#we're watching too much trek too fast I can't keep up

[starberry-cupcake]

she had me cheering and clapping and pointing at the screen

[whumpsmith-participates]

Medwhump May 2024

Day 15 - Warmed blankets / Internal injuries

Continuation of Day 14 - Seizures / Vehicle accident

TW: minor whumpee (17), blood, vomiting, character death (implied)

@medwhumpmay

So to recap, Fetch crashed his van through no fault of his own. Which wasn't too much of a disaster, accidents can happen after all, though it would've been a little bit easier to deal with if they hadn't crashed in the middle of nowhere. Even when neither of them are too severely injured, it's a long trek to the nearest gas station, but they decided to make the hike anyway, as each step would bring them closer to salvation and it would be a better bet than to stay by the wreck and pray that someone would drive by eventually and also stop to help them.

Erick was usually pretty good with the heat, he'd grown up in Arizona after all, but even he reached his limit sometimes. He'd already been toeing the line while they were still driving, but now that they were walking next to the hot asphalt in direct sunlight with an extra piece of cloth tied around his neck to support his arm he was positively miserable.

He didn't complain about it though. Fetch was in a bad enough mood as it was, and his fuse was shorter than usual. He was probably in pain and uncomfortable too, and Erick just knew he would lash out if he started whining about how much the situation sucked.

For that same reason, he also stayed quiet when he started feeling nauseous. It was proably the heat and lack of hydration, the exhaustion from walking for hours without rest... Thankfully Fetch called for a break then, and the nausea subsided when Erick was allowed to sit down.

"How you doing?" Fetch asked, lighting a cigarette for himself.

"I'm fine, kinda," Erick said, after flopping down in the sand, "all things considered."

"When we get back to civilisation I'll get you some after-sun, you're looking a lil red," Fetch said.

"Like you're one to talk, you're covered in blood," Erick pointed out.

"It's bleeding through the gauze, isn't it?" Fetch said, wiping some blood from the side of his face, "it's fine. Nothing that can't be fixed as soon as we're out of this fucking sandbox."

"I hope someone passes us soon," Erick said.

"I hope they also stop and pull over," Fetch said, "we'll continue when I finish this cigarette, okay?"

"But you smoke so fast," Erick groaned slightly.

Fetch responded by kicking some sand at him. Erick coughed and sputtered as some got into his mouth, while Fetch continued to smoke unbothered.

"I already said, if we keep moving there's a good chance we'll regain a signal and be able to call for help," he said, "so we'll continue as soon as I finish this cigarette."

"Y-yes, sir...sorry," Erick said.

He spat out some more sand, before reluctantly getting back to his feet so he was ready to go as soon as Fetch buried his cigarette butt in the sand to extinguish it.

They didn't get very far or Erick's feet were already dragging again. Fetch didn't seem to notice, though, or he didn't care, as he simply walked ahead. He wanted to focus on just getting to their destination, and he just didn't have the energy to coddle the teen right now.

"Sir?"

"Unless you tell me you see a car coming I don't wanna hear it," Fetch said.

Erick stayed quiet after that, so it couldn't have been that important after all. Fetch proceeded to ignore him, not even realising the distance between them was beginning to grow, until he suddenly heard the distinctive sound of someone retching.

Fetch stopped walking and turned back, finding Erick several paces behind him, leaning on his knee with his good arm and dry-heaving. Fetch rolled his eyes and walked back.

"You need another break already?" he asked.

Erick slowly looked up, looking a lot paler than he did half an hour ago. He didn't get a chance to reply, retching again and coughing up a handful of blood. Fetch could only watch as the teen sank to his knees, clutching his stomach as he vomited up more blood, before collapsing onto his side, gasping for air.

"Hey, stop that!" Fetch said.

He knew it didn't make sense to say, but even he could let go of rationality if he was shocked enough. He knelt down next to the teen, trying to get him to sit back up. Erick was shaking, deteriorating fast.

"No, no, no, not like this,"he said while cradling the teen, "why the hell didn't you say anything?!"

"Y-you said... cough!"

"And since when do you listen to me?" Fetch said, "just hold on, I got you."

He pulled the boy closer, trying to ignore his pained whining and ragged breathing as he pulled out his phone to check if they had a signal yet.

Zilch.

"W-what's happening?"

Erick's voice sounded so weak. Fetch checked him over, having to pry his arms away to palpate properly. He didn't like what he found, but there was literally nothing he could do.

"You're bleeding internally," Fetch said, letting the teen get comfortable...or as comfortable as was possible in his state.

"You probably ruptured something in the crash," he continued, "you're bleeding into your abdominal cavity...the low blood pressure can't get enough oxygen to your brain, you'll pass out soon and then it won't hurt anymore."

"A-and then?"

Fetch couldn't answer.

"Don't worry," he said, shrugging off his jacket and wrapping it around the boy, "don't worry about that now, kid. I got you..."

Erick settled down a bit, probably on the brink of passing out. Fetch tried to wipe the blood off of his face a bit. That was roughly all he could do, other than stay with him and wait for the inevitable...

WOW That took long. Sorry for the wait, things just. kept. coming up. RIP Erick, you'll be good as new in the next one uwu.

Masterlist Main account

Taglist for the dynamic duo: @lavndvrr

[songsandsophism]

Some days, I sit in a state of catatonic existential dread, mind consumed by a world lacking clear-cut purpose, staring at an endless stream of content to dull the edge of its pain. All the while, I do very little to find purpose or even consider that the fact this rises up when I've been sedentary for a little too long.

And other days I'll wander off, perhaps for coffee, or buying myself some new shoes. But more-so find myself wandering in nature, trekking through went and windy Scotland with little more than a tent, a thermos and food to last me a day or two. I lay in a tent, damp and cold, but never feeling that looming dread. I peer through the tents door, waiting for clouds to part so I might see stars.

I often never see stars, but I always watch, too far removed from civilisation for the bandwidth to scroll endlessly, too far from power to waste it so quickly. And I listen to music, slow and peaceful, fast and joyful, even the loud and angry because human nature contains multitudes and feeling those multitudes makes me feel more grounded.

It's easy to feel lost and alone when you stand still too long, you begin to feel the planet spin, the, the galaxy stretch out with stats beyond counting. And standing there along, you blame yourself for not finding purpose, for not seeing what everybody else so clearly sees.

