#t; Slivko

[tmuses]

Slivko groaned, the heat of the sun beating down on him. Setting his rifle down next to him, he shoved a hand into his pocket. His fingers grasped around for his pack of cigarettes, though it was met only with junk. Even before the apocalypse he'd been the kind of person that kept the most pointless shit in his pockets. If anything, it should've been less cluttered, what with the lack or receipts and loose change but it'd only gotten worse. "Man, what the fuck are we even doing out here?" he complained with another heavy sigh. He shifted his body weight to better access his other pocket without standing up. This time he found his pack with ease, and his lighter too. Flipping the lid open and placing his mouth to the pack he grabbed one and lit it. Without saying anything, he offered the pack out to his companion in case they wanted one too. Cigarettes were a hot commodity these days, but he was nothing if not a saint.

[omegangrins]

[Kong: Skull Island/Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2017/2019)] Private Reg Slivko = Dr. Rick Stanton

Okie dokie, here we again.

Before we start this one though, I'll admit it's gonna be stretchy. Honestly, the more I researched it, the more I wanted this theory to be correct because the people behind the scenes were sooooo close to connecting all the dots and it was maddening that they hadn't. So with that, I give a push. Hopefully the right people are listening and if not, well it's some fun head-canon. Which is allways the goal!

Tl;dr: After his time on Skull Island, Rick Stanton (who's army nickname was Reg Slivko), motivated by fear and his love of music, got degrees in sound engineering to become a crypto-sonographer so he could be of more use to the world in its defense against M.U.T.O threats.

A lot of places to start but continuing off music is the best. Especially when comparing the characters side by side. This was something I only realized in reading up on it,

but in Kong: Skull Island (KSI and GKOTM as the other one from here on out), Slivko grabs his personal record player out of the helicopter wrecks and carries it with him through the movie. Now that's a level of dedication for a luxurious item that speaks volumes. That thing's heavy. Like, 1980's cellphone-as-luggage heavy. It's an unknown jungle and you've just been attacked by a giant gorilla. Deciding to lug a record player through that is.... well, it's insane. But hey, I begrudge a person their little pleasures. Most of all in moments like that. What's it mean though?

It means that Rick Slivko loved music so much he decided to go to school for acoustics after the army. I mean, that's the point, right? Join the army, get some money and training, and use them to do what you wanted to do [Not that that's how it actually works 😘 ] And why wouldn't he want to get a leg up after seeing everything on Skull Island. That kind of thing gives you some serious life lessons along with a dose of motivational PTSD. It makes double sense too when you realize that in the briefing Reg Stanton was given at the beginning of KSI, the Landsat officers said that they would use bombs to measure the acoustic vibrations in the Earth. Upon learning that too, what's he say?

"Ya hear that, boys?! We're scientists now."

So R.S. got scared, realized that bullets and bombs wouldn't solve the problem and went and got a doctorate to help for real. Stranger things have happened. And really, would you blame him?

"I record everything, man. Everything."

This is why he's such a fan/proponent of Dr. Houston Brooks' Hollow Earth theory and also explains his playful rivalry with Ilene Chen. They all know each other from waaaaay back.

And this is where I'm gonna ask for some audience cooperation. The behind the scenes material is slightly contradictory on what this is saying. Now, according to Gojipedia,

Rick Stanton earned his doctorate while at SETI and THEN met Brooks while working at Landsat and hearing MONARCH rumors. AND amazingly, seemingly missing a good story opportunity, San Lin in KSI is NOT one of the Mothra twins from GKOTM. What the hell?! I'm not sure if it's racism or bad storytelling but I had just assumed she was half of the legacy of twins. It does state though that Ilene and Ling Chen ARE third generation MONARCH so maaaaybe they're the daughters of San Lin and Houston Brooks. But alas, the wiki says those two only had a son named Aaron and the age wouldn't match up. Yet there's still the naming connection. San Lin and Ling Chen. Just like Reg Slivko and Rick Stanton. Private R.S. and Doctor R.S.. Lin and Ling. Coincidence? Perhaps, but there is truth in a name.

So let's throw out a little bit of the behind-the-scenes narrative and fill it in to go just a slightly different direction. What if R.S., Brooks and San Ling Chen all met on Skull Island? Slivko was still in the army so he serves out his tour and Brooks/Lin go off to work for the larger MONARCH. R.S. gets out of the army and decides to do something more with his life. Goes and gets his degree, working at SETI as an intern, slowly building up the knowledge needed to be of legitimate use to a monster hunting organization (Looking for life in space ain't that different from listening for it down here). Eventually he and Brooksie meet up again and they use their prior connections to get R.S. into MONARCH. The rest is cinema history.

This brings into play why Ricko knows and loves the Hollow Earth theory so much. Seen it, been there and done it. Hell, it's the whole reason he got here in the first place and he goes drinking with the man who came up with the idea. His kidding with Ilene Chen? Well he knows her sister and likes to rib the other twin about how she missed out on the Skull Island expedition. Even the man's verbage makes him sound like he's from the 70's, man. Like, you know what I mean, dude?

"Shut up, Rick."

I don't know for sure. When I first had this idea, it seemed like the people making it had thought of it too. So I was a little disappointed to see it wasn't so. Yet... still the idea persisted in me so hard that you're seeing it here now. True or not, planned or forced, the pieces are there for something more. Here's hoping better people can pick up the strings and finish tying this knot.

[winchesterbrotherstan]

Kong: Skull Island- Photographs and Flirts

Pairing: Flirty Reg Slivko x Irene Brown

James Conrad x Irene Brown (brother-sister relationship)

Jack Chapman x Irene Brown (brother-sister relationship)

Summary: Mason breaks out her camera, Slivko and Irene flirt, and the entire gang spends a peaceful day before disaster strikes

Warnings: cursing probably, etc

Word Count: 3701

“They’re probably upstairs. You know how boys are. I think one of them’s your age, actually.” Jack told me as he led me around the ship.

“I think I know which one you’re talking about.” I answered, grabbing onto the back of his sleeve so he would slow down.

“Yeah? His name’s Slivko.”

“Yeah,” I nodded “He dropped his hat.”

“Here they are.” He opened up a door and led me inside, closing it behind us.

I suddenly felt awkward, especially when I caught Slivko’s glance.

“Guys, this is Irene. She’s the tracker’s little sister.” Jack grinned.

“Weren’t you Chapman’s sister for a while too?” One of the men asked, his face unreadable.

“Reles, watch yourself.” The oldest of the men called out, never looking up from his book.

“It was an honest question, Cole.” Another one defended his friend.

“Mills, back off.” Slivko mumbled, eyes wandering around Jack but not landing on me.

Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head as he pointed to each of the men - boys?- that were in the room.

“That one over there is Reles.”

“Hey, sorry for the oh so intruding question.” He grinned.

I grinned as Jack introduced the other ones, “That’s Mills.” He pointed to the one that had stood up for Reles.

“Cole.” To the older man, who was reading a book, and had finally looked up to meet my eyes with a heartwarming grin.

“And that there is Slivko.” Jack pointed to the boy I had already interacted with.

Slivko grinned the same goofy grin, brushing a hand through his hair as his leg began to bounce up and down. “You can just call me Reg. And you saved my hat.”

I only nodded, crossing my hands behind my back and looking down, feeling the heat creep up my neck.

Get it together, Ira. He dropped his hat and winked, it’s nothing special. It’s stupid.

I scolded myself, tuning them out as they spoke to Jack. It was dark outside, probably around two in the morning, and the lights inside the room were dim. The door swung open, hinges screaming. All heads perked up, looking over. James stood half in the doorway, scrutiny on his face as he scanned the eyes trained on him. He tensed when he made eye contact with Jack, but eased up by the time he reached me.

He gestured his head back, a silent Let’s go. I nodded, smiling at the soldiers as I made my way toward James. Cole kept the grin, which made him grow on me within a matter of minutes. Reles and Mills paused their card game to wave me off. Jack smiled back, and Slivko - Reg? winked.

I shook off the feelings that made my heart swell with and stepped out, standing at James’s side. He waved politely, muttering something about it having been a pleasure, calling them gentlemen, and then shut the door before Jack could say anything else.

“What’d you find?” I asked after a moment of quiet.

He led me to our room, eyes out for anyone who would also like the answer to my question. He reached for my hand and pushed me in first, shutting the door and flicking the lights on. I eyed him wearily as I popped onto the bed, going to untie my shoes.

“I don’t think this is what we thought it was.” He finally grumbled, sitting next to me on the bottom bunk.

“What do you mean?” I tugged off one boot and went to work on the other one.

He sighed. “We found explosives downstairs.”

My heart stuttered, and my mind itself buffered for a minute. I chose to pick at the lesser of two possible evils.

“We?” I pulled too hard at my other boot and it went flying, bouncing off the wall.

“Mason and I, yes.” He scoffed, already dissecting my fearful tactic of looking at what didn’t matter to avoid looking at what did.

“Mason, the photographer, Mason?” I inched off the bed, rummaging through our bag to find a shirt of his I could steal to sleep in.

“Mason Weaver.” He sighed, almost dreamily.

I snorted a laugh, but then he shot me a look.

“Oh my god, you’re serious.” I stared at him, doe eyed.

He only rolled his eyes, standing and shoving me away from the bag, pulling out his own clothing. I saw him pull out a grey shirt and I snatched it from him. He eyed me, looking disgruntled.

“Jay, do you have a crush?” I stretched out his name, shuffling back onto the bed and against the wall.

I got hit in the face with a folded pair of socks. I struggled to get a grip on them, but when I did, I hurled them back across the room, hitting James square between the shoulders.

“I don’t have any particular feelings, no… But let’s talk about you. Who’s the kid that keeps winking?” James picked his clothing and padded off to the bathroom to change, leaving the door cracked open so we could keep talking.

I became flustered at the thought of James catching onto any feeling I may or may not have had. I fumbled with my clothing before changing into the stolen grey shirt and a pair of shorts to sleep in.

“Don’t ignore me, Bitsy.” James called out.

“Are you talking about Slivko?” I found my hairbrush and sat down on the bed again.

James came back, having neatly folded up his clothing before setting it down next to our bag. He shoved at my leg so I would make room for him on the bed.

“Slivko, that’s his name?”

I rolled my eyes, dropping my hand down, hitting his knee with the brush.

“I literally just met him, Jay.” I scoffed, going back to brushing my hair.

I thought about Reg, with big brown eyes and soft looking brown hair and his height making up for his scrawny seeming build.

“Either way, he’s a soldier. You know I don’t go for that type.”

Soldiers were hard. It was already enough that my father was never around, but my brothers growing up had gone off to war. I had issues with male figures as it was, I didn’t need to add to it by dating a boy who would also go off to war. James knew all this, which is why I was a bit bothered by him insisting on Slivko.

“Ya never know, Irene. He did seem to be looking at you a special type of way.” James teased, leaning back on his hands.

I scoffed. “They’re all girl deprived. I’m sure Slivko would look at any girl like a piece of meat.” I leaned over to run the brush through his hair.

He grabbed my wrist softly, pulling it back down.

“Don’t try to brush the gel out of my hair. I’ll never get it back up tomorrow, and I want to be able to look around early in the morning. I’m sure you’ll want to get to know Slivko a bit better.”

I groaned, placing my feet against him and shoving as hard as I could. “Get off my bed, wake me up tomorrow morning.”

He let himself be moved off, laughing as he grabbed our toothbrushes from our bag and walked back to hand me mine. I rushed to brush my teeth before him not wanting to talk about Slivko anymore. I tucked myself in bed as he brushed his teeth, squinting at me. I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him, rubbing my hands together under the blanket. I always got cold at night, and blankets rarely seemed to help anymore.

James came back quietly, flicking both lights off before coming to kneel by my bed. I turned back around, confused.

“Just promise me one thing.” He reached for my hand with both of his, his tone serious.

I gave him a hand, squeezing. “What is it?”

He closed his eyes tightly, squeezing my hand. “You’ll stick with me no matter what happens.”

I nodded. I could read the regret in his eyes. He was wishing he hadn’t brought me with him.

“Okay? I can’t protect you if I’m not there.” His voice was small.

I sat up and threw my arms around his neck, nodding. “I promise.”

He patted my back and stayed like that for a minute. James usually didn’t have an issue crying in front of me, because his masculinity wasn’t fragile, but today he stayed stiff. He pulled back and kissed my forehead before mumbling goodnight and climbing up to his bunk.

I sighed as I settled back into bed. Maybe he would want to talk tomorrow. If anything, I could always try to bother Slivko.

                                                         ***

“Wake up, I want you to meet Mason and stay with her while I do some more investigating.” James tugged at my blanket.

I groaned, hit with the sudden remembrance that we were on a ship on our way to a likely lethal island. Then I remembered James teasing me about Slivko. I huffed into my pillow before sitting up and throwing the covers off. It took a second for the dizzy feeling to go away, and I shuffled to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth and change. I pulled on the green jeans, which I would probably regret later on. But hey, if it covered more of what mosquitos would want to target, then I was down for it. I slid a loose grey t-shirt on before shoving my feet back into my black boots and lacing them up.

“Good choice.” James stopped in the doorway.

I arched an eyebrow, clearly confused by what he thought was a good choice.

“It’ll be easier to be treated for something like dehydration rather than some kind of bug bite.” He pointed to the long pants and the high boots. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, following him down to the cafeteria.

“Now.” He stopped me, hands on my shoulders and looking me square in the face.

“What?” I asked, a bit weirded out.

He was acting as if nothing had happened yesterday, as if he hadn’t begged me to stick to his side for my safety.

“I know you won’t want to eat, because you don’t get hungry at this time of the morning. But, you have to eat something and you should probably drink some coffee.”

“I can do coffee, for sure.” I replied.

“Good. Now I’m going to introduce you to Mason and I’d like you to stay with her until I come back to get you.” He pulled me through the cafeteria.

“You’re just gonna leave me with her? What if something happens?” I asked, beginning to think that I had dreamed up last night’s situation.

“Nothing will happen. I promise.” He squeezed my hand before stopping at a table.

“Mason, this is my little sister Irene. Irene, this is Mason.” He gestured back and forth.

I dropped into the seat across from her, smiling. She grinned right back, a warm and reassuring sense to the air around her.

“I’ll get you coffee and something to eat and then I’ll be off.” James shook me by the shoulders and ran off.

Mason laughed. “He treats you like a princess, doesn’t he?”

I chuckled in return, letting myself slump forward and stifled a yawn.

“He’s only doing it because he knows I won’t do it myself. It’s too early to eat.” I rubbed at my eyes.

“You’re not gonna eat what he brings you then?” Her smile remained.

“Nah. Gotta stick it to the man somehow, ya know?” I grinned.

She laughed again, nodding.

Although James and I always took a few days before deciding how we really felt about people, Mason seemed to be the exception. James had already developed an affinity for her, and I felt safe around her. She seemed to be exactly what I hadn’t been able to grow up with. A kickass woman who was the perfect role model.

James slid a plate with food in front of me, followed by a coffee. I smiled sleepily as he kissed my forehead and waved Mason goodbye.

“Do you have any idea where he’s going?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

I was sure that James could get in serious trouble with all his snooping, and it was exactly what neither of us needed at the moment.

“I don’t know. We found explosives downstairs yesterday, but I guess that fits with the seismic charges they were talking about.”

Mason and I talked quietly while I drank my coffee. She managed to convince me to eat some of what James had brought over. She had a very maternal presence. I decided I liked her. Her eyes followed something as she spoke about photography. I turned around to follow her line of sight. The group of soldiers I had met yesterday, Jack’s boys, were walking out of the cafeteria, joking amongst themselves. I caught sight of Slivko, tall and messy haired, and my fingers went numb.

He must’ve felt my stare, because just as they were outside the doors, he turned around and gave me his seemingly classic grin. I giggled, biting down on my lip. He winked before being dragged off by Mills and Reles, who turned to wave at me. Mason snorted.

“You ready to go explore this ship?” She asked, breaking my attention.

I realized how stupidly public I had just been about whatever it was I was feeling for Slivko. The blush on my cheeks got worse, and my ears were burning. I turned back to Mason, nodding. She smiled.

“You like him?” She led the way.

I shrugged, rubbing my arm. “I barely know him.”

“Something tells me you like him. And I don’t just mean physically.” She spoke to me over her shoulder as we pranced down the stairs.

“Could be just physical.” I shrugged.

She stopped and shot me a look as we reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Hey.” I said defensively. “He’s cute.”

She made the face again, eyebrows arched like nobody’s business.

I sighed. “Okay fine, he winks at me every time I see him. It messes with my head.”

She chuckled, throwing an arm around me as we walked. The boys had set themselves up in the middle of the ship, music blasting as they danced. Reles was cutting Cole’s hair and Cole had pulled out a book. I searched for Reg, only to find him pulling his shirt off. My breath hitched in my throat. Mason noticed and laughed, pulling her camera up with one hand.

“Come with me, this is perfect.”

She dragged me along with her and I forced myself to close my mouth, which had been left hanging open. Mason started to photograph the boys as they danced. I made myself comfortable by Cole’s feet as Reles continued with his hair. Cole was the calmest of them all, which made sense, as he was the oldest.

“Your name’s Irene, right?” Cole spoke to me, eyes on me even though he couldn’t move his head much.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

I felt eyes on me. I glanced over to where I had last seen Reg, seeing him staring right back at me. He smiled softly before winking. I blushed hard, my mouth dropping open again ever so slightly. I heard the click of a camera, breaking my thoughts. I looked over to see Mason pull her camera back down, smiling widely.

“Mason!” I hissed, unable to hide the smile on my face.

She came to kneel by my side. “Trust me, Irene. There’s something going on between you two.”

I shook my head, negating everything swirling around inside my brain. He was cute. He seemed sweet. He was probably funny, considering he always had a goofy grin on his lips.

Stop it, you’re going down an endless rabbit hole.

I shook my head, as if that would clear my mind. My eyes darted back to Slivko, who was sort of dancing and talking to Mills, but he had his eyes on me. A small part of me felt like I could pass out then and there.

“You know,” Cole spoke to get my attention. I forced my gaze off Reg’s and looked up at Cole. “He wouldn’t shut up about you last night. Did you see how pretty she was? Do you think the name Irene means anything? Do you think she’s always so quiet? My god, he would not stop.” Cole smirked.

I felt my heart beat faster than normal. Was Cole telling me the truth or did he just want to mess with my head? I looked back at Slivko, whose eyes were wide. He was mouthing words at someone in this direction. I looked up at Reles, who was saying something back. I met eyes with Cole, who was still smirking. I heard footsteps coming toward me, but I refused to break eye contact with Cole. He was up to something. My head turned as someone sat beside me. I smiled shyly, breaking out into a blush for the fifth time today.

“Hi.” He whispered unintentionally.

Cole and Reles mumbled something to one another before leaving.

“Hey.” I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.

Reg leaned back on his hands, placing one behind me so he could lean closer. I bit my lip, knowing he was watching me blush harder with every single one of his movements.

I screamed at myself in my brain. Why couldn’t I think of anything to say?

Mason’s camera clicked again. Both Reg and I looked at her, eyes wide. She grinned at both of us.

“Why don’t you two get a little closer? For the photo, of course.” She winked at me.

I looked up at Reg, who was smiling wide. “For the photo, come on. Please?”

I still hadn’t found my words, but I nodded up at him, cheeks stuck red and in a smile. He scooted closer and rested his hand on my side gently. He looked at the camera, a cheesy smile on his face. For a second, I forgot that he had moved closer for Mason to take a picture. I gingerly leaned my head back against his bare shoulder, eyes closed and a smile on my face.

“How about a few more?” Mason’s voice broke through.

I felt mortified. Why would I just lean on him like it was nothing? What if I made him uncomfortable?

“My turn.” Reg whispered before letting go of my side and lying down, settling his head in my lap.

I giggled, a hand going up to ruffle his hair. He reached for my free hand and held it against his chest, holding his over it. His eyes held mine, a smile on his face.

Click.

“One more? Pretty please?” Mason’s voice came through but neither of us looked away from each other.

“How do you want us to pose?” Reg called out to her, hand still on mine, over his heart.

Pose. That’s all this was. Just a dumb little photoshoot for Mason to have against me forever. It didn’t mean anything.

“However you guys want.” Mason’s smile was evident in her voice.

I pulled myself back up, sitting straight.

“I’ve got an idea.” Reg pushed himself up and to his feet, holding a hand out to help me up.

I took it, letting him pull me onto my feet. He was definitely stronger than he looked.

“What’s your idea?” I asked, hand still in his. He took my free hand and slid it up to his shoulder before grabbing my waist.

“Well, it’s kinda intimate.” He pulled me against him, bringing our hands out to the side so it looked like we were dancing.

I heard Mason’s camera click, but we both pretended we didn’t hear it. Mason kept going too.

“How intimate are we talking?” I asked, letting myself be pushed out of the camera’s sight.

“Like, sit-on-me intimate.” He showed a hopeful smile.

I laughed, letting my hand that wasn’t trapped in his slide down to his chest.

“Sure.”

“Awesome.” He nudged his nose into my hair before letting go of me all together and sitting on the ground.

I covered my mouth as I laughed, and he wrapped a hand around my leg, gently pulling at me so I would sit down.

Click.

“Sit, come on.” He patted his legs, which were extended in front of him.

I grabbed one of his shoulders as I sat down on his thighs, my front to his. Reg was quick to pull me as close as possible, hands on the small of my back as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“You guys are adorable.” Mason smiled as she took pictures.

Reg laughed, his chest moving against mine in a way that set my skin on fire. I ducked down to hide my face in the crook of his neck, blushing and embarrassed once again.

“I think she’s just doing this on purpose.” Reg whispered into my ear, running a hand up and down my back.

I shrugged, keeping my face down against his cooler skin. He didn’t seem to mind. Afterall, the pose itself had been his idea.

“Okay, I’m almost done, I promise. Can I ask one little favor though?” Mason bent over to speak to us.

“What is it?” Reg asked, hand still on my back.

“Can you kiss his cheek?” She asked me.

My head jerked up so fast that my ear hit Reg’s. I glared at her, ears burning. Reg shrugged, causing my other arm to link tighter around him.

“I don’t mind if you don’t mind.” He whispered to me.

I let out a breath, still glaring at Mason. She smiled. I couldn’t help but crack a smile back. She was just trying to help me get Slivko, after all. I settled comfortably in his lap, one hand on his neck while the other arm remained around him. I leaned my forehead against the side of his face, breathing for a little before closing my eyes and kissing his cheek.

Click.

Previous: Brothers

Next: Family

[winchesterbrotherstan]

Kong: Skull Island- Wounds and Shrieks

Pairing: Reg Slivko x Irene Brown

James Conrad x Irene Brown (brother-sister relationship)

Jack Chapman x Irene Brown (brother-sister relationship)

Summary: The gang has to fight for their lives in order to get off the island

Warnings: nastiness, cursing, fighting, getting hurt, screaming

Word Count: 3043

“Kong’s still down, we’ve got to move!” James’s voice reached my ears as we made our way through the jungle.

“What about Packard?” Jack shouted over his shoulder.

“Wouldn’t come!” James yelled back.

“Where’s Mason?” I asked, looking around.

“I thought she ran first!”

“She isn’t here!” Reles shouted from the front.

My eyes met James, wide and stinging. He shook his head at me, breathing heavy. I shoved my bow into Jack’s hand before running back to James. I yanked him by the wrist and ran back the way we came from, finding Mason standing at the opening of the clearing, camera up. James grabbed her by the waist the same way Jack had grabbed me and ran. She shouted in surprise, but hit the ground running once James put her down.

I ran ahead, hoping to catch up to Jack in time to get my bow back. I pushed past Reg, only to be pulled back by my neck. I turned and realized everyone had stopped a few yards before a clearing, quiet and tense. I shot Reg a questioning look. He took his hand off my neck and leaned down.

“There’s more of them.” He whispered.

“Why’re we stopping?” Mason panted.

“How many more?” I asked.

“Two.” Jack sighed, handing me back my bow.

I turned to look at James, and we were all breathing hard. He furrowed his eyebrows, eyes on the ground as he tried to think of something.

“Our guns didn’t do anything to it last time, how’re we gonna get through two?” Cole grunted.

“If your guns didn’t do anything, why did her arrows?” Mason asked, pointing to my bow.

“Aerodynamics, her arrows are sharper.” James scoffed with a wave of his hand. “We have to get past them at the very least.”

Trees rustled nearby, followed by the cry of the big Skull Crawler. I felt my heart tighten and I looked at James, antsy.

“How many arrows do you have left?” He asked.

“Fifteen last time I checked.” I answered, eyes on the forest in the opposite direction.

“Can you make it with that few?” His voice was filled with scrutiny.

“We don’t have a choice, that thing is coming.” I panted.

“We just have to make it to the boat.” Hank spoke.

“Is this even the right way?” Mills looked at James.

I looked at him too as realization dawned. Jack let out a breath and Reg scoffed. Mason shook her head.

“No. The boat’s the other way.”

Cole muttered something, and the movement in the trees seemed to get closer.

“Well we can’t go back that way. I’d rather take on two small ones.” I rushed out.

James closed his eyes and another shriek came.

“James, we gotta go.” I stressed, clenching my hand as I felt my jaw shake.

He sighed hard, opening his eyes. “Let’s go.”

“Guys, it’s dawn.” Mason broke in.

“Shit.” I whispered.

A tree cracked, not far from us.

“Shit!”

“Come on!” 

We sprinted to the clearing, greeted by two very angry looking Skull Crawlers. James stepped ahead of the group as one creature snapped its jaw at us.

“Cole, Reles, Mills, Chapman. You take the one on the left. Marlow, Slivko, Irene, you’re with me on this one right here.” James spoke calmly.

I put my bow up and stepped to his side, overwhelmed once more by the stench.

“Irene, can we do what we did last time?” Jack called over to me as his group stepped aside, guns up as the animals eyed us.

I shook my head. “Three times sounds too easy to me.”

Mason stepped behind us, followed by Reg.

“What exactly did you do last time?”

“Ran at it with a knife.” I swallowed hard.

The Skull Crawlers moved forward, herding us all together into a circle in the middle. They howled at us. Someone whimpered, and I heard Hank say something in Japanese.

Death before dishonor.

“Right on, Hank.”

He lunged, slicing at one’s leg like he had in the graveyard, eliciting a screech from the animal. I got it in the mouth with an arrow, followed by the neck. It howled, shaking its tail at us. Jack and his boys were shooting at the other one. The Skull Crawlers moved in on us, shrill cries ripping at my ears.

“Aim for the eyes!” I shouted, doing exactly what I said.

I nailed the one assigned to me in the corner of its eye and it threw itself back and yelped.

“I got it!” Hank yelled as he saw me aim for it’s side.

He ran over and swung the katana, raking at the Skull Crawler’s green skin and exposing its ribs and insides for all to see. It stopped screaming, but we only seemed to make the other one angrier.

“Slivko!” Mills screamed.

I heard Reg grunt, then yelp. The remaining Skull Crawler had circled back around us, staring down Jack. James cocked his rifle from next to me.

“Irene, help Slivko.” He ordered, slowly stepping in front of me.

I sighed deep in my throat, sliding my bow down. I glanced between Jack and the Skull Crawler before walking backwards to where Reg was. I turned around to see Reg lying on his back and Mills hovering frantically.

“We’ve seen injuries before but I’ve never had to handle one like this.” He explained, his voice weak as I kneeled by them.

The Skull Crawler had dug its claw into Reg’s leg and yanked. From half calf to ankle was torn open and bleeding. I was thankful that his bones weren’t visible, but they might’ve just been hidden by all the blood.

“How’s it look?” James called out over his shoulder.

“Fuck if I know, I’m not a doctor!” I shouted back.

“Just stay calm, Ira.” Jack spoke this time.

Mason scrambled to our side, taking control of the situation. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know anything about this stuff.”

I heard James scream something to Jack, and the ground felt like it shifted. I looked over my shoulder to see the Skull Crawler snapping its jaws at Jack, who practically stumbled backwards onto the floor.

“We have to tie it off.” Mason said, eyes flickering between the creature and Reg’s leg.

My eyes snapped up to Reg’s red bandana. I crawled over him to take it off and toss it back to Mason.

“Reg, you need to stay awake.” I patted his cheek.

He groaned as I moved off to his side. I settled his head in my lap, grabbing his hand and squeezing.

“Reg, please.” I brushed his hair back, ignoring the dirt and sweat in it.

“It hurts.” He whispered, closing his eyes tightly.

“I know, Reg. I’m sorry.” I looked up at Mason, who I was waiting on my signal to wrap the bandana around his leg.

I nodded to her, squeezing Reg’s hand again and running my thumb across his forehead. He cursed, trying to pull his leg back. Mills called to Cole, who came running to hold him down.

“The Amazon.” Reg mumbled, eyes still closed.

“What?”

His eyes opened, lighter than I had seen them over the last few days. They were almost green.

“You never told me about the Amazon.” He grinned, but it turned out more like a grimace.

“What do you wanna know?” I asked, eyes darting up to see Mason getting ready to tie the knot.

“Everything.”

“I’m scared of spiders because my brother threw a tarantula in my hair when I was getting it braided.” I smiled sadly.

“How old were you?” He spoke through a wince, hand squeezing at mine, knuckles white.

“Five. It bit the girl that was braiding my hair.” I whispered as Mason tied the knot once more.

His face was pale and he cursed again, pushing his head back into my leg.

“That sounds horrifying.” He mumbled.

I looked back up to see that the boys were much closer, and the Skull Crawler now had eyes alternating between Jack and I. It growled.

“Stay awake. Please.” I leaned down and kissed Reg softly before moving his head off and springing to my feet.

I took my crossbow off and aimed at the Skull Crawler. It roared as the floor shook.

“Do you think that’s Kong coming to kill it?” Jack asked, voice trembling.

“What if it's the big one?” Reles piped up.

“I don’t know and I don’t care.” I hissed.

“I don’t want to be in the way.” James added.

“We have to get out of here.” Reles was behind us, but he had his gun up.

“No shit.” I growled.

I glanced at Jack, who was breathing heavy. He looked down at me, then back at the Skull Crawler. I looked at it. It wouldn’t break eye contact with him.

“We could just try that again.” I shrugged.

“You’re insane.” James scowled.

“You’re both out of ammo. Whatever is holding it back won’t last. We don’t have any other choices.” I aimed for the eye, the same as last time.

“Irene, I don’t-”

I cut James off with a shot to its eye. It howled. I shot at its throat. Reles shoved himself between James and I, shooting at its throat too.

“James, knife.” I held my hand out.

He sighed loudly before shoving the knife handle into my open palm. I shot the second of the final dozen of arrows, landing near the middle of its stomach. It screeched, throwing itself to its side.

Perfect.

I handed my bow off to James. Jack slung his gun over his shoulder. He grabbed my hand, pulling me to his side. We ran to it together, knives in hand. It thrashed as Jack pulled the arrow from its stomach, tossing it back to our group.

It flipped its arm around, sending Jack onto his back about a yard away. It was enough wiggle room for the Skull Crawler. I tried to find the hole my arrow made, but the creature flipped itself over and got to its feet, snapping its jaw at me.

I backed up slowly, holding the knife up as if it could protect me.

“Irene, cliff!” I heard Mason scream.

I didn’t dare take my eyes from the Skull Crawler, but I could hear the water rushing below.

“How far?” I shouted back.

“Maybe five feet!” Mills yelled this time.

I breathed deep as I stared the Skull Crawler down. I poised myself before running backward and throwing myself flat on the ground. It lunged at me before trying to skid on its claws, throwing its teeth into the ground in an attempt to catch itself from certain death.

I felt the muscle between the arms of my bone slice cleanly. The pressure made my brain boil as I let out a scream, throat burning. I flipped the knife in my sweating hand that wasn’t pinned down, jamming it into the creature’s snout as hard as I could.

It opened its jaws and left its tooth behind, screeching before falling down the cliff. I cried out for Jack and James, and then in my hysteria, Stephen, all while gripping the knife in my hand as my arm throbbed. There was bile rising in my throat as they ran over.

“Ire, I’m gonna need to stop the bleeding, okay?” James shushed.

I heard Jack mumble something about a tooth before pulling me to sit up, cradling my head to his chest. I felt James grab my quickly numbing arm, prying the knife from my fingers.

“This is going to hurt.”

My ears muffled themselves as James tore the offending reptile body part out of my arm. My scream diminished itself into a sob as I clutched at Jack’s shirt, the knife long forgotten. I felt him take an arm away, only to return it a second later, sleeve gone. James wrapped something around my arm, tying it tighter than Mason had tied Reg’s. Jack held me close and shushed me as my cries turned down to whimpers.

“You’re okay. You’re okay. I promise you’re okay.”

“Is it dead?” I finally asked after my breathing evened out.

“Lemme see.” Jack leaned to the side, and I looked up to see his leg hanging over the side of the cliff.

James was still grabbing my wrist, gentle with every controlled movement. Jack grinned, moving to squish my cheeks between his hands.

“Irene two, Skull Crawlers none.”

I heard Mason’s camera click twice before she spoke. “Let me see the tooth.”

The trees near the opening of the forest crashed, revealing the big Skull Crawler.

“No time!” Hank shouted from Reg’s side, pulling him to stand.

Reg let out a strangled cry as he tried to balance himself, letting his toes touch the ground before pulling his leg right back up.

“Let’s go!” James shouted, yanking me up from Jack’s grip and onto my feet.

He led us through the forest, crashing through branches and bushes and what I was hoping were not spider webs. Hank and Cole had Reg, but they were behind and couldn’t move any faster. Mills shouted for us to keep going, he would wait for them. Jack barked something back and Mills came with James, Mason, and I. Jack stayed to wait.

My arm throbbed and acid ate at my throat as we ran. The floor was shaking under us, and for a minute I felt like I was dreaming. My ears tried to muffle themselves over, but it didn’t work. We reached a clearing to the river. It wasn’t where we had left the boat.

“This is the edge of the island.” James panted. “Weaver, get up on those rocks and fire a flare.” James motioned to the rocks up the side of the mountain. “With any luck, Brooks will see it.”

The sound of more trees cracking came from behind, along with the shriek that would haunt me forever. James said something to Mason and they both nodded. She took the flare gun and ran. Reg grunted from between Hank and Cole. I looked over to see his leg bleeding hard. I felt my arm pulse.

“This way!” James started off along the edge of the jungle.

“Honestly, just leave me to die.” Reg moaned.

“Shut up!” Mills and I shouted at the same time, taking off after my brother.

James broke through the forest, and we were near the water again. He stood for a minute, before taking off again. “Come on, every second counts.”

As if on cue, the monster roared, closer to us than last time. Cole grabbed Mills by the shoulder and switched places with him, no longer holding Reg up. He motioned for them to go. Reles had already taken off with James.

“Cole, what’re you doing? Let’s go!” I panted, heart on fire.

“Go.”

“Cole!” I shouted, voice breaking.

“I’ve got a son that reminds me of you. He’s adopted. His name’s Stephen.” Cole let his gun drop and he pulled a paper from his pocket, shoving it in my hand.

“Cole man, come on. We gotta fall back!” Mills called out.

“Go live your life. Get out of here.” Cole smiled, turning around.

I lost my sense and tears welled in my eyes. He pointed again, telling me to go. He pulled explosives from the belt around his torso and took a deep breath. I sniffled before turning tail and running, crying the whole way. I heard the boys scream for him, but it was soon drowned out by an explosion and a shriek. I looked over my shoulder to see the fumes by the edge of a mountain. The Skull Crawler was unscathed and coming toward us. Jack pulled Mills back by the jacket. My ears finally went deaf as Mills cried beside me.

I shoved the picture in my pocket. Those were two hits I wasn’t prepared to take. James tugged me by the arm that wasn’t hurt, dragging me along in the water. I caught sight of Mason, climbing up the rocks like nobody’s business.

The water rushing behind us turned into small waves, and my hearing came back just in time for the cry of the Skull Crawler. We stopped and turned, eyes wide and mouths dropped open. James pushed me behind him. I gasped, looking to Jack. He was crying, holding onto his dog tags and aiming his gun with shaking arms.

Kong popped up from the side, out of nowhere, and hit the Skull Crawler’s head with a rock. It turned into dust and the Skull Crawler went down.

“Run!” Hank shouted, basically taking all of Reg’s weight onto himself and still moving faster than I could.

James pulled on me again, and I was essentially flying through the water alongside him. A symphony of shrieks and roars came to my ears, and I so desperately wanted to turn to see it. James kept his grip on me tight, and kept us moving. There was louder roars, more pain in them than before. The water rushed over us, almost dragging me down. My arm stung and I heard Reg wince. My heart pounded.

The flare went off and we all turned again, seeing Mason at the tip top of the rocks. I marveled at her. She would be my favorite woman from now until the day I died. The ground thundered again, and I looked at the fight to see Kong pulling a tree from the ground, using it as a bat. He hit the Skull Crawler in the face, sending it back against rocks. It was quick to bring itself back up, lunging at him and shrieking when it was caught by the neck. It wrapped its tail around Kong’s neck, sending him flying into a pile of rusty boats. He tried to bring himself up, but he had gotten caught in the chains of the anchors.

The Skull Crawler climbed over him, double tongue slipping over Kong’s snout. There was the sound of a machine gun, and the Skull Crawler turned in anger. I looked over to see the ploat, Houston shooting. I shouted out of joy, and James grabbed me by the wrist again.

Previous: Kong

Next: Rescued

[winchesterbrotherstan]

Kong: Skull Island- The Ploat

Pairing: Reg Slivko x Irene Brown

James Conrad x Irene Brown (brother-sister relationship)

Jack Chapman x Irene Brown (brother-sister relationship)

Summary: The gang gets moving, only to realize how dangerous the island actually is

Warnings: death, cursing

Word Count: 4485

I wiggled out of Reg’s grip and sat up, scooting to the edge of the bed. I grabbed his wrist to check what time it was. I wasn’t completely sure that it was accurate for the island, but after reading 3:25 AM, I decided it was. I found my pants, which had been tossed to the feet of the bed. I slipped them on with a sigh. I fiddled with the hem of Reg’s green shirt before changing back to my grey T-shirt. I didn’t need either of my brothers to question me or Slivko.

I shut the door behind me as I padded out of the room. I rubbed at my eyes and yawned. The music had been turned off, and there was a single lamp in the main room lit. It looked like it was made out of clay. I brushed my fingers through my hair before turning my attention to the balcony.

“What are you doing awake?” James asked, breaking the quiet.

I shuffled over to sit next to him, leaning against his shoulder. The breeze outside ruffled the trees and made me shiver. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and breathed heavily. I yawned again, rubbing my eyes harder this time.

“Do you think we’ll make it in time for the exfil?” My voice was crackly.

He sighed, rubbing my arm. “I hope so, Ire.”

I cleared my throat, mind dancing between him and Jack. They seemed so different, but in reality they were so similar. I would’ve died for either of them in a heartbeat. I looked up at him, his face outlined in the dark. His eyes were sunken and his lips were drawn in a tight line. The stars reflected in his eyes, but they seemed vacant.

“Do you regret coming yet?” I asked.

“I wasn’t in danger besides being attacked by Kong, but …” he looked down, now picking at his pants, “Knowing that you could’ve died makes me think I’ll never regret anything more than saying yes to this mission.”

I noticed he said saying yes to this mission and not letting you come with me. Something told me that putting me in danger wasn’t his only regret. Maybe it was Reg. Or Jack.

“Hey, at least we’ll get paid.” I tried to grin, but I was too tired and he wouldn’t have seen it anyways.

“If we make it back.” He mumbled.

I grabbed at his hand, receiving a quick squeeze in return.

“We’ll make it back, Jay.” I whispered, suddenly feeling so small and insignificant to the world.

He sighed, looking down at me. “What’s eating at you?” He asked, eyebrow arched.

A weight dropped itself in my heart, and my eyes began to burn. He didn’t take his gaze off me.

“Maybe, if I had been more careful telling them wh-where to drop the bombs…” I trailed off, my voice weakening with every word.

My head dropped and I sucked in a breath, holding back a sob. He was quick to sit himself up straight and tug me into his side, hugging me and pulling my head to his shoulder.

“None of this is your fault.” He spoke firmly, but there was a softness in his voice.

“It feels like it is.” I replied between gasps for breath, hands curling into his shirt as I cried.

“It is not.” He shushed, pulling my head back to look at me.

My lips trembled and I sniffled, meeting his eyes. He shook his head, wiping at my tears.

“I promise you. Look at all the good you did today.”

“Like what?” I wiped at my face, but it only seemed to spread the tears around.

He looked up before sighing and looking at me with furrowed eyebrows and a playful smile. “Of course there’s no tissues here.”

I let out a small chuckle before wiping my hands on my jeans. “I’ll be fine.”

He nodded, brushing my hair behind my ears before grabbing my cheeks. “You saved Chapman’s life.”

I shook my head the best I could, still trapped between his hands. He let me go before patting the ground next to him and holding his arm out. I sat as close as possible and curled up to him, feeling my own tears on his neck as I pressed my forehead against it.

“I know your story was toned down. I talked to Jack after you went to bed. He told me what happened.”

“Ja-” I tried to explain that Jack had always liked to exaggerate stories.

“He was practically bragging about you.” He finished.

“Jay, are you jealous?” I asked.

He sighed sharply. There was a minute or two of tense silence and I kept my head down, picking at my own fingers.

“A little bit. I just- I’m scared he was a better brother than I am.”

I laughed softly before shaking my head. “No. I think I like both of you equally. Couldn’t pick a favorite if I tried.”

He snorted. “I don’t believe that.”

I pulled my head back and nodded. “I’m serious. You both have different traits that I find endearing. You’re two different people. I love both of you.” I shrugged.

He looked down at me and patted my head. I smiled, bopping my head up into his hand.

“You should go back to bed. Slivko’s probably wondering where you went.” He teased.

I rolled my eyes. “You guys are insufferable.”

He laughed. “It was Chapman’s idea, not mine.”

I shook my head, pushing myself to my feet. James only grinned, tired eyes glowing. I patted his head, pushing his gelled hair down.

“You need sleep too.” I held my hand out for him.

He opened his mouth to object, but I cut him off.

“If you don’t go to sleep neither will I.”

He squinted at me before taking my hand and standing, practically towering over me. He clapped his hands on my shoulders before bending down and kissing the top of my head. I smiled and dragged him to the hall, pushing him to the last free bedroom. San had stayed with Mason, Brooks had stayed with Nieves, and Jack had settled in with Hank. We had piled our things into the last bedroom, the only one with a hammock.

“Goodnight, Jay.” I smiled.

He smiled before shutting the door halfway. “Night, Bitsy.”

                                                           ***

“Are you two decent?” I heard James call through the door.

It was followed by a rhythmic knock, then Jack, “Slivko, if I find you without pants on, I swear.”

The door opened and I peeled my eyes open to see Mason. I smiled at her and she grinned before pulling her camera up. I heard the click before I could react. I groaned as she winked at me, leaving and closing the door behind her. I heard her speak to James and Jack, and whatever she said convinced them, because their boots thundered in the hall as they walked away.

“Reg?” I asked but got no reply.

I felt his steady breathing on my neck and felt his arm around my waist. I knew I would fall back asleep if I closed my eyes, so I turned around. His arm tightened and his breathing broke the pattern.

“Reg, wake up.” I moved my hand to rest on his bicep, lightly scraping my nails against his pale skin.

“I don’t wanna.” He mumbled, voice husky.

I pushed my head into his bare chest, relishing the warmth. “You have to.”

He snorted, arm tightening again. “Never.”

I groaned again, pushing at him. His grip stood firm as he moved his other arm around my back, hand coming to play with my hair.

“Reg.” I pulled his name out into a whine.

There was a knock on the door again, the rhythmic one. I smiled before pressing a kiss to Reg’s collarbone.

“Come in!” I called.

The door burst open and Jack’s boots thudded against the floor.

“Slivko! What’re you doing with my baby sister?” He barked out.

Reg shot straight up, hands off of me in seconds. I rolled over, laughing. Jack came down to kiss my forehead with a smile before staring Reg down. He broke into a smile before closing the door behind him.

Slivko was still straight as a pin, breathing heavily with pink on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. I smiled as I sat up, turning to him. He glared at me.

“That was horrifying.”

I laughed, “That was hilarious.”

He shoved me lightly before grabbing my knee and pulling me back to him. I shook my head as he fixed his bandana.

“I can’t believe he kissed your forehead.” He scoffed.

I shrugged. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

He scoffed, grabbing my knee again and moving closer. “Neither did I.”

I bit at my lip. “You’re the one that’s shirtless.”

He was pressed to my side now, hand squeezing my leg. “That isn’t my fault. You got cold last night.”

“God, you’re such a gentleman.” I teased.

He smiled, leaning in. “Damn right I am.”

I leaned up, placing my hands on his neck. He pressed his lips to mine, pulling me closer by the knee.

He pulled away with a smile, cheeks pink. I felt my ears get hot as he grinned.

“Can I have my hand back?”

“What?” My smile dropped.

He wiggled the hand on my knee. I looked down to realize I had trapped him between both knees.

“Sorry.” I mumbled, dropping one knee so he could move his hand.

He kissed the side of my head. “All good, doll.”

“Put a shirt on.”

I whipped around to see Mason again, camera in hand. Reg scoffed, flexing his arms. I rolled my eyes as I pushed myself out of bed, balling up Reg’s shirt and throwing it at him. He caught it with a wink.

I grabbed my shoes from beside the door and pulled them on. I dragged Mason along with me to the main room. I sat on the bench, next to San. She broke her gaze and looked from Houston to me.

“Morning.” I grinned at the two of them.

San blushed and Houston averted his gaze to Nieves, who was next to him. Jack slid into the seat across from me, bumping his boot against mine. Mason sat next to San after setting her camera down on the stand that was still on the balcony. Reg sat down next to me, hitting my shoulder with his. I looked the other way as James dropped a plate in front of me, pushing another one over to Jack. He glared at Slivko as he rounded the table, grabbing another plate from Hank and setting it down in front of San. She thanked him softly.

“Does he hate me now?” Reg asked quietly.

I looked at him and shook my head, smiling.

“No. He’s just protective.”

“Alright, we don’t have coffee here but there is water.” Hank smiled as he passed around cups.

“You might as well dump it on Irene.” I heard James. “She doesn’t wake up without coffee.”

I stuck my tongue out at him as he sat down next to Jack. I felt Reg stiffen beside me. I pressed my knee against his and left it there. He reached a hand down to squeeze my leg, also leaving it there. James and Hank planned the day out as we ate.

“We’d have to leave by eight thirty in time to get to the exfil location.” James stood up, collecting the empty plates.

I shook my head as I finished my water. “We have to leave earlier.”

“Why?” Houston asked, pushing his glasses back onto his nose.

“Because chances are, we’ll run into other people that crashed. That’s gonna take some time.” I turned my head to James.

He raised an eyebrow before nodding. “She’s right.”

“When would we have to leave then?” Mason started packing her photography things back into her bag, camera strapped around her neck.

“Seven?” Hank suggested.

Jack looked at me and I shrugged.

“I think seven sounds good.” He said.

“Seven it is then. We better get to work.” James sighed.

“I assume we need all hands available?” Houston asked.

James nodded.

                                                          ***

“What time did you get up?” I asked as I shuffled into the small bathroom, inspecting myself in the mirror.

“Five, just like everyone else.” James answered, looking above my head, fixing his hair.

“So you only slept like an hour forty-five?” I sought his eyes in the mirror.

He avoided eye contact as he pulled a brush out of his bag and handed it to me. I scoffed. He was always prepared.

“I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me.” He said dismissively.

“That’s not how it works but fine.” I finished with my hair and shoved the brush back into the bag.

“So what’s going on with you and Slivko?” He asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I leaned over the sink to wash my face.

My brother scoffed. “Please. I wouldn’t be surprised if you two did unholy things in that bedroom last night.”

I ran more cold water over my face, hoping it would ease the blush creeping up from my neck.

“Don’t do soldiers.” He mocked.

“Shut up, Jay. Mason said there’s an exception to everything. Speaking of Mason, how’s the crush going?” I stepped aside to let him use the sink as I dried my face off with a cloth.

“Oh, I don’t know.” He said in a teasing tone. “I don’t think my monkey brain would be able to handle two strong women at once.”

I flicked the back of his head as he washed his face.

“What was that for?” He called.

“Hurry up, I think they’re waiting on us.”

                                                          ***

“This man’s name was Gunpei Ikari. If you take away the uniforms, and the war, he became my brother.”

Hank had brought us to his friend’s grave. He was kneeling over it as he spoke to us. I had wrapped an arm around Reg’s, holding his hand.

“And we swore we’d never leave each other behind.” Hank’s voice broke.

I closed my eyes, reminding myself to breathe. So far, he had talked about Gunpei the way I talked about Stephen, which I rarely did. Reg noticed, squeezing my hand. Hank took a minute before rising to his feet.

“Let’s get off this island.” He pulled a katana out and sheathed it.

My heart seemed to turn ten pounds heavier.

                                                          ***

James grunted as he moved the lever up. Nieves was fiddling with switches, Reg was working the wires again, and I was helping Mason with a covering. Nieves flipped a switch, and the engine roared before dying down.

“Ow!” I heard Slivko shout. “Not yet!” His head popped up and he heaved himself out of his spot.

“Prime the lines.” Houston called out.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Reg shouted back, distracted with something else.

Mason and I worked quicker, San now by our side to help.

“Wind it up!” James called, and the three of us looked up to see that nobody was by the crank.

“I got it.” Mason ran over, grunting as she moved it.

San and I finished as Hank came over and flipped the rest of the covers that were already on.

“Keep going!” Reg called.

I watched the veins on James forehead pop as he pushed the lever up. I ran back to Reg.

“Do you need anything?” I asked.

“Hold this.” He pointed.

I hopped down next to him and put my fingers over the spot he showed me.

“Third time’s the charm, here we go!” He yelled.

I could hear Houston chanting and Mason and James grunting. I felt Reg slip his free hand into mine and squeeze. I closed my eyes and hoped as hard as I could. I heard the engine spin and Reg let out a breath from beside me.

“Yes.”

The engine rattled, and smoked, and did a list of other concerning things. I heard Hank laugh and Reg shouted yes again from beside me. I opened my eyes and breathed, met with Reg’s wide grin.

I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. He laughed, hugging me tightly. I heard Nieves laugh, along with practically everyone else. Mason’s laugh sounded like something out of a fairy tale and it cut short. I looked up to see the villagers lined up by the water’s edge.

“Reg, look at this.” I slid out of his grip and turned him around, standing in front of him.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and sighed deeply. They were all solemn, staring at Hank. He seemed to visibly deflate as he made his way to the front end of the ship, to where the leaders stood.

He held his hands out, “I guess this is goodbye. Thank you.”

Their faces remained stoic, but I was sure that if I had been close enough, there would’ve been a twinkle in their eyes. They slowly bowed their heads.

“If you’re ever in Chicago, look me up, I guess.”

The boat started to drift away, and I peeked over our shoulders to see James steering it. I grabbed Reg’s wrist to look at his watch.

6:55.

Mason moved from beside us, camera in her hands as she carefully took a picture. Hank stayed on the end until we moved to the wall, which they raised for us. James moved over and let Hank steer. I watched the little kids who had seen my tattoo run toward the water’s edge, only to be pulled back by their mothers.

They waved, smiling wide. I laughed as I waved back, hand shaking. I heard the click of Mason’s camera and then the wall was lowered and they were gone. I couldn’t imagine how Hank felt right now. Twenty eight years with these people, and now he had to say goodbye. I had barely managed thirteen with one person, I couldn’t think about twenty eight with a village.

Houston shuffled from his spot first, coming to stand with San. They leaned against the side of the boat, silent. Jack settled against the frame, staring out at the water before pulling out his notepad. Mason and James moved to stand at the front, talking quietly. Nieves stood by Hank, talking to him.

Reg and I stayed standing, his arms around me and his chin on my shoulder. I sighed as I stared into the water.

“What’s on your mind?” He whispered.

I shook my head. I wasn’t about to tell him about my very possibly dead twin brother.

“Nothing.”

He tsked in my ear, brushing his nose against the side of my face.

“Do you wanna come sit on the top with me?” He asked.

I scoffed. “You wanna go sit up there?”

He turned me around. “Yep. You coming?”

I watched him through narrowed eyes as he moved away, reaching for my hand. He flexed his fingers at me, putting on a puppy dog face. I squinted at him, tilting my head as my hair moved with the breeze. I shook my head.

He let his shoulders drop and he rolled his eyes playfully before walking over to Hank. I moved to Jack, resting my head against his arm as he took a break from writing.

“Hey kiddo.”

“Hey Jack.” I mumbled.

“You alright?” His arm moved steadily with his breathing.

I nodded. “I just wanna get off this island.”

He nodded. “We will. I’ve got a question.”

I moved my head to look up at him, eyebrows furrowed. “What is it?”

“Do you wanna meet Billy and Gracie?” His tone seemed to soften even more at the mention of his family.

I nodded, now smiling. “I’d love to.”

“Irene.” Reg called out, practically whining my name.

Music started to play as I clung to my brother, squinting at the brown haired boy. Jack laughed.

“He doesn’t know how to share, does he?”

I chuckled, hugging his arm. “I’ll be back.”

“Have fun.” He patted my head.

“Love you.”

“Love you too, kiddo.” He went back to his writing.

Reg reached for my hand as I walked up to him, leaning my head against his chest.

“What do you want?”

“Come sit with me.” He begged.

“Fine. You go first.” I murmured into his shirt.

He did as told and climbed up first, taking the radio with him. I sighed before following him up. He grinned and patted the spot between his legs. I made myself comfortable, pulling his arm around my shoulders from the front and leaning my cheek against him. He chuckled and kissed my shoulder, placing the radio between my legs, which were hooked around his.

I heard Houston yelp from under us. I turned to face Reg, confused. He only shrugged.

“Must’ve hurt himself flirting with San.”

I chuckled, turning my sight back to the jungle far ahead of us. There was a flock of birds that seemed to be more like pterodactyls. It made me uneasy.

“Jay?” I didn’t take my eyes off the birds.

“What is it, Ire?” He hesitated in the middle, probably about to call me Bitsy.

“Can you hand me my bow?”

“Why do you need your bow?” He asked, already climbing halfway up with my bow in hand.

I stretched for it, resting it between my leg and the radio. I pointed to the flock.

“Those things look more like dinos than birds.”

“Precautionary?” He asked, squinting.

“Yeah.”

He nodded before climbing back down.

“I got a wife.” I heard Hank talk.

He leaned against the frame, where we couldn’t see him but we could hear him.

“Had a wife?” He questioned. “Guess I don’t know anymore. Got hitched right before I deployed. Got a telegram from her the day before I got shot down. She said we just had our baby boy.” He paused, a long sigh.

He must’ve been looking down at a picture.

“I got a son out there. Grown man I’ve never met.”

“Yeah, she definitely thinks you’re dead, man.” Reg piped up.

I elbowed him in the stomach, “Reg!”

“Hey!” James shouted before hitting the covering under us.

“I’m just saying.” He defended himself, grabbing my arms and trapping them against my own stomach.

“You don’t know that. You’d be surprised how long people wait.” James reassured.

I smiled. His own mother had waited over ten years before getting married to my father. That was five years after they found her husband’s plane.

“Eh. Truth is, I don’t expect her to be waiting. I’d be fine either way.” Hank spoke.

I felt my heart crack. He was so sweet.

“I just want one last chance to see her. That would be good enough for me.” His voice seemed distant.

“We’re gonna get you home.” Mason stated.

“I promise.” I called out.

James had always told me that promises weren’t supposed to be made, because they were always broken. I usually stuck to that. But Hank deserved better than that, and I would do almost anything to get him home to his wife and son.

“Fox five, come back. Is there anyone out there?” The radio crackled to life.

Reg was quick to respond, hand flying past my face. “Hey, this is Fox five, we hear you.” His voice jumped, and I saw his arm shaking.

“Yeah, we’re on a boat. We’re on a boat headed up north on the river.”

I grabbed his arm, looking up at him.

“A boat? Where’d y’all get a boat?” I heard Mills through the radio.

“We met this like crazy, Santa-Claus, time traveller guy from World War Two. You’ll meet him.” Reg slid his arm out of my grasp, only to replace it with his trembling hand.

“What kinda boat y’all got?”

I laughed. What did it matter what kind of boat?

“It’s more of a plane than a boat, really. Let’s call it a ploat. We’re on a ploat.”

I heard Jack laugh loudly from beneath us.

“We need their location, Slivko.” James called up.

“Uh, send up a flare so we can find you.”

“Roger that, Fox five.” Packard was on the other side now.

I felt my smile drop and my stomach churned in disgust. There was something off about him. We all waited for the flare, looking in all directions.

“There!” Nieves shouted.

“Where?” Reg looked around.

I grabbed him by the chin and made him look straight ahead, pointing with my other hand. James laughed, and Mason cheered.

“We have a visual! Two clicks to our North.” Reg spoke to Packard.

“Roger that, Fox five. Fox one, out.” Packard spoke and then the static ended.

Reg laughed joyfully, letting go of the radio and squeezing me, ducking his head into the crook of my neck. I laughed, his breath tickling me.

“We’re going home-” Nieves cut off with a scream and I tore myself from Reg, realizing the animals from earlier were now swarming around us.

“Get down!” I yanked on Reg’s wrist and I dropped myself down, fingers slipping around my bow.

James shouted my same order as he and Jack grabbed their guns, aiming. Mason, Houston, and San had ducked under the frame. Reg reached his gun and aimed. Another one grabbed Nieves by the arm, tearing it off of him. I felt my stomach swirl as all my blood seemed to drop to my heart, thudding in my ears.

“What the hell, man?” Reg’s voice went up a few octaves.

James lowered his gun and stretched out a hand, blindly trying to grab at me. I caught his wrist as I put my bow down, breathing heavily.

“He’s gone. Everybody, grab your gear. We have to keep moving. We’ll go ashore, meet with Packard.” His voice was calm, but his accent with thick and his skin was burning under my fingers.

“No! Wait a minute, wait a minute!” Houston shouted. “Is nobody gonna say anything about the...?” He motioned to the sky frantically.

“He’s gone. And he ain’t coming back, there’s nothing to say.” Hank all but growled as he walked off.

I felt myself sway, tightening my grip on James’s wrist. He let out a breath and everyone moved to get their things together. Reg ran his hand down my back as he crossed behind us. James turned to me, grabbing my face.

“Are you alright?”

I stared at the ground. “I should’ve paid attention.”

He grabbed my face in both hands, forcing me to look up at him.

“No.” He spoke firmly, teeth bared.

I only looked at him, and he shook his head again.

“No.”

I closed my eyes and breathed.

“No.” He shook me gently.

“Okay.” I finally agreed.

“No, okay?”

I looked up and nodded, gathering the strength to hook my bow over my shoulder.

Previous: Kisses and Skies

Next: Poison Gas and Dog Tags

[tmuses]

Slivko's face scrunched up in disgust at the mere notion of him and Blair being anything more than casual acquaintances. The reaction was involuntary, and immediate. "Nah, man. I can't get it up for little girls. Not like you," he retorted. Cain was probably expecting his response, or at least something along those lines. The age gap between him and Shiloh didn't really bother Slivko, not beyond the occasional thought that it was fucking weird. It did, however, bother Cain, which meant it a quick and easy jab to make. Still, he seemed happy. Happier than he'd been with his ex wife; Of course, the bitch had tried to kill him but that wasn't the point. Even in the apocalypse, Cain seemed happier than he'd ever been, comfortable even, despite his twitchiness. Slivko couldn't recall a time he'd ever been that content with another person. He brought his cigarette to his lips once more, taking a long and slow drag as he tried to push any further thoughts of the soldier and his missus out of his mind. Thinking about the two of them together forced him to think about his own inadequacies and now wasn't the time or place for that. Slivko let out a small chuckle at Cain's sudden outburst, though he didn't poke him any further. A familiar silence enveloped the two men. Back in the army days they could go hours without talking in order to avoid compromising the mission. Now, the stakes felt lower and that made the silence all the more unbearably boring. He took a final drag before flicking the charred remains away from him with his thumb and forefinger. Various topics floated through his mind as he tried to think of something to breach the silence, only for Cain to do it for him. He knew his answer immediately, though he had a feeling he shouldn't voice it. In truth, Slivko didn't miss it in the slightest. Joining the military had given him purpose, sure, but at the cost of his autonomy. There were so many rules to follow, and when he got home from deployment he was filled with the same emptiness he'd gotten so familiar with growing up. It was ironic, how at peace he was now that the world had ended. There were no societal norms he had to follow, nothing forcing him to be someone he knew he wasn't. "Not really," he shrugged, unwilling to elaborate on it, "Do you miss it?"

Cunt. He always hated that word. That little part of his mother still bloomed in his chest, or rather festered. He could still hear her sharp little don't! Malcolm would say it just to rile her, his brother slipped it out at the Christmas dinner table and he was certain she intended to put him over her knee like a little boy for the entire Ransome clan to see. And so, Cain twitched a little, which is exactly what he wanted. So he gave him no satisfaction of a reprimand. It would only spur him on. God, did he miss the days he could make him do two hundred pushups for a sly word. "Sounds well adjusted, man. Happy for you," Cain smirked tightly, his tongue rubbing against the grooves on the back of his teeth irritably. "You know, I thought you and Blair might. For a minute there." He knew before he said it, that it would invite the snippy backhand; we don't all want to fuck teenagers- or something as equally squeamish. But it made it no less true. Cain remembered watching them standing in his and Shiloh's place. An off-brand imitation playing mom and dad to the flock. It was easy to sleep and seek comfort with someone who... understood. But no, they instead skirted around each other, ever the platonic odd couple until she'd gone back to Jax (he hadn't always been known by his name, a few off-color nicknames had been passed around over the years, but Cain had conceded to his permanence.)

"No, man. Like, you get a random grid and you gotta find as many words as you can, it's like a make your own words- Oh, get fucked," He huffed finally. There was only so much to do in this place without television. He hadn't realized how much of his recreational time he'd spent sitting and staring at nothing in particular. As a kid, he could watch fifteen hours straight if no one came to bother him. In this world, Cain had downtime here and there but no mind for relaxation anymore. It was ever working, ever anxious. Bored games were better than silence, chafing with his freedom while Shiloh was indisposed. So he played with the others and argued about what words truly existed.

"You miss it?" Cain asked suddenly, piercing their stony silence. "Life before this shit, I mean."

[tmuses]

For a second he opened his mouth to ask who the fuck John Green was, but quickly closed it upon realizing he just didn't care. The tone of her voice and the roll of her eyes indicated an element of sarcasm. Maybe a couple months ago she would've been too anxious to so much as disagree with him, now though? He couldn't get her to shut up. Blair's quick response was met with a nonchalant shrug and a wordless grunt. Sticking around so they felt safe was one thing, motivating them was another entirely. Motivation in his household was the sound of a belt being unbuckled. Motivation in the army was little short of torture. Light motivation wasn't something he was familiar with, nor was he sure he'd be capable of doing. "If you want light motivation, I'm not your guy" he shook his head, lips pulled together into a thin line.

Blair was a little naive at times, but not a total idiot. She knew how much he hated doing this stuff, and not just because he told her; often. Slivko was lazy by nature. Blair was just sort of hoping it was lazy in like... a lion sort of way, like he might hop up and be really useful in danger and go back to sleeping and eating and being generally useless... kind of way. "So very John Green of you," She commented wryly, rolling her eyes. Not that she expected him to know what that meant, maybe Shiloh would have laughed. The thought soured her fun.

He looked like he was listening and for once not in the patronizing way where he would nod to everything she said and ask her to repeat herself all over when she finished speaking. "No," She answered instinctively. "You're here so they feel safe enough to go look where they need to without worrying about getting eaten... But also... I don't know, a little? Like I'm not talking Guantanamo Bay here, but like a LIGHT motivation couldn't hurt."

[tmuses]

Slivko scoffed at the notion that he could be lonely. He’d never felt more crowded. Every time he looked over his shoulder some dumb kid needed something, and Cain expected him to help out like he was still some dumb private. He didn’t bother opening his eyes at Cain’s playful jab, merely flicking the ash off of his cigarette with his thumb. Cain didn’t mean anything by it, but it was something Slivko hated to think about. He’d been with women in his time, sure, but it was mostly a result of the constant prodding the rest of his squad gave him when they were on leave. He wasn’t like every other horny bastard in the Army, and it made him feel like a freak. “Nah, not worth it. Cunts. All of them. Shi especially,” he replied, the mocking tone emphasized on her nickname. He didn’t really think she was a cunt— at least not all the time. She could be demanding, sure, but after a lifetime of giving orders maybe Cain needed to be bossed around. “So what, it’s like scrabble?” He asked, trying to picture the game. He hadn’t really played a lot of games growing up—at least, nothing he couldn’t play by himself. Mom and dad didn’t really have time for family game night, and he’d never been very good at making friends. “Sounds like some old man shit, Ransome. You play a lot of boggle with your the other men your age?” He added antagonistically.

His lips quirked up at the corners, amused with the unbridled disgust in his tone. Slivko had thrown about a million barbs out over him and Shiloh, Cain had learned far too late he was just as capable of tormenting him back. For all his talk, he sure hated to hear about it. "Sure, I can do that. It must be really hard for you, you know. With how lonely you've been." Cain's hair fell into his eye, he was in desperate need of a cut again. He brushed it back, settling himself as comfortably as he could on the hot concrete. "You ever going to touch a woman again or is that all behind you?"

"No, not like bingo." He added, he felt restless with this much time on his hands, almost regretful he'd passed on the cigarette if for nothing else than he'd like to have something to fiddle with for a couple of minutes. "Word finding and shit, don't worry about. Too many letters for you."

[tmuses]

Slivko rolled his eyes at her, uninterested and entirely unwilling to continue the argument. He bristled in irritation, though it wasn't entirely directed at Blair. Mostly, he was frustrated with Cain. At first Slivko had thought it'd be fun to fill his shoes and be in charge for once. Even back in his army days he'd been jealous of the power Cain possessed. Now, he realized he didn't want any of it. He didn't want the pressure, and he sure as fuck didn't want the responsibility. Constantly, he poked and prodded at his former Sergeant, anything to kindle the fire that seemed to be dying more and more each day. Nothing worked and he continued to be nothing but sad, bitter, and empty. He'd intended to take advantage of Blair's momentary silence and wander off but the panicked tapping on his arm put a stop to those ideas. His lips pressed together into a thin line, a heavy sigh pushing through his nostrils. Things could never be simple. He crouched down to put his cigarette out against a piece of stone on the ground, shuffling it back into his pack before standing up again. "Relax, they probably just wandered farther in," he reassured her, though it was less to put her at ease and more to keep her quiet. He wasn't worried, not yet. Screaming usually came first, and it was still relatively quiet outside. Regardless, he checked his weapon, ensuring it was ready if he needed it. "Where'd you last see them?" he questioned, eyes scanning the area while they began to walk. Slivko rolled his eyes at her, uninterested and entirely unwilling to continue the argument. He bristled in irritation, though it wasn't entirely directed at Blair. Mostly, he was frustrated with Cain. At first Slivko had thought it'd be fun to fill his shoes and be in charge for once. Even back in his army days he'd been jealous of the power Cain possessed. Now, he realized he didn't want any of it. He didn't want the pressure, and he sure as fuck didn't want the responsibility. Constantly, he poked and prodded at his former Sergeant, anything to kindle the fire that seemed to be dying more and more each day. Nothing worked and he continued to be nothing but sad, bitter, and empty. He'd intended to take advantage of Blair's momentary silence and wander off but the panicked tapping on his arm put a stop to those ideas. His lips pressed together into a thin line, a heavy sigh pushing through his nostrils. Things could never be simple. He crouched down to put his cigarette out against a piece of stone on the ground, shuffling it back into his pack before standing up again. "Relax, they probably just wandered farther in," he reassured her, though it was less to put her at ease and more to keep her quiet. He wasn't worried, not yet. Screaming usually came first, and it was still relatively quiet outside. Regardless, he checked his weapon, ensuring it was ready if he needed it. "Where'd you last see them?" he questioned, eyes scanning the area while they began to walk.

He grunted at her and it took all the grace the Warren family nannies managed to instill to not petulantly grunt back, instead scuffing her shoes against the stones, sending them quietly scattering into the brush. It was so hot she wanted to whine, and she hated doing the outside jobs. Blair only liked being stuck in the sun if there was some body of water nearby and she had a little bikini to tan in and frankly a dirty school fountain just didn't cut it.

Blair was shielding her eyes from the sun, wishing she'd been smart enough to trade for a hat before their value raised with the temperature. Slivko said no, what a shock. She shook her head at his rejection, rejecting it in kind. "You are the guy," Blair insisted. "Because you're the only guy I have." She didn't want to think about it, she didn't even mean to. He barely came into her mind, just a passing thought that maybe people might take her more seriously with Jax here. That was all it took and she could hear Beckett trying to manage her name with his teeth being knocked loose in his mouth. She didn't need that today. She turned her face towards the sun, a good reason to scrunch her eyes shut for a moment until all she could think about was the sweat beading on her nose. After a moment she peaked open, blinking back the colored glare that was now obscuring her eyeline. The bush Annika had spent fifteen minutes pruning was now abandoned. Blair whipped her head from left to right, sucking in a panicked breath. Her hand swatted at Slivko in rapid light pats as if he'd some how missed her erratic scanning. "Oh my god, they were just there. Where did they go?"

[tmuses]

He raised a brow at her response. Normally he'd have something smart to say about the way she was speaking to him, but the way the heat was beating down on his skin was making him feel lazy. He let out a quiet snort at her irritation. When he'd first met Blair he'd thought she was nothing but a useless crybaby. Now he knew she had layers. It was obvious she was trying to fill the void Shiloh had recently left behind, and he could admit she was doing a half decent job. Of course, that didn't make him mess with her any less. When she denied his offer, Slivko put them back in his pocket with a shrug. Her insults meant little to him-- just like her praise. "Yeah? I got some bad news for you-- we're all dying. Some of us are just doing it a little faster," he smirked. Her disgust only lasted a short while, the blonde quickly returning to his first question. He appreciated her honesty, even if his initial instinct was to give her a hard time. She was absolutely right, as much as he wished she wasn't. With Cain and Shiloh out of commission, the faction had grown restless and lazy-- which meant he actually had to pull his weight. He was on board with Blair's plan for the sole reason that if she managed to pull it off, he could go back to riding Cain's coat tails without doing much to earn his place. His gaze wandered over the crowd along with her, noting the way that only a few seemed really interested in doing the work. "Is that why i'm here? To motivate them?" he questioned with a raised brow.

"Foraging," She snapped, trying to position herself a little higher to see what the others were doing across the way. Annika had been staring at the same bush for almost ten minutes now. "Oh my god it's got berries or it doesn't," Blair hissed irritably, watching the girl fiddle with the leaves leisurely. Blair wrung her hands in front of her irritably, trying to refocus on the mushrooms she was supposed to be plucking. Slivko held out a cigarette in response, one hanging out the corner of his mouth charmlessly. She wrinkled her nose in response, "Gross." That, evidently was not sufficient for Blair. "You're not, like, that old. You know how bad these are for you. There's no more chemo, you're gonna die."

"Okay you got me, we're not foraging. I don't know what kind of mushroom this is. But these guys normally bring in double, maybe more, and since... you know. No one's asking about it." They'd never underperform for Shiloh, Blair thought miserably. She knew how to make them listen, how to make them work. Blair just parroted Shiloh-isms and hoped it would work, but things were getting worse.

"Cain used to go with them, and I don't know if they've slowed down because they're scared without him watching their backs for Zombie's or whatever, or because they're lazy as hell and capitalizing on not having daddy here to watch them," She sniped bitterly, watching them giggling at the same. Damn. Bush. "They used to go so much further out than this, there's basically nothing here."

[tmuses]

When Cain made no effort to take a cigarette he shoved it back in his pocket. "God no," he huffed, resting his head against the brick wall behind him, "The first time was enough. I can only listen to your voice for so long before it gets on my nerves." He brought his cigarette up to his lips, taking a deep inhale. Slivko couldn't remember if Cain had always been this...paranoid. Maybe it was all the weight his girlfriend had put on his shoulders, or maybe it was the fact that they were living in hell with no escape. Either way his relentless concerns were enough to drive a man mad. Truth be told, he didn't give a fuck if Jennie Marie or Sarah Ann had heard 'motorcycles' in the night. It didn't concern him, and he didn't think it should concern Cain. Of course, if he said as much, he was sure he'd be receiving another lecture. He opened one eye to listen to Cain, still squinting in the summer sun. The corner of his lip curled upwards in disgust at the use of a nickname for Shiloh. "Yak. Do me a favor--If we're going to be stuck up here together can you not whine and moan about how much you miss your girlfriend? Thanks," he replied closing his eye once more. He took another drag from his cigarette before adding, "And what the fuck is boggle? Is that like Bingo or some shit?"

There was still another hour before the sun would even begin to set, the summer heat eating away at him under his stiff fatigues. Cain found himself grateful again that it was a dry kind of bake rather than a swampy warmth. Slivko seemed less intent on silver linings, huffing and puffing seemingly whenever he thought Cain might've finally forgotten about how miserable he was. "One of the girls," Cain began, knowing Megan's name was an unimportant detail to Slivko. "Swears up and down she's been hearing motorcycles in the night. I don't have to explain to you twice why that's a problem, right?"

They'd been lucky that their biggest problem outside the walkers had been a pigheaded boy and his idiot ideas, who'd been feeding the worms for almost two years now. The idea of someone new in the area for the first time might've been exciting to some. The few with hope ready for the thought of the cavalry pouring in to save them. The pessimists among them, however, had counted on this day. The day when the rats and roaches of the world that had scraped by came looking for more.

"I told you, man. We're here 'til morning light so get comfortable." Blair had promised to bring them an evening meal before she slept, so they wouldn't be stuck on the roof all night with empty stomachs. "Besides, where the fuck else do you need to be tonight, huh? I'm the one stuck out here with Shi' in there. You're missing what?" He shot with a playful brow raise. "Boggle night?"