’t exactly be making a good first impression to the Tower’s rather fearless and doubt-filled British leader. 

“Look alive, Lex,” Kyle said, pulling Lexi from her mind and forcing her right back into the harshness of her reality. “There’s some infected down there.” 

Peering over the edge of the parachute-covered roof that loomed above the airdrop, Lexi couldn’t help but frown at the sight that awaited her, “Dammit Kyle, you got me excited for nothing.” 

“The hell are you talking about?” 

“I’m talking about the two measly infected that are rotting away down there,” Lexi scoffed, gesturing down to the ground as she drew herself away from the edge. Last thing she needed was to lose her footing and topple over — especially when there was nothing but a pile of dirty garbage bags down there to break her fall. “You made it seem like there were more.” 

“You know, this excitement you have over killing these things… It worries me.” 

“Whatever,” Lexi rolled her eyes and waved him off. “Let's just do this before the real nightmare begins. Otherwise, you’ll get to see just how quickly my excitement ceases.” 

“You think we’ll make it back to the Tower in time?” Kyle asked, a small lick of worry rolling off his tongue as he made his move to drop down onto the lower platform below them. He’d barely managed to glance back up just as Lexi followed behind, her lean build causing nothing more than a light scuff against the cement beneath their feet. He then surveyed the condensed area surrounding them, his brow slightly pinched as he ran his hand over the back of his neck, “I didn’t see a safe house anywhere nearby, did you?”

“No,” Lexi swallowed thickly, her gaze drawing itself absently towards the orange glow that still lingered in the distance, casting the last faint rays of that warm, peaceful light across the surrounding neighbourhood. Any other time, she’d have found it beautiful… Mesmerising, actually, if it hadn’t been about to disappear in a matter of a few minutes and unleash utter hell onto those still left amongst the darkness. “We should get a move on… Then hopefully we can find somewhere to hunker down for the night.”

With a brief, yet uncertain, nod Kyle led the way and hopped over the edge of the small balcony below them, making sure to bend his knees as he landed roughly on the ground. He straightened just as Lexi joined him, a soft grunt leaving her lips as she managed to steady herself against the wall of the house. 

She wasn’t as well equipped in the wide world of parkour as Kyle, Rahim and the others were. She knew how to do it, obviously, otherwise she’d never have agreed to this mission. However, she much preferred using her skill of sneaking to get around the place, as not only was it far easier in the general sense of things, but it was also much, much more of a relief for her poor knees and ankles. 

Without wasting any more of the precious light they had left Kyle and Lexi then trekked on, hopping over the fence and easily taking out the two infected that hovered around the drop zone. The flare was dying out as Lexi came to kneel before the crate, the last wisp of that red mixing almost beautifully in the air with the smoke from the flaming barrel next to her as she flicked open the latches, firing her brother the same hope-filled glance she’d done far too many times today for her liking. 

Lifting the lid anxiously, as though there may be a bomb hidden beneath it, Lexi couldn’t describe the pure relief that then coursed through every fibre of her being at the sight of the five full cases of Antizin that lay nestled inside the crate’s foam interior. She almost couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t had much faith that there’d be anything left inside this crate, but given the time of day… And despite all of the bad luck they had experienced over the duration of their journey through Harran, it seemed like the odds were finally, and graciously, within their favour.

“Shit,” She breathed out, leaning forward onto her knees and lifting one of the cases out of the crate. She popped open the lid, a breathy chuckle leaving her smiling lips at the presence of those small vials sitting within it. “There’s enough Antizin here to last the Tower weeks before they’d need to look for more.” 

Glancing back over her shoulder, Lexi’s gleeful smile dropped a hell of a lot quicker than it had formed at the sudden deflation that washed over every inch of Kyle’s posture. She stood up, inching her way towards him and easily making out the anger… The pure frustration that masked his once cheerful expression, pooling deep in the lines of his face that were illuminated by the faint light of the flashlight on his shoulder. He’d been talking with the GRE only seconds ago, informing them of their current situation and by the tight grip he now had on that pasty yellow satellite phone, it didn’t appear as though the response was anything less than what she’d feared. 

“We have to destroy it.”

“Destroy it?” Lexi exclaimed, unable to believe she’d just heard those words pass through his lips. “Kyle, those people need this Antizin. You need this Antizin. If you think I’m going to allow you to destroy it then you’re out of your fucking mind.” 

“I don’t like this anymore than you do,” Kyle defended, moving forward as Lexi slowly backed up towards the crate. “But if we take this back to the Tower then Brecken will never let me go to Rais and we need to confirm whether or not he’s Kadir Suleiman.” 

“Fuck Kadir Suleiman,” Lexi gritted, “I don’t give a damn about him. And I sure as hell don’t give a damn about any stolen file, alright? We’re talking about risking lives here, Kyle. Innocent lives… Not to mention your own.” 

“I know,” Kyle said regretfully, softly, “And if it makes you feel better, we’ll take a few vials with us in case we need to. But Lex,” He stepped closer, placing his hands on her outer arms to stop her from tapping her hands anxiously against them. “We have to do this. That file is too important not to.” 

“So they say,” Lexi murmured, raising her eyes to the darkened sky above her. “For all we know it could be nothing but a bunch of blacked out pages with a big fuck you written on the back.”

“Lexi.” 

“I know,” Lexi sighed, her shoulders sinking as she shuddered internally at the motherly tone in which Kyle had said her name. 

She didn’t like this. She didn’t… Fuck. This was all kinds of messed up, but Kyle was right. The information in that file was important and she knew there was no way Brecken would let them go anywhere near Rais if they weren’t so desperate for Antizin, but that still didn’t mean she had to like it. 

It made her sick, honestly. Having to screw over the people who had helped her. The people who had saved her life. Who had saved Kyle’s life, it didn’t feel right and burning that Antizin… Living with that guilt… That burden of knowing people might die without it, it was horrible… It churned so deep inside her that she could feel that rope in her stomach escape, tying itself so tightly around her chest that she almost felt like she was about to explode. 

“I can’t do it, Kyle, I can’t…” Lexi shook her head, swallowing the harsh lump that rose in her throat. “After everything those people have done for us, how can we do this? How can we burn their last hope for the simple sake of a handful of paper?” 

Well shit, Kyle thought to himself, running his hand over his stubble and easily finding himself at odds over what to do. When she puts it like that… So blunt. So harsh as it ripped through the face of reality, he couldn’t help but think she was right. Hell, she was right. There was nothing in the world worth more than helping save these people’s lives and in that moment, as his eyes drank in the desperation that swarmed those of his sister, Kyle knew there was absolutely no way he could ever bring himself to destroy that Antizin.

“We’ll hide it.” 

At that, Lexi perked up visibly, “Wait, what?” 

“You’re right,” Kyle said, much to his own disliking as he tended not to tell Lexi that as she often got far too smug for her own good. “We can’t destroy it. Not after what they… What Jade sacrificed for us. It isn’t right. It isn’t… human… But for the sake of the mission we still need to make contact with Rais so until then, we’ll hide it…” He glanced around him quickly, fully aware of the handful of light they had left to do so. “There. In that dumpster.”

Rushing over to the dumpster, Kyle lifted up the lid as quietly as he could and began to empty it, dropping bags and bags full of trash to the ground by his feet. He found a nearly empty one hiding at the bottom and untied it, finding a small spark of relief blossoming within him when he discovered there was nothing but a few candy wrappers inside of it. 

After emptying it back into the dumpster, so as to avoid drawing attention to it should anyone pass by, Kyle shook out the bag then made his way back to Lexi. She had already plucked all the vials of Antizin out of their slots, pocketing only two before dropping the rest into the light blue garbage bag. Kyle then tied it shut as she kicked the empty crates under a nearby house before making her way towards the dumpster, helping to cover the bag with those that still lay on the ground around them. 

“There,” Kyle squished the bags down one last time before gently closing the lid, dusting off his hands then wiping them on his pants. “The vials should be safe in there until we get a chance to come back for them.” 

“Let’s hope,” Lexi mumbled, before reaching for her radio and clearing her throat. She was about to call through to Jade, to blatantly lie to her about an empty crate when out of nowhere it suddenly dawned on her that the sun had set…

And the nightmares had awoken. 

-> Chapter 2 (coming soon)

[malimangle]

Some old Changeling AU art I made for @dying-sun-light wayyyy back when it was her birthday. Aiden’s body might’ve changed, but the light still reaches him.

(For those of you who missed it back then: the changeling AU is an epic lil story Sunny made about Aiden experiencing…CHANGES…. From being Infected. Absolutely check out her amazing art for it!!!)

[marshalllir]

Street racer modern AU

Or at least something like - during the day Hakon is an ordinary taxi driver, and at night the elusive king of drift, on the empty streets of the city. Or was.

He was one of the legends of Night Street Racing - "Nightrunners", until the split occurred. Maybe the split occurred due to the fact that the cops arrived at the venue of the event and tied up a bunch of people. And Hakon warned that there was no need to go that day, and that there was a rat among them.

And in the end, all the dogs were released on him. Because well, who screams the loudest is probably the rat. And he was kicked out. The car is still parked somewhere in Hakon's garage. And he himself became a taxi driver, because cars and roads are his life.

Meanwhile, Aiden moves to a new city and learns about this night's entertainment. He goes to watch, and then decides to become a participant himself.. Lawan, one of the unofficial participants of the Nightrunners, is examining him (parallel with the paraglider from the game).

Hakon is just looking for customers at the train station, for example, and clings to a completely lost Aiden. Decides to help, almost does not charge. He even finds him a hotel room at a reasonable price from a friend, Cillian, who, out of good memory, knocks down the price, but is still not very happy... Or Hakon "rescues" Aiden from another taxi driver who, as he knows, winds up the meter. And Hakon himself deliberately does not turn it on and takes a purely symbolic payment, because Aiden is not going to get out of the car until he pays...

When Aitor offers Aiden to cooperate (after catching him), Aiden has two options: to ingratiate himself into the confidence of the street racers and at the right moment set everyone up by surrendering to the police, or to stay on the side of the street racers and fool the police...

[notathrowawayname]

Books and zombies

I feel the need to rant about a sidequest, so here I am screaming into the void.

I recently played Dying Light 2, because I really enjoyed the first one and killing zombies with parkour is fun. In both games you can forgive the weak story because the game really isn't about the story, it's about the gameplay. That being said, both games have entertaining sidequests. In Dying Light you meet a guy that thinks the zombie virus was started from a meteorite, which you find and bring back to him, for which he gives you the "super weapon" called the "anti-gadoid gun". It's utterly useless, like it blasts air that doesn't seem to effect anyone in any way? But the quest dialogue is fun and you get XP for doing it (as well as an oh so valuable safe house. You need those to skip the night and in Dying Light, night is so scary most players skipped the night) Again in Dying Light 2, to their credit, the writers did put in effort into sidequests (main quest is so hard to be invested in, but to summarise, you're looking for a long lost sister and your one lead is the head of the facility you were both at as kids). There's a sidequest where you have to kill a mutant zombie because an artist wants to use the pigment it develops, and there's an awful singer who's scarf you find to get her to stop sinigng (she sings anyway, absolute queen). Where am I going with this preamble? Well I wanted to make sure you guys understood that I didn't have an issue with this game's writng because it did what it needed to most of the time, which is give you a good reason to kill zombies. And for that reason, I could accept that it didn't have to be well written or interesting, just a few wacky or melodramatic lines of dialogue. And then I played the Book Club sidequest. Some background (I'm sorry I know it's long, but I want you to feel the same seething frustration I do). In Dying Light 2, you play as Aiden. Aiden is a Pilgirm, a messenger who travels from settlement to settlement in this post apocalyptic world. You've come to the city of Villadore to follow a lead on your missing sister. The city is split into three factions: Survivors, Peacekeepers and Renegades. They are, in order: not fascists, fascists, also not fascists but you only find out they have a proper settlement at the very end of the game (you can't side with them, they exist so you have someone to kill no matter which of the other two factions you side with). You get different benefits for siding with either the Survivors of Peacekeepers, but I picked Survivors because: a) fuck the fash and, b) Survivors give you trampolines. Everyone is struggling to survive because apocalypse, but it certainly looks like the fascists have the best/most resources, like living in the beached warship and having armour. A bunch of the Survivors have superstitions about the old world, because that was what made everything go to shit. There's stuff like how one doctor hides their scientific preparation of remedies as voodoo, just so that people are more likely to take the medicine. So when you first arrive at the warship, home of the fash, it feels more like the old world. And on this warship, you can find a library. This library is inhabited by two people, cooky old man Albert and sexy librarian Thalia. You know what isn't in this library? Books, at least not as many as there should be. Albert and Thalia want to preserve the knowledge and wisdom of the old world by finding rare/important books. Thing is, the world went to shit a long time ago, so there aren't many books in good condition left. Even worse, those that are in good condition are in dangerous locations, too dangerous for Albert or Thalia, and the Peacekeepers won't lend them any soldiers to go and get them (fucking fash). But you, being the _super cool badass_ that you are, can go where they can't, and retrieve the books to keep human knowledge safe.

At first I thought "neat", and left it at that. The game has a few little details that suggest reading is on the decline, eg. there's a note you find written by a mother looking for a keyboard complete with all the keys to teach her kids the letters. So you go to dangerous place, kill zombies, get books, and bring them back.

Here's where it gets interesting.

The books aren't just items you pick up, each one is named. You find books by Kafka and Orwell, even poetry compliations. And every time you bring them back to the library, you talk to Thalia who expresses her opinion on them, and then asks "what do you think?" And like, the options for the responses are actually thought out? Also, Aiden has read them??? This guy that spends every waking moment rummaging through bins and killing zombies and doing sick parkour moves is better read than I or most of the people I know are? And the things he says reveal part of his character?? Like I played through the entire game and I swear to god no moment told me more about Aiden as a character than these conversations, even when the decision of which of the two responses he has are up to you.

You do this ten times, each with different books and different conversations, different reasons why the location is dangerous. One time you encounter Renegades who've heard "there's treasure in the safe", when really there's an early edition copy of Treasure Island in the safe. The whole sidequest colours this world with the idea that illiteracy is rampant and it's actively making this world a worse place, and that the librarians are doing what little they can to change that. It's so clear that the devs cared about this sidequest, because it's the only one with it's own special cutscene, and as far as I can tell Thalia is the only character in the game you can romance.

And would you like to know how this sidequest changes the main quest?

In a game of "never have I ever" Aiden drinks because he's had sex since coming to the city.

That's it

Like you literally bring the Communist Manifesto back to librarians living under a fascist regime and nothing happens. No censorship subplot, no change in behaviour, nothing. Back to business as usual, head out there and kill zombies.

It's one thing when you never expect anything from the writing. It's another thing to see everything they've done could build to something good, and doesn't. I feel like I've been narratively blue-balled.

Anyway I planned out a spite-fic because of it. I might write it out at some point

[ninjinistarsong]

Nin’s Fic Masterpost

The Dragon Prince

let's save sorry for another night ('cause this time, love, we're gonna get it right) (1.1k)

do you think i have forgotten about you? (1.5k)

Dying Light 2

give me back my girlhood (it was mine first) (653 words)

this is a life (free from destiny) (1.4k)

Grojband

time eats all his children in the end (1.1k)

ate a sleeve of saltines on my floor (and i knew it) (857 words)

Keeper Of The Lost Cities

Sokeefe Oneshots (6.8k, 9 Oneshots)

wish i was not afraid (of all i had that’s broken) (144 words)

please take me dancing (please leave me stranded, it’s so romantic) (1.3k)

and you know what i’m here to do? (i’m not here for you) (897 words)

Sony’s Spiderverse

death loves gwen stacy (but miles morales loves her more) (1.6k)

[thatguyender]

DL Fanfiction - Ephemeral (I)

The THV has desecrated the lives of many, depriving freedom of the night with the terrors that lurked in the shadows. Villador was the last bastion still standing, protecting those who lived within the walls from the wasteland.

But what about those outside the walls?

Danger lurks in every corner, the unsuspecting become prey, while those who learn to survive must do what they can.

Hunter was no different from any other survivor of the wastelands. Relying on the UVs to keep them sane, and fighting every day just to survive the wickedness that was brought to them. He just wants to learn more about what caused his amnesia.

A survivor without a past but with a future.

An answer appear when something from someone else's past came to him.

Read on AO3

[dlthedescent]

INTERMISSION I-IV: BEFORE WE PART WAYS...

Segment taken from Side Quest Story: Lending A Hand

The prosthetic arm looked crude and clunky, a skeletal framework of scrap metal, bolts, and screws. It was functional but basic, powered by an old battery pack.

Nobody expected miracles, but the flaws became more apparent the longer Noam worked on it. The biggest issue was the fingers—they had to be controlled manually with joystick switches, requiring clumsy extra steps.

Clank!

Two fingers and a thumb clamped too hard, shattering a cup in the test.

Jack's eyes widened, alarm bells ringing in her head. There was no way they would put this on the lad and everyone agreed silently.. Noam swept the shards away, terrified as the fingers twitched, almost as if the contraption wanted to grab him, only stopped by its heavy weight.

"That's a bear trap," Freakazoid stated the obvious.

"You don't have to tell me twice. Doesn't help that it needs a 35-kilo battery, and a controller that short-circuits!"

Frustrated, Noam yanked out the wires, watching the disastrous metallic beast power down.

"Alright. What do we need?" Crane asked.

"Nothing," Noam replied, slumping in his seat. "Hate to break it to you, but you're gonna need hardware. Know anyone who can help?"

"If we were in the Outskirts, the Grads might have an idea," Jack offered.

"Any chance they can help out?"

Jack shook her head. "It's hard enough traveling along the Coastline without the military breathing down our necks."

Crane wasn't an engineer, but he knew this mechanical upgrade was a long shot. The prototype on the table wasn't even the first attempt.

"...What about asking Tolga and Fatin?"

Jack's eyes widened in disbelief for hearing the worst suggestion possible. Noam, however, looked confused—those names weren't as infamous to him as they were to both Runners.

Crane already regretted the suggestion before he said it. They were the last people on Earth he'd ever want to ask for anything.

"No," Jack said firmly.

"I don't like it either," he admitted.

"Absolutely not."

"They're difficult, sure-"

"That's not my problem. You're asking two mad scientists to work on a child's arm."

"They're not going to strap a rocket launcher on him," Crane said, though Jack immediately picked on the slight doubt in his voice, narrowing her eyes further.

Because he could actually see those two do the impossible. Not for a kid, hopefully.

Still, what other options did they have?

"Let me talk to them."

All of a sudden, Jack crossed her arms, brow furrowed. Why?

This was the first time Freakazoid had volunteered to talk to someone, let alone two people Jack could barely tolerate.

"I mean, sure. Give it your best shot."

"Trust me. They'll make that hardware for us."

No backing down from Freakazoid—another first for Jack. Was he really sold on the brothers' brilliance for making that harpoon gun? Jack glanced over to Noam, hoping for an alternative. Another safer option.

"I got nothing," Noam said, still lost in the conversation. Any solution seemed better than his failed contraptions so far.

Jack didn't feel any more confident, but she decided to let it play out.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she muttered, both amused and puzzled, as she walked out of the garage.

Crane followed, initially confident. But as soon as he left the garage—with no one paying attention—he groaned, his steps feeling heavier.

"...Maybe they won't recognize me. My voice's fucked anyway."

Quest Stories, Special Delivery, Out With a Bang and Lending a Hand can be found at these links: FFN and AO3.

[washingmachinegirly]

Dying Light 2 Hakon x OC Drabble

i cannot for the life of me find any Hakon fanfiction so i wrote some myself.

————————————————————————

“Just entertain yourself while I try to fix the generators. Don’t touch anything. Got it?”

Frank told them the community was running out of supplies, and the surrounding areas were dry.

Sabine said that she knew somewhere untouched by any other survivors. She offered to go and retrieve the supplies.

Hakon said he would go along with her.

Now that they were here, it was clear she did not want to be here and didn’t want Hakon here either.

“Yes, ma’am.”

That’s how the man found himself in the woman’s bedroom. It was untouched for 15 years, like a time capsule. Looking around, he could see both the personality and the lack of personality in the room. The walls are stark white and only hold a handful of decorations, but the room holds many CDs, DVDs, and books. The CDs and DVDs intrigue him but are useless unless the generators work. So he makes his way to the bookshelf.

Looking through the bookshelf, he sees a variety of books. LSAT practice books, D.I.Y. books, law books, history books, and romance books. He would have never pegged Sabine to be the romantic type. He takes a book off the shelf titled “A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime” and opens it to a random page.

“It’s been three years, four months, two days, and a handful of hours since the first moment I set my eyes on her. The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. The absolute bane of my existence.” He reads aloud from the book and then laughs to himself. The lines are cliche, but he can’t argue against them. They were romantic and something he probably would say himself.

Above the bookcase, he finds a dead plant. Peering around the rest of the room, he finds many dead plants. Most likely unwatered. Who would have stayed around to water them anyways? On top of the bookcase is an ornate tea set. Picking up the teapot and dusting it off, he realizes it is handmade and old. It would probably sell for a pretty penny. Juan would practically salivate over it. He would never tell Sabine about selling to Juan, though. That guy is her number one enemy. The stick up her ass.

Walking along the wall, he comes upon a dresser. On top of the dresser, he finds a music box. After cranking the knob on the back and opening the box up, hoping for music. Unfortunately, no music sings, and the ballerina remains stagnant. Inside the box, he finds only a plastic rhinestone choker and plastic diamond earrings. The type of jewelry competitive performers would wear back in the day. He then picks up a violin case and opens it. Inside sits a beautiful, untouched violin. It shines against the sunlight peeking through the window. He wonders if Sabine would play for him and if she is as good as she claims. Beside the violin is a picture of a girl and a dog. He picks up the photograph to get a better look. Upon inspection, he realizes it is a picture of a much younger Sabine and a dog. The dog looks to be an Australian Shepard. Sabine had the massive dog in her arms. They were both smiling at each other.

Hakon has never seen her smile like that. He smiles to himself and places the framed photo back onto the dresser. Walking away from the dresser, the man comes face-to-face with a large mirror that takes over almost an entire wall. It had been long since he’d seen his reflection so clearly, in broad daylight. He takes in how greasy his hair and skin look.

“My god, am I graying?” He asks himself as he steps closer to the mirror and ruffles his hair around.

He takes in the new scars on his face, neck, and hands. Some are faint and will probably disappear in a week or so. Others are deep, leaving an indent in his skin. One scar, in particular, is deeper than the rest. It goes from the top right of his forehead, through the eyebrow, past his eye, over the nose, and stops in the middle of his left cheek. Despite the lasting mark, he supposes he should be thanking Sabine. If not for her, it’d be a hell of a lot more than a scar.

Hakon was cornered between two skyscrapers by a pack of renegades. He had thought it was an easy enough job to handle alone. Obviously, he was very wrong. As the renegades approached him, they laughed and sneered in his face.

“No one to save you now, runner.”

Soon enough, Hakon felt the cold concrete hit his back. He could have and should have gone the other way, but no, he’s always looking for trouble. As he scolded himself, a renegade approached him with a knife. Hakon imagined that behind the mask, the man was smiling as he raised his blade. Hakon closed his eyes, ready to face his death. Only a fool like him would perish like this.

Yet the blade only scratched him. When he opened his eyes, in front of him, he found the guy dead on the ground. Looking up, he saw Sabine fighting off the other four.

“Are you going to keep staring at me like an idiot, or are you going to help me?”

Hakon chuckles to himself as he thinks back on the memory. Despite his gray hair and ugly scars, he must still have charisma if he’s lucky enough for a girl like Sabine to save him.

He moves to the other wall, gazing at all the items hanging upon it. While the trophies and medals are pretty shiny in the sun, Hakon’s eyes draw toward the other ornaments on the wall.

First, he finds the drawing of the dog. It must be the same dog from the framed photo on the dresser. Getting a closer look, he notices the message on the bottom.

“For my favorite sister. P.S. I miss you! And so does Clementine. Please come home soon! - Chrys”

The man chuckles to himself. He can’t imagine the 15-year-old Chrysanthemum he knows being so young. She couldn’t even spell her name! She must have been around 4 or 5. Despite the childlike innocence, it makes him sad as he remembers how young she was when it happened. Still, in spite of all the world’s hardships, Sabine’s sister was able to keep a bit of her childishness. Hakon’s eyes wander over to the family photo.

A childishness Sabine never seemed to have.

All the people in the photo seem to be emotionless. They were all flat-faced yet held the smallest air of contentment. After a closer inspection of the 15-year-old Sabine, Hakon decides that Sabine is and was nothing like her sister. She sat in front of her parents, knees together, back straight, and heads in her lap. Her lips were a flat line, slightly curved at the edges, and her eyes seemed sad.

Hakon decides to move on to the collage of photos.

When looking at the photos, a gust of déjà vu hits his face.

The collage contains four photos in total. The first photo was a group photo with three girls in a cab. Hakon recognized Sabine in the middle of the other two girls. The taxi cab and scene looked all too familiar. In the second photo, he realized why it was so familiar.

It was his taxi cab, the one he drove before all hell broke loose.

He is looking at a photo of his younger self with the three girls. As he stares at the picture with the seriousness of a detective, the day returns to him in broken fragments.

The girls had all hopped into his cab, giggling with each other. He was a bit weary of them, but Sabine claimed they had money and to just drive. Despite his weariness, he was bored, so he obliged. As he “drove” through the traffic in the city, he eavesdropped on the girls’ conversation and watched their theatrics. He would have been lying if he said it wasn’t entertaining. Sabine caught onto him and asked if he wanted in on the photos and fun. He should have said no and done his job, but he was never that kind of guy. He was young and looking for something fun to happen, so he said yes.

Sabine dragged him into the photo, smiling cheekily. She leaned over the console to take over his radio system to change the music. She told him he had shit music taste, which he scoffed at, but she was right.

Sabine also dragged him and the girls to a karaoke bar. At first, they had just ordered a few drinks and watched the other drunk barhoppers sing on the stage. Within 10 minutes of being at the bar, the girls found themselves on the stage, performing an America’s Got Talent-worthy performance of Wannabe by the Spice Girls. That’s when Hakon took the third photo with Sabine’s camera. After that, the girls all took turns performing solos, allowing the other bar-goers to squeeze in once in a while.

A couple more drinks in, Sabine convinced Hakon to sing with her. That’s where the fourth photo came from, courtesy of one of Sabine’s friends. He never learned their names. After his and Sabine’s first performance, the night got a little blurry.

Hakon is amazed that he remembers that much from almost 15 years ago. He is even more amazed that he’s known Sabine long before the fall. He thought he would have remembered a girl like her, but life gets busy. Extremely busy, according to the events of the last 15 years.

Static comes from his left, and he’s broken from his stunning trance. Looking over, he finds an old TV turned on. Sabine must have got the generators on. While the TV is on, Hakon doesn’t suppose there’s cable TV anymore. To delight, he does find a collection of DVDs and VHS tapes under the TV. He kneels to get a closer look at the collection. Most of the tapes seem to be performance videos, most likely of dances. Sabine had never talked about it, but judging by the trophies, medals, and dance equipment, Hakon could guess she used to be a competitive dancer. He was very familiar with those girls and their families, having to drive them around in his cab during competition season. None of the tapes interested him, but a CD labeled “My Final Bow: Video Diary” sure did. He isn’t normally one to go through people’s diaries, but he is willing to make an expectation for a closed-off girl like Sabine. Besides, a photo that falls out of the CD case tells him the video probably has to do with him. The photo is a blurry, candid picture of Sabine and Hakon. Her short arm stretched out to fit them both in the camera’s border as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. Hakon doesn’t remember that part of the night. He doubts Sabine does either. After one last glance at the photo, he puts the CD into the TV’s CD port.

The video was a simple collection of clips taken on the same night as the photos. It showed the girls racing toward the cab and jumping inside. They were giggling the whole time. The clip transitioned to the girls in a heated conversation about god knows what, but Hakon heard himself laughing in the background. The video then jumped late into the night. It showed various moments of the group’s karaoke performances. Sabine’s show to the song Circus by Britney Spears. Hakon and Sabine’s duet to Love Shack by The B-52’s. One of the other girl’s performances of Love Story by Taylor Swift. The rest of the video was a blur of the night, the liveliness of the filmers altering the video. It showed Sabine and the girls jumping around and laughing. Soon enough, the clips were coming to an end. Each clip showed Hakon dropping off the girls at their respective hotels. At each stop, Sabine would hug the girl with all her might and wave goodbye to them until they were out of the camera’s sight. Sabine was the last one to be dropped off. The final clip shows Sabine waving toward Hakon as he drives away. Then the video cuts to black.

“ I thought I told you not to touch anything.”

Sabine’s voice causes Hakon to jump from his seat on the ground. Behind him, Sabine stands leaning against the doorway. She crosses her arms, and her eyes look angry, but she has a small smile on her lips.

“How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to watch the entire video with you.”

Hakon stares at her as he stands up. He looks past her, deep in thought, then turns to look at the TV and back at her.

“Do you remember any of that night?”

“I didn’t recognize the guy was you until now if that’s what you’re asking. You look a hell of a lot uglier now.” She smirks at him. “You’re a hell of a lot more annoying too.” He rolls his eyes.

Hakon has a million questions rolling through his head right now. What happened to her after that night? Who are the other girls? Does she remember anything from that night that he doesn’t? Why aren’t other photos of friends and adventures in her childhood bedroom? Despite his million questions, he knew Sabine wouldn’t answer them. Looking up at her, he sees her fiddling with the straps on her jacket. She was scared he would ask her questions. Try to pry into her personal life. Something she’s been clear about not wanting since the day she joined his group. He’d respect her wishes, but still…

“Why’d you keep this photo?” He questions as he picks up the photo off the ground.

It was unlike the Sabine he knows now to keep a photo like that. It was unlike her to take that photo or to kiss him in the first place. He imagines Sabine would gag at even the thought of getting close to him. He hopes his question will tell him a bit about her without directly asking her about her past.

Sabine approaches Hakon to take a look at the photo. After a glance, she scoffs, rolling her eyes before snatching the photo from his hand.

Still, he looks at her with probing eyes.

“…I think if things went differently after that night, I’d be a fun girl to be around. I’d be the life of the party.” Sabine contends as she stares around her old bedroom, reminiscing.

Certainly an odd answer from the Sabine he knows. He feels like that may just be the most backward, vulnerable answer he could have gotten from Sabine, but he’ll take it. Any glimpse into her as a person was a win to him.

“I think you’re pretty fun. I wouldn’t be here with you if I didn’t, would I?”

Sabine looks at him for a while, pondering his answers. Just when Hakon thinks he might get another genuine answer from the woman, she laughs while rolling her eyes and then turns her back on him.

“Come on. We need to clear the basement and the rest of the house now if we want to leave before nightfall. I don’t want to spend the night here.”

Hakon chuckles to himself as he follows her out the door. He’ll have to remember to grab the photos and violin before they leave. Though Sabine insisted her room be left alone, he feels these items are worth her ripping him a new one the next day.

————————————————————————

disclaimer: i know nothing about dying light 2 besides minimal research on the wiki and watching slimecicle play it. i know even less about dying light, having never watched, so there are probably a lot of inaccuracies. i just wrote this bc i thirst for hakon and i needed a muse for my creative writing assignment. also the format may be weird bc i copy and pasted it from my creative writing draft.

[dying-sun-light]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49752451

oki doki come get y’all juice!! if you’ve ever been intrigued by juan/aitor here is my take on it :P

[beaztbazzboss]

Planning to make my own Dying Light AU fanfic. First, I need to think what their designs(except Aiden and Hakon cuz their designs finally revealed) should be like and thinking about the name

The lore is the same like the game but the main character is Crane who's been wandering to avoid society cuz his trauma about he infected people before he's finally learned to take a control of his new look, a mutant volatile

The main villain is Aiden. Serious, I wanna make him as a villain cuz it seems like no one ever made Aiden as a villain in their DL2 fanfics(I know cuz he's a hero protagonist)

And I'll add my DL ocs into the fanfic cuz I want to

Well if u guys have an idea for my AU name, tell me

NOTE: Maybe on my future DL2 AU fanfic there's some few mistakes and the lore probably confusing cuz I'm not good at writing a lore

[scoupstastuwu]

Rahim :))

• You were the first one to confess

• Rahim never catching your attempts to flirt with him

• (Crane would lowkey laugh at you when it failed)

• Rahim wasn't too sure about his feelings for you at first . He thought maybe you had feelings, Crane, maybe even Brecken

• It wasn't until you saw him up on the roof one night. He was looking at stars lying back

• "Ah I knew you would be here" you would say as you climbed up next to him

• There was a long silence before you finally spoke up again

• "Rahim listen"

• He would look at with a small smile

• "Hold on" Rahim said

• "Before you tell me. I just wanted to say I really appreciate your friendship"

• You would be a but shocked at hearing him say that

• "A great friend huh"

• "Yeah. Now what are you going to tell me" he asked

• You hesitated before you spoke again

• "Well actually. I think I'm. Well I. I like you"

• "I like you too" he would say with a smile as he put his arm around your shoulder

• "No Rahim I like you. More than friends"

• Rahim wouldn't say anything

• His mouth would hang open for second

• "You're serious"

• You would nod a bit embarrassed

• "Yea"

• "Oh...Oh! I do too"

• He would be a bit confused by your confess

• You never really showed any interest in him

• (You would literally only be nice to him. Go along with any crazy idea he had)

• But he was happy

• Really happy

I haven't even finished the game 🧍🏽

But I decided to write a little something

Is the Fandom even alive on here?

♡ <- masterlist

[winchesterszvonecek]

Chiaroscuro 18+

// Harris Brecken x Original Character \\

Summary: Lexi never thought she would want to stay in Harran. But after finding something far more important to her than a single stolen file, she was starting to believe that this broke down city was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Series Masterlist

Full Masterlist | A03 Link

Chapter One: Last Hope

[thatguyender]

Haphazard - Smile

Crane never wanted to feel like he is going to lose someone.

Not again.

When Brecken returned to the Tower injured and alone, not a single sight of his apprentice, a sense of worry began to wash over him.

"Layton!"

Kyle sprints up the chair with the bound recruit, his knife in hand, tearing through the ropes like nothing. The moment he saw the familiar blue hoodie, a wave of relief washed over him.

He knew something wasn't right with these people.

He knew he should have trusted his gut instinct when they first met those survivors.

Crane grasps Layton's bloodied face. Recognising that more harm has been done to what was already there. There are two jagged lines in each corner of his mouth. These aren't going to heal completely, it appears. 

This was what Rais meant when he gave Layton a smile.

"I'm so fucking sorry!" Crane clutches Layton tightly, desperately hugging him, hoping for a reaction. "I was too slow, and—"

He felt a hand brush against his back.

"You big oaf," Layton mumbled, trying not to open his jaws. “You're crushing me."

"Oh my God, sorry!" Relaxing his grip, he allowed Layton to breathe before accidentally suffocating him. Kyle wiped away a small tear from the corner of his eye. "Do you… Layton, let's head back to the Tower." He had the impression that Layton needed some time to collect himself. Both physically and psychologically.

"I just want to get out of here... I feel shite."

Layton grumbled, his hand hovering over his mouth. Kyle could tell that it hurt. Markings like that indicated that Rais intended for this to be excruciating; the lines were probably not done in a single sitting but rather several times. He intended for this to be an unforgettable experience for the youth.

Rais was a psychopathic man.

"Jesus Christ, you had me worried when you didn't answer my call," Kyle began to spout whatever came to mind. "And the moment Brecken came back alone, I was terrified—everyone was worried that he did worse on you! Rahim... fuck, he almost went looking for you by himself." Kyle exhaled. “But that’s enough about us, are you okay?”

"Still kicking." Layton chuckled. Uneasy but still alive—that's all that matters. "But, really?" He pointed to the wounds left by Rais’s attempt to assert superiority against them. Still rather feeling drained. “This hurts like hell.”

Kyle had a gentle smile, offering a piece of fabric to replace the old mask.

He can't lose anyone anymore.

Not again.

"Then let’s get you to Lena.”