And it's silly, I know because I do it too, every week or so I feel that pressure. But I keep moving, that's not to say you need to wander into woods and over fields, maybe just to the coffee shop, or a class for a skill you don't nerd but always wanted, or just to see a friend you can be yourself with.

Standing on ancient rock, among countless stars, it's easy to stare off into space and see nothing but the past, distant light making the years long journey to your eyes. And it can make you feel small and pointless, and that so much is behind us all that we're barely anything.

But that's a bit silly really, isn't it?

Our ancient rock is young with vibrant life, stars mark the potential that out there are our future galactic siblings, and the past stretching out behind us only shows how little we've been here, and with any luck, how much more we've got to go.

So chin up, find a reason to move, and when you can't, know that there's so much more to come, and rest is necessary.

You're complex, profound, and have so much more to do. And of course, gorgeous. Whoever you are.

I needed some peaceful music tonight. The song of choice is Such Great Heights performed by Iron & Wine, a band I'm quite fond of but even more so of this cover. The postal service (the authors of the original song) are one of my favourites, and somehow, the covers of their songs seem to pack even more punch than the originals.

[starshard17]

Form the 75 dabbles list:

"roadtrip!" with Patton+any side(s)

Or

27 with Virgil +anyone!

Oooo okay...

--

"Roadtrip!" Patton cheered as he ran through the house, gathering all the supplies he would need to make this ride the best it could possibly be. Janus could do nothing but watch in awe. He was fast, surprisingly. He never fell (at least not when in view range of Janus), he got everything packed up quicker than Janus could manage.

"Patton?" Janus spoke up as the side zoomed past him. He halted to a stop, turning to Janus.

"Yes?" Patton asked, looking at him expectantly. His eyes were wide and full of wonder and excitement. Janus couldn't even attempt to hide the smile that crossed his face.

"Do you want me to help with anything?" He asked, stepping closer to the fatherly side. He knitted his brows into a furrow and looked at the ground, deep in thought.

"Hmm... well. Unless you still want it to be a trip just between the two of us you could go get the others." Patton offered. Janus scowled.

"Yeah no. This is supposed to be a trip between the two of us... I don't want to have to deal with idiotic children while we're trying to have a good time." Janus said, a smirk on his lips as Patton frowned at him.

"Come on Jan don't be mean! I understand wanting to spend quality time with me bit that doesn't give you an excuse to slander our friends." Patton reprimanded, hands on his hips.

"Alright Daddy Dearest..." Janus muttered, walking over to the couch and taking a seat. Patton sighed and started his trek around the house again, making sure they had everything they could possibly need.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

The two of them were sat in the car. Things were a bit awkward, and the silence was almost deafening.

It didn't take long for Patton to want the silence gone so he tried to fill the air with light small talk.

"So Janus... I'm glad you offered to come on the roadtrip with me but... if you aren't going to say anything this won't work out." Patton said, tapping his hands against the steering wheel. Guess that could've been phrased a little nicer...

He looked over at the snake in the seat next to him. He was looking out the window. Did he even hear what Patton had said?

"Janus." Patton prompted, waiting for a response. It never came. He took a deep breath and pulled out of the driveway, driving down the road.

Patton watched the view in front of him sadly. He thought this would've been a bit more lively. Maybe he should've taken Roman or Virgil.

"Where are we driving too?" Janus spoke up, turning his gaze to Patton.

Patton glanced at Janus, a wide grin on his face.

"That's a surprise! I'm sure you'll like it though." Patton explained. Janus nodded solemnly.

"Despite the fact that you I hate surprises if you say I'll like then I'll trust you." Janus said, sitting up more in his seat, just watching Patton's face.

More silence.

"Jan why are you watching me..." Patton asked, a light red showing up in his freckled cheeks. Janus took notice to this, grinning mischievously.

"Because you look cute." Janus said, watching as he turned redder. He sputtered out a thank you, trying his best to keep his focus.

"What... has no one ever told you that before?" Janus asked, reaching a hand over and resting it on Patton's leg.

"W-well they have but..." Patton spoke, flushed and hesitant.

"But?" Janus prodded, pushing his head against Patton's arm. Patton remained quiet.

"You can't ignore me forever. Considering how much you packed something tells me we're going to be out together... for a fairly decent amount of time. What's got you so worked up?" Janus asked, fiddling with one of the sleeves to the cat hoodie tied around Patton's neck. Patton gulped, risking a glance down at Janus.

Mistake. Big mistake. He quickly turned his gaze back to the road. His face burned brighter with each second that passed.

"I just... I've never had a close friend like you... call me cute before..." Patton murmured, eyes fixed on the road.

"Oh? You mean to tell me none of the others tell you you look cute? That's not right... Patton you are so pretty... so beautiful... so..."

"Jan please stop." Patton mumbled. The deceitful side eyed him curiously.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Janus asked. Patton shook his head a little.

"Not really. I just... can't really tell if you're being serious right now or not and it's making my heart ache." Patton explained. Janus frowned.

He clicked the button releasing his seatbelt so he could nuzzle fully up against Patton, his breath hot against Patton's neck.

"What makes you think I would lie to you." Janus asked. Patton didn't answer.

"Come on tell me..." Janus poked his nose against Patton's neck, making him shiver.

"Get back in your seat Jan..." Patton mumbled. Janus glanced over where he was sat before. Then he looked at Patton.

Next thing he knew he was slithering his way right into Patton's lap, tucking his head underneath his chin. Patton blushed madly, hands gripping the steering wheel tight.

"Janus this is probably dangerous." Patton said, all while lightly nuzzling his head into Janus' hair.

"I know. But if we're going to wreck I would like to wreck while I'm in your arms. You're warm. Cozy. I'm comfortable here. I'm not going back to my seat. Your lap is my seat now." Janus explained. He smirked at the noise Patton let out.

Janus had done his job. There was just one more cherry to add on top of everything else.

"I love you Patton."

And God if Patton was a blushy mess before you should see him now.

Yeah. This roadtrip was going to be fun.

--

"Oh, look! My will to live... it's gone."

"Why?"

Virgil jumped. He wasn't expecting anyone to have heard him. He turned his head away from the mess on the floor to look at the person who had asked the question.

Virgil just subtly motioned to the puddle of coffee on the ground, along with broken mug shards.

"I see. Well. That is definitely no reason to not want to live. It's an easy mess to clean. It's not the end of the world." Logan said, examining the brown liquid. He grabbed the roll of paper towels on the counter beside him and knelt down, soaking up the mess.

"That was my favorite mug though..." Virgil muttered, tousling his hair.

"I'm sure you could ask Roman to conjure you a new one. Now if it's alright, could you start picking up the pieces of your mug?" Logan requested.

Virgil grumbled but he lowered himself onto his knees, picking up the pieces like Logan had asked him to.

And sure enough, Logan was right, it was a fairly easy mess to clean up. They made sure to wipe down the areas of the floor tile that the coffee had already managed to stain. When they were done its like you couldn't even tell anything had happened.

"Thanks Logan." Virgil mumbled, fumbling with his hoodie strings.

"Not a problem. Could you do me a favor though?" Logan prompted, turning to him.

"I... I suppose so. What's up?"

"Go find your will to live again...I would hate to find out my friend still wanted to die even though are plenty of things around here to help you feel better. Try to have fun alright? I believe you've earned a break." Logan explained, placing his hand on Virgil’s shoulder, smili.g softly at Virgil.

And the emo smiled. The way Logan worded things was a bit odd but he appreciated them none the less.

"Alright. But if I don't find something..."

"Just inform me. I'm sure we could find something to do together." Logan said, pulling away and moving back up the stairs to his room. Virgil smiled even more. Okay.

If Virgil was being honest. Seeing his friend smile at him was enough of a reason to have a will to live. At least for the time being.

[to-boldly-nope]

Death by Tribbles- Jean-Luc Picard x Reader

Plot: {Requested by @groovy-lady} Ooh what about an imagine of fem!Reader (Picard’s wife) going on goofy shenanigans in space with Jean-Luc!!

Words: 595

A/N: Alright, when I heard goofy shenanigans, my first thought was Tribbles lol. Also requests are now closed until my school work dies down because my planning for instruction teacher honestly doesn't seem to like me as much as the rest of the class (and my girlfriend broke up with me so I'm going through some shit right now I am so sorry lmao) Also I'll add the gif later I'm sitting in my living room and I don't want my dad to know that I write Star Trek fanfiction

It all started when the replicators began to go haywire. You didn't know why or what was going on so you went to go find Geordi.

"Hey, Geordi, there's something wrong with my replicator," you told him as you watched him do an analysis on Data.

"Yeah, everybody seems to be having issues. I'll be up once I'm finished with Data."

"Great, I owe you on Geord! I'll see you two around," you waved as you went back to your shared quarters, but on the way you noticed a small ball of fur on the floor. You bent down and picked it up. It began to churp and purr and you laughed.

"Look at you! Aw, you're so cute. I can't wait to show you to Jean-Luc, he'd adore you."

So later that night, you showed your husband the little fur ball you called Barney.

"Isn't he the cutest?" You gushed as Jean-Luc picked him up. You watched as Jean-Luc examined your pet.

"He does seem to have a charm to him," Jean-Luc noted.

"I know, that's why I kept him."

"Why don't we put Barney to bed so we can get some rest?"

And that's how you woke up in a bed full of fur balls. Jean-Luc peaked his head out of the pile, trying to find you.

"What the hell happened?" Your muffled voice cried out. Trying to find a way out of the endless fur pit.

"It seems like Barney is a girl," Jean-Luc laughed as he tried to dig you out. You stuck your hand out of the pile and he grabbed it, pulling you out.

"By why so many? I woke up and all I saw was fur and I thought I was dead."

"No, it seems that you picked up a tribble."

"Oh," you mumbled. "So that means-"

"Yeah I'm sorry, mon amour. Starfleet registered them as dangerous since the repopulate too fast."

"Well hopefully we can stop them before they spread too fast."

You bent down and picked a tribble up, admiring it as it chirped. "You naughty little things. If you didn't create such a nuisance I would keep you. Let's call Data and see if he can figure something out."

~

The situation escalated rather quickly and an entire floor on the ship was full of tribbles. And poor Worf. Poor, poor Worf. Klingons and tribbles never mixed and they never will.

You tried to move throughout the deck, having difficulty since everywhere was balls of fur. Jean-Luc held onto your hand as he tried to help guide you.

"If we die here, it's technically not my fault," you pointed out.

"I would never blame it on you, my dear, however-"

You laughed as you tripped into the fur pile, dragging Jean-Luc with you. You both began to laugh, imagining the stupid cause of death. Death by tribbles, imagine.

"Til death do us part as they always said," Jean-Luc pointed out.

"They're going to change it to "Til death and/or tribble do us part"," you giggled.

In the midst of your laughing and joking, the tribbles around you disappeared, leaving you and Jean-Luc sitting on the floor. Geordi, Riker, and Data came running towards the two of you.

"Captain, (Y/N), are you two alright?" Riker asked.

"Yes, Number One, we're fine. We just thought of something ridiculous, that's all."

"Yeah, there's always something funny about tribbles, Will," you sighed, wiping some tears away. "You know Jean-Luc, that's a story we're going to have to tell our kids about if we have any."

"Of course, mon amour," he smiled.

[d-xs]

PROMPT:

Bruce Wayne & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Catherine Todd

Warning: implied/referenced child abuse.

Jason Todd makes no attempt to eat his burger or even take a sip from his soda, despite the loud rumbling of his stomach. He clutches the bag tightly, bringing it closer to his chest when he sees Bruce staring, like he's afraid Bruce would take offense and demand his food back.

Bruce Wayne does not understand him. His threadbare clothes do nothing to hide the skin stretched over bones. He can see the outline of the boy's ribs through his red hoodie. He is clearly very hungry and going by the way he can't seem to take his eyes off the bag of fast food or even how he keeps taking lungs full of the aroma wafting from it, like if he breathes deep enough, he will be filled. He would bet his entire fortune that this kid has not had a good meal in weeks, or even months. Even one as unhealthy as greasy fast food.

The child is clearly starving. Yet, he has not made any attempt to help himself.

Bruce does not have any experience with poverty or homelessness. Even at the lowest point of his life, he had access to basic human needs. Still, he knows enough about human behavior to know that Jason's behavior right now is not the norm. When he gives a clearly starving person food, they usually devour it immediately.

There are only a few reasons why he would not want to eat the food he had enthusiastically accepted from Bruce. Either he plans to use the food as payment for his safety, in which case, Bruce needs to start looking into gangs exploiting kids, or he has someone, most likely a younger sibling in his care. Considering the fact that Bruce had caught him trying to jack off the fourth tire of the batmobile, after successfully getting away with the other three, Bruce is not sure what is most likely to be the case.

"You going to turn me in now?" Jason asks him, once Bruce's burger is out of sight.

"I promised you I wouldn't," Bruce tells him as earnestly as he can manage.

It doesn't convince the child at all.

"Yeah, right," he scoffs. "That's what you all say."

"Don't you think it would be counter-productive to have you arrested for trying to survive? I'm trying to make Gotham safe for kids like you, Jason. Not put you in jail. I might take you somewhere safe, so you don't have to keep living on the streets, but--"

"I'm not on the streets," Jason cuts in defensively. The fear and worry in his expression is clear now. "I live with my mom and we're fine. If you're not going to arrest me, then I'll be on my way."

A mom. Bruce can't decide if it's a euphemism for Boss. He has seen some awful things since becoming Batman. He also knows some parents take advantage of their kids and force them into crimes as a way to 'earn their keep'.

Jason is most likely taking the food to this person, if he's not eating it, and Batman needs to separate them if the child is being exploited.

The child doesn't wait for Bruce's response before he starts his trek back to the Narrows.

Making a snap decision, Bruce calls out to him.

"Common, I'll drop you off wherever you want," he says, knowing Jason would never let Batman drop him off at home. The child is too suspicious, and rightfully so.

Jason stops in his tracks, but he makes no attempt to accept Bruce's offer.

"It will be morning before you make it all the way across town," Bruce points out. "That's <i>if</i> you don't get attacked for the food."

With that, Jason agrees to let Bruce give him a ride.

Even though he was quiet for the first couple of minutes, Bruce could see the wheels turning in the boy's head. Jason has a very expressive face that tells Bruce he is gearing up to say something, as he takes in the interior of the batmobile.

Jason doesn't take as long as Bruce thought he would.

"You're probably rich, huh?" Jason observes.

Oh God, Bruce hopes this kid is not about to proposition him.

"Not really." Bruce's answer is terse to discourage further probing.

"So it's true what they say?" Jason continues, either missing Bruce's reluctance to continue with this conversation or ignoring it. "That you're fucking Bruce Wayne for money?"

If Batman didn't have such a tight rein on his microexpressions, he would have choked. "That's not language suitable for a child."

Jason turns in his seat so that Bruce doesn't miss the elaborate eye-roll.

"I guess you've had to pay informants, huh?" Jason asks. "You know, like in the stories, where a dude is rewarded for giving the cops valuable information for solving a crime. You do that?"

"Sometimes." Bruce is invested in where Jason is going with his questioning. "Why? Do you have information to sell?"

"Depends on your going rate," the boy sasses.

"And how much do you want?" Bruce asks.

"I read in the papers that the FBI pay up to a hundred grand," Jason shrugs. "Shouldn't be too much for you to match, seeing as you have a rich boyfriend."

"One hundred thousand dollars?" The only reason Bruce doesn't laugh is because he doesn't want Jason to think he's being made fun of.

That, and the possibility that Jason may be trying to get free from his abuser, by having Batman go after them.

"You really think your information is worth that much?" Bruce asks.

"You tell me, Batman." Jason shrugs again. "It was worth enough to cause a war between Penguin and Scarecrow. Enough to make my dad disappear, not that that's a bad thing."

Bruce doesn't think he's supposed to hear the last part, as Jason mutters it under his breath. But the cowl picks up the words clearly.

A criminal and/or abusive mother and mob affiliated but now absentee father. Bruce is debating calling Social Services.

He's also aware of the war between Penguin and Scarecrow. A few months ago, there were rumors of a collaboration between the two factions to take over Gotham, before accusations of betrayal.

If it wasn't for the lives being lost, Bruce would be grateful for their misunderstanding.

Still, a hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money for someone like Jason, and is most likely to draw the wrong attention.

"I'll give you five thousand," Bruce tells him.

"Out of a hundred? Are you really that cheap?" Jason snorts. "You roll around in a ride like this and can't even pay for information? Okay, I'll do you a favor and take seventy."

"Ten," Bruce counters.

"All you rich assholes like taking advantage of poor people," Jason grumbles angrily. When Bruce doesn't budge, he relents. "Fifty."

"Fifteen."

"Fifty," Jason repeats firmly.

"Alright, twenty five thousand dollars and that's my final offer."

"Deal!" Jason agrees immediately.

Bruce watches him spit on his palm before extending it to Bruce for a handshake.

"Come on," he urges when Bruce makes no attempt to shake his hand. "We gotta shake on it to seal the deal."

In the face of that logical argument, Bruce spits in his own hand before clasping it to Jason's in a handshake.

If Jason believes he has information that can help, then twenty five thousand dollars is not too much to pay someone who clearly needs it. The cash in the batmobile isn't up to the amount, but it should be enough to buy the time he would need to get the rest from the manor.

"Alright." He follows Jason's directions on where to park. "What's this information?"

"Wait here," Jason instructs him, undoing the seat belt. "I'll bring it to you."

Bruce gives Jason a minute head-start before he takes to the rooftops, to trail the young boy.

After a few twists and turns, he comes to a stop in front of a dilapidated building. A woman rushes out and pulls Jason into a hug.

"I've been looking all over for you!" she scolds. "Where were you? Chris said some man took you. Is that true?"

She is rail thin, her threadbare clothes hanging off her body, but she sounds genuinely distressed as she checks him for injuries.

"I'm fine, Mom," Jason says in comfort before shoving the food at her. "Look, I got us food and I found a way to get away from the men looking for dad."

The woman -- Jason's mom -- shoves the food back at him, before pulling him into an apartment with the door barely hanging on a hinge.

It's hard not to notice the woman's limp, or the way Jason supports some of her weight as they go.

Bruce takes a second to process everything.

Judging by the environment and what he's seen and heard, Jason isn't being abused, but he's in even more danger.

Whether he plans to pay off his father's debt with the money or not, Bruce knows he has to get mother and son away from this place before they end up as victims of mob violence. Whether Jason really does have information to sell or not.

With that, Bruce hops down to the street from his perch on the roof.

Despite how mindful he is of the door, the moment his fist to connects with the door, it falls off the hinge holding it in place, exposing Jason and his mother having either a very late dinner or a very early breakfast in their one bedroom apartment.

They both jump at the sight of him, and once realization dawns on them, their reactions are wildly different.

Jason's mom cowers with fear, shrinking into herself while attempting to wrap herself around her son, but Jason won't have it. He is livid.

"What the fuck, Batman!" the child hisses angrily. "I told you to wait for me."

"Jason, stop," his mother pleads, pulling Jason behind her.

The boy is unmoved. His mother's frailness is no match for his strength.

"You broke our door! Why the fuck would you do that?"

Despite his obvious anger, they're both careful not to raise their voices. Bruce imagines that getting a visit from Batman isn't a good thing in this neighborhood.

"Calm down," Bruce growls.

Both mother and son freeze where they stand.

"We didn't do nothing wrong, Batman," the lady tells him in a trembling voice. "If you're looking for my husband, we don't know where he is."

"I'm here for Jason," Bruce tells her, registering her distress just before he turns to Jason. "You were taking too long," he lies. "I wanted to make sure you were fine."

This seems to placate the boy a bit, but not his mother, who demands to know what the hell is going on.

Bruce watches silently as Jason explains his plans to his mother.

Apparently, his plan is to sell the information his father stole from Scarecrow to Batman, in exchange for money that will get them out of Crime Alley.

His mom doesn't look thrilled, but she lets Jason climb into the ceiling to retrieve what her husband had hidden there.

"You won't arrest him when you have what you want, will you?" she asks with a fierce look.

Bruce can't help but admire that about her. Not a lot of people have that look about them when Batman is staring them down.

Must be where Jason gets his spunk.

"Jason is a good boy," she continues. "He did a bad thing, but it was for a good reason. His heart is in the right place, I swear."

"Mrs Todd--" Bruce starts, but she interrupts him.

"Catherine."

"Catherine," he repeats. "I don't plan to arrest your son," he continues as calmly as Batman's voice will let him. "We made a deal and I intend to uphold my end."

"So you're just going to hand Jason twenty-five grand?" Catherine asks suspiciously. "Just like that?"

"Yes," he tells her simply. "But I don't have twenty-five thousand dollars in cash right now. I can give you a thousand tonight, and a safe place for the night. Seeing as I broke your door. Tomorrow, you will get the rest of the money and I will call someone to fix your door."

As he talks, he pulls out the bills from his utility belt and hands it to her.

Of course, he has no plans of letting them return here. But if he has learned anything from being Batman, it's that, sometimes, all some people have left is their pride.

Poor people hate being treated as charity.

Siccing Alfred on her would be more productive. All he has to do is make sure they meet. Dick would probably appreciate having someone young in the manor, too.

"And you swear Jason will be safe?" Catherine stresses, eyes flickering between the money and Bruce's face.

"I swear," he vows solemnly. That much, he can promise.

A few minutes later, Jason returns from the ceiling, an envelope clutched in his hand.

"Jason," Catherine calls softly, pulling him into her arms before he can give Bruce the envelope. "Baby, there's something I have to tell you about…"

[agentmothman18]

YouTube Zombie AU

I have no life-

When the first out break came, thousands had been infected with the disease. If it could even be considered that. Jack, who had been staying over at Felix's house that weekend, was mortified this was actually happening. So was everyone else that got to witness over the television screen. First hand experiences didn't come until the 3rd month for the Irish man, the outbreak only recently spreading across the continent.

Felix was Jacks childhood friend, they didn't grow up together since Felix had to move around a lot. It was mostly a back and forth from Sweden to Ireland for their family. But one the months Felix did come to Ireland, he and Jack would hang out. When Jack got old enough, had a job and a stable income, he would take vacations to go see his Swedish friend. And through Felix he met Marzia, the Swedish mans girlfriend. Jack instantly liked her, he knew the woman would make Felix a better man in the end and seeing how happy the two were together made him happy.

But when the disease spread to Ireland, where the three had decided to stay for a while, it was like watching flies drop form zapping laps that people hang on their porches. Everyone had been so unprepared, even with the 3 month warnings. Flights out to the nearest base camps left within days, Jack and the couple baring making it on one. It was hard for them, not just leaving home to head to Fort Knox but also to see so many people die. And in such gruesome ways that made his stomach turn just remembering.

'Everything's going to be okay.' He remembered Marzia telling them this. Optimistic that the government would find a cure and fix this mess. When that was brought up though, a couple two rows down form them spoke about how this was God punishing them. That the human race was so messed up that God planned for this to happen to them, to punish them in the nose sadistic was possible. Jack would have applauded the god for its cruel ways, but during the moment that was the last thing he would have thought about. To busy trying to keep up with what was going on during the time.

The base camp didn't last long, maybe a month had went by before things fell apart again. To many people gathered in one area was soon realized to be a horrible idea and those that survived split in different directions. It was during that time that Felix had lost Marzia so the Rotters, both watching in horrified shock as the woman's scream was drowned out by her own blood filling her lungs. Felix would have died there too if Jack hadn't ripped him away from the scene. The Swedish has fought against him, screaming and crying for Jack to leave him with her. It tore Jack apart, his heart breaking for his best friend.

After that, things had been different for the both of them. Felix had shut down, becoming a shell of the happy man he used to be and Jack has toughened up. Maybe not physically, though that did increase too, but now he wasn't scared or felt guilty when it came to shooting the walking dead. Nor living people who wanted to kill them. They both found out the hard way that some survivors turned to cannibalism during this mess of a life time. It was disgusting and something Jack would never stoop so low to.

In the presence of today, it was just Jack and Felix. They've traveled, on foot, from Kentucky all the way to Cheyenne, Wyoming. There were plenty of close calls along the way, both from Rotters and survivors. It left Felix without a working right arm, broken from a scuffle with a beefy man who wanted their guns. Jack felt bad he couldn't do more than just align the bone and wrap it, they didn't have pain medication or even the right material to keep the bone from slipping out of place and healing wrongly. "We should rest." Jack said, glancing to his broken watch for the millionth time. It stopped working back in Missouri, so they couldn't tell the time other then looking at where the sun was in the sky. So with a sigh of slight annoyance, jack glanced to the orange-ing sky.

"We can't until we find cover." Felix let out a hiss of pain when he moved his broken arm, the makeshift sling was pinching at his skin. Jack hand nodded in agreement, leading them farther down the barren highway. They were surrounded by trees and the occasional car, which they would stop to check for supplies, but no houses to take cover in.

About two more miles of walking, Jacks feet had had enough for the day. They'd been walking since sunrise with breaks only to rest or eat what little they had. "I give up." He kept his voice down, not wanting to catch the attention of any lurking Rotters. "Well just have to settle in a car for the night."

"Or that house." Felix pointed behind Jack, who whipped around fast enough to almost cause himself whiplash. He had been sure moments ago there was no houses near by, now there was one? The lack of food and sleep was really getting to him. But the house was there, just hidden so he wasn't going completely crazy yet.

With a simple nod of the head, they made the short trek to the house. It was an old country looking house, two stories with white chipped paint on the walls. Even a cute wrap around porch, a house you'd see on old country movies. Jack had told Felix to stay outside while he checked the place out, staring with the perimeters of the house before venturing inside. He had checked every nook and cranny by the time he was sure it was safe, poking his head out the door and motioning for Felix to come in.

"We'll head out in the morning." Jack spoke quietly to Felix, who nodded and didn't hesitate to head for one of the upstairs bedrooms. He was exhausted and in pain, Jack couldn't blame him. When there was a definite click of a door shutting upstairs, the Irish man finally moved from his spot at the door. He took the living room couch, wanting to stay on the ground floor in case of an emergency.

And for the better half of the night, things were peaceful and quiet. It wasn't until what felt like 2 in the morning that Jack woke up to the front door creaking open. By now, those that were still surviving have learned that the Rotters were smarter than they once thought. They were evolving, for the worse. So for a door to be opened was nothing to the dead.

As quietly as Jack could, he rolled off the couch and landed on the floor with a soft thud noise. He freaked out for a moment that he had given himself away but the footsteps coming into the house had went for the kitchen. It gave him enough time to get his gun ready in one hand and a knife in the other. A panicky feeling bubbled in his stomach, making his hands shake for a mere seconds before he calmed himself with a deep breath. He cringed at the creaking floor beneath him, cursing when movement in the kitchen ceased for a moment. Then, he heard voices.

Quiet voices but ones to set him on edge just as bad as the Rotters screaming. "Just get the food and go." A deep voice, smooth and commanding had spoke. Jack felt a little at easy that they weren't interested in them but that didn't mean he was going to let them leave with their food. So, against better judgment Jack had pushed the kitchen door open with his knife hand.

"You're not taking anything." His voice was monotoned, no emotions held in it thanks to the months of hell. Though just a quickly a light had blinded him and there was a click of a gun being cocked ready for its first shot.

"Look, we're not looking for trouble." Another male voice had spoke out, less deep than the first one but almost sounding apologetic. "We just need a bit of food and we'll leave." Jack squinted against the blinding light, moving to the side to get out of its way. The movement didn't cause any problems thankfully, and he had hesitantly lowered his gun. Jack was still a kind person at heart, even if this new world has made him cold.

The light was shinned up towards the ceiling, providing light for the whole room. Jack could finally get a good look at the two, one wearing a mask with a straight line for a mouth and two dots as the eyes. The other had the being of a bread growing, it was kept trimmed though and complimented the mans features. Something about the pair seemed different than most survivors they'd come across. Less aggressive was one thing for sure, but there was a feeling in Jacks gut that told him he could trust them. A bubbling feeling that felt almost comfortable.

"How much food do you have?" Jack asked, putting his gun in its holder on his hip and the knife back in his boot. And to his surprise, the two took their backpacks off and emptied them on the table. There was barely anything; two bottles of waters, three cans of soup, and two packs of those cheesy cracker things. Felix and him didn't have much but they at least had way more than these two. There was also a few guns that clanked down onto the table after falling out, no bullets though he realized. "Damn." He mumbled, his tone sympathetic.

"Most the gas stations on this stretch have been whipped clean." The man without the mask spoke, he looked exhausted in the dim lighting. "If you keep heading northwest on this road you'll be dead in a day. Rotters are crawling around about two miles up." He informed, much needed information considering that was where him and Felix were heading.

"Thanks for the heads up." Jack gave a simple nod with his thanks. "Where are you two headed?" He asked, heading to the cabinets to grab spare food.

"Kentucky." The other had spoke, voice slightly muffled by the mask. Jack cringed at the mention of that place, bad memories surfacing. Grabbing 4 cans of soup and two bottles of water, Jack turned and set it on the table with their stuff.

"If you're headed for Fort Knox, it's a bust. Place got overran with Rotters about two or three months ago." He told them, most his days running together so it was hard to tell how many months it was exactly.

"Well shit." Mr. No-mask groaned, a hand running over his face. "Then I guess we're headed no where." He sighed out, glancing to his masked friend. Jack watched the two, words getting lodged in his throat from trying not to speak them.

"We could head to the NAS down in Meridian." Both Jack and the man without the mask looked to the one with the mask. Jack was dumbfounded, that was months away on foot and for all they knew it was just like Fort Knox. But it there was a chance, for these two at least. For him and Felix, they refused to go anywhere with many survivors. Not after what happened last time.

"To far away. I'd rather die by Rotters than walk that far-"

"What are your names anyway?" Jack cut in, wanting a name to the two he was giving half his food too.

"Oh, my names Mark, this is Cry." Mark had introduced them, motioning to the man with a mask who was Cry. It seemed a little silly to call someone that but he wouldn't say anything about it, some people liked to keep their identity under-wraps even in times like these.

"I'm Jack." There was silence that fell over them for a moment, before the Irish man spoke up again. "If you're not leaving for Meridian, you're welcome to join me and my friend." Jack offered, something he never thought he'd be doing. But four seemed like an okay amount of people to have, more than that was to much.

The two seemed shocked for a moment, looking at each other in a silent conversation. Jack could only keep up with have of it, guessing what they were saying by what he saw Marks facial expressions do. But in the end, they both nodded to each other in their unspoken agreement and turned towards Jack. He was expecting them to decline his offer.

"We're in then."

[annaphoenix1994]

Colter - Old Friends (3)

Whole story masterlist here!

It was no surprise to Arthur that the knawing cold didn't seem to let up by morning. With a gruff sigh, he arose from his cot and fastened his gun belt around his waist, resisting the urge for a cigarette that he felt he desperately needed. He scratched his head before covering his unkempt hair with his weathered hat before opening a tin of biscuits and a can of peaches, quenching his hunger for at least a couple of hours.

He stretched before the old wooden floorboards creaked under his weight as he walked, seeing Dutch and Hosea gathered around the hearth as they discussed their plan.

"So what now, Dutch?" He heard Hosea question.

"We get strong. We get warm. And we wait. When the storm breaks, we need to move, but we're safe here." Dutch explained.

Arthur couldn't help but eavesdrop as he walked by on his way out of the cabin. He felt as if he needed the reassurance since he couldn't provide any type of explanation for himself. He shuttered his shoulders as he closed the cabin door behind him, welcoming himself to the morning wind as it felt to him as it was going to cut him in half.

"Javier," Arthur greeted as Javier was holding his post, a Carbine Repeater in hand.

"Arthur, how you doing?" Javier said through chattering teeth.

"Not freezing is good news," Arthur grunted as his palm rested on the doorknob. "What's he in there fussin' about?" He asked, referring to Micah.

Javier shrugged his shoulders, "Not sure, but he's probably upset because he has to share a room." He replied, sharing a chuckle with Arthur.

"Sure, the poor boy needs his privacy," Arthur snickered as he entered the cabin, greeted by the smell of bourbon and tobacco.

"-up with you boys, because I thought you liked action," Micah continued. "Couple of days on the lam and you lot have all turned yella!" He sneered as he handed the bottle of bourbon to Arthur as he found a seat for himself. "Apart from you, of course." He teased as he looked at his colored fellow gang member, Lenny Summers.

"Shut up, Micah!" Lenny hissed as he took a drag off of his well-needed cigarette. 'I didn't even smoke this much until I got stuck sharin' a cabin with this clown!' He thought.

"I ain't never seen so many long faces," Micah continued, not noticing Arthur glaring at him for his ignorance as he placed a log in the small hearth, presenting his gloved palms to the warmth, a slight jolt running through him as Javier slammed through the door, shaking the fresh snow from his coat.

"I guess... I guess folks miss them...that fell," Bill added, taking a needy drag from his cigarette.

"Well, when I fall, I don't want no fuss." Micah sneered.

Lenny snickered, "When you fall, there'll be a party!"

Bill laughed as Lenny playfully pat his shoulder as he looked over briefly at Arthur, who was bringing his freshly lit cigarette to his lips, letting the temptation take over as he couldn't go any longer without having one.

"A party...probably!" Bill repeated, snickering along with Lenny, not noting how Micah had stood to his feet to walk towards him.

"That funny, huh?" Micah said. "Sure," Bill replied before Micah delivered a blow to Bill's face before he could react, only to be stopped by Arthur and Lenny, who were both clenching their lips around their lit cigarettes as they forced Bill to sit back down.

"Maybe I don't feel like being laughed at by the likes of you two!" Micah sneered before shuttering as Dutch had now made his presence known.

"Stop it!" Dutch hissed. "Now! You fools punching each other when Colm O'Driscoll's need punching, hard. You wanna sit around waiting for him to come find us? All of you, we got work to do!" Dutch preached as Arthur made his way around him to go to his horse.

"Are you sure about this, Dutch?" Arthur asked as he rubbed his gloved hands together.

"Yes," Dutch replied sternly.

"Folks been through a lot recently...we hardly back on our feet yet," Arthur explained, exhaling a small cloud of smoke as he spoke.

"And the last thing we need is to be bushwacked by Colm O'Driscoll. Let's go." Dutch replied, guiding Arthur along with him to their horses.

"I know you hate him, Dutch,"

"He's here for us," He protested.

"I doubt that," Arthur shrugged.

"No, you're just doubting me,"

'Actin' just like a woman!' Arthur hissed to himself. "I would never doubt you, Dutch, you-you always said revenge is a luxury we can't afford."

"This is the right call, Arthur," Dutch insisted. "Take this," He demanded after he watched Arthur inspect the new repeater he had given him. "And this is about more than revenge for business long ago," He explained as he pulled a coil of rope from his horse before handing it to Arthur. "They were talkin' about trains and detonators. Colm always had good information."

"And you think now is the right time to hit a train?"

"Now you might fancy living on deer piss and rabbit shit...I'm getting too old for that life," Dutch teased as Arthur angrily flicked his cigarette into the snow. "Mr. Matthews, Mr. Smith, Mr. Pearson, would you please look after the place? There are O'Driscoll's about!" Dutch warned before leading his clan into the mountains.

───※ ·❆· ※───

"Alright, gentlemen, this is it!" Dutch said as he and the gang rode silently on the outskirts of their target's camp. "Are we goddamn ready?"

"Ready, Dutch!" Lenny, Bill, and Javier said almost in sync.

"Good. Now, Mister Morgan and I, we're going to head up here a little, see if we can't get a sense of the layout of the camp. Mister Williamson, Mister Bell, you two take up a hidden position just outside the camp. Mister Summers, Mister Escuella, you two hold position here. Let's go!" Dutch commanded before he and Arthur dismounted their horses and making their way up the hill to be perched on a ridge, getting a clear layout of Colm's camp.

"Perfect," Arthur mumbled as he pulled out his binoculars, scanning around the camp.

───※ ·❆· ※───

"Who's he talking to? He don't seem very happy." Dutch whispered as he and Arthur were analyzing the commotion below.

"No..." Arthur replied, keeping his binoculars set on Colm and the soul he had just slapped.

"Are they leaving?" Dutch asked as the unidentified man had climbed on his horse.

"Seem to be. Should we go get 'em?" Arthur asked.

"No. Colm can wait. Best to get some of them outta there," Dutch replied. "And much less fun to rob him and his score if he never finds out about it," Dutch and Arthur snickered. "Come on, let's get down there."

───※ ·❆· ※───

Kieran fumbled through his saddlebag on his horse, desperately trying to find the manuscript that was almost stolen from him by Minnie Barlow. Sweat beaded on his cold skin as he knew Colm was closeby, seeing that his solid black stallion was ground-tied a few yards away from him.

"Duffy!" Colm yelled. Kieran jolted as he immediately jogged to his leader.

"Why weren't you gonna tell me about runnin' into Miss Barlow?" Colm questioned with a sly grin on his lips.

"I-I was..." Kieran stuttered as he looked around. "I-I didn't let her get it, though. She almost shot me!" Kieran explained.

Colm chuckled, "You're damn lucky she didn't! And you'll be damn lucky if I don't shoot you right now for runnin' away when Dutch van der Linde is shootin' up my boys!" He hissed.

"I-I didn't run away!" Kieran protested.

"That's not what Phil's cousin said!" Colm argued as he slung his leg over his horse's back before lunging down and grabbing Kieran roughly by the collar, pulling him harshly into his horse's shoulder. "Said you were runnin' away. I'll tell you what: you get outta here and bring me Miss Barlow. I don't care how you do it, just do it," He hissed, his tobacco and whiskey tainted breath filling Kieran's nostrils.

"I'll die out there if I go now, please!" Kieran begged.

"I don't really care if you die or not, boy! Do it!" Colm demanded before slapping him and letting him go. "And don't you come back unless you got her!"

Kieran nodded as he ran to his horse, mounting quickly before digging his heels into the horse's sides, urging him to go as fast as he could. 'Just south-just find my way down south and I'll be fine!' Kieran assured himself as his adrenaline was causing his body to feel like it was taken over by static.

───※ ·❆· ※───

"Maybe I should take the lead on this one Dutch, they're gonna be gunnin' for ya once it starts," Arthur warned as he and Dutch trekked through the snow, clutching a weapon as they snuck through the outskirts of the camp.

"They haven't got me yet, but if you want, I'll wait on your call!" Dutch replied as they soon caught up to the others, who were behind one of the thin wooden walls that made up the perimeter of the camp.

"Hey! Anybody seen that new kid?" Arthur heard a fellow member ask from a nearby cabin.

"The one with the funny lookin' horse?" Another asked.

"Yeah!"

"Colm told him to bring back that Minnie Barlow if he wanted to come back!" A man answered.

"Minnie Barlow?" Dutch questioned as he looked back at Arthur. "She's around here?"

"I wouldn't think so..." Arthur replied, trying desperately to hide the sting of hurt that pinged through him. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' He scolded himself as he tried to subside the feeling, focusing on the task at hand.

"Ah, yeah, can't wait to see that pretty blonde fightin' 'round here!" He heard a man say.

He let himself snap.

He took his place in cover as he fired shots from his new repeater. Seven bullets at a time before it took two seconds to reload. The environment around him became slow and at his pace as he, Bill, Micah, Lenny, Javier, and Dutch shot down each O'Driscoll gang member one by one.

───※ ·❆· ※───

"Good work boys! Now, let's tear this place apart!" Dutch commanded as he mounted his horse. "Arthur, you take that building to the left!"

"Find those detonators, explosives, anything you can!"

Arthur nodded as he followed Dutch's directions, making his way to the desired building as told. He grinned as he approached the suspected explosives, recognizing the SAMSON BROS. SAINT DENIS DYNAMITE case, opening the weathered crate to see the prize possession.

"Here...this looks good...what do you think, Bill?" Arthur asked as he handed the former Army soldier the explosives.

"Looks fine...smells good." Bill snickered as he held the dynamite to his nose.

"Come on," Arthur said as Bill followed suit to join the rest on their horses.

"Did we get everything?" Dutch asked.

"Think so, Boss," Micah replied, handing him a manuscript. "Found this on one of them."

Dutch nodded as he opened the manuscript to see not only a map of a train's schedule but a small map of the whole region with small markers on certain areas such as the western region of the Grizzlies and an area close to Citadel Rock. Dutch furrowed his brows as he continued to study the map. "Did you find anything else?" He asked Micah.

"Found this," He replied, pulling out a small journal-like folder from his coat. Dutch retrieved it from him, seeing a 'wanted' poster enclosed. He chuckled as he knew he could poke fun at Arthur.

There she was.

Her 'wanted' poster opened to another gang leader.

"Looks like a train ain't the only thing they're after," Dutch said, getting the other member's attention.

"What is it, Boss?" Micah asked.

"They're after another outlaw aside from us," Dutch explained, holding the poster up for everyone else to see, noting Arthur's reaction once his eyes finally lay on the woman he had been so curious about. "Minnie Barlow. Sounds like she keeps herself busy by takin' robberies from Colm. Remind me to buy her a drink!" Dutch joked. He looked at Arthur, who didn't pay any attention to what was just said. His eyes were fixated on Minnie's picture: blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a slight scar on her cheekbone.

She was beautiful.

'She wouldn't have to hold a gun to me to steal my heart.' He sighed to himself, blinking his eyes quickly to rid the doubtful thought to keep the focus on what he was doing.

"Lemme see it!" Micah asked as he reached his hands up at Dutch to retrieve the poster. "I can see why Colm's after her. Fine lookin' woman!" Micah teased, hiding his past

Arthur shook his head, not wanting to hear anything else come from his mouth. "Give me that!" He hissed as he took the poster from Micah. "Remember the task at hand here, you fool!"

Micah put his hands in the air, "Oh, I'm sorry, you can have that so you can have somethin' to jack off to later!" He seethed.

"Enough!" Dutch intervened. "Arthur's right, we have far more things to worry about than drooling over a picture! I'm sure you boys can take out your frustrations when we get out of here and find a town, but for the time being, remember what we're doing!" Dutch preached. Micah and Bill groaned as they mounted their horses.

"Arthur, hold these for me," Dutch said as he handed him the manuscript and the 'wanted' poster. "Keep the poster. She has a high bounty on her head. Maybe we can rack in extra cash." He explained. Arthur looked at him almost appalled but soon realized that he only said it because he knew the other men were listening. Dutch knew Arthur too well to know that he was developing an early crush, which wasn't likely of him, but he didn't do a good job of hiding it. "This was something about the train they was gonna rob. A Mister Leviticus Cornwall," Dutch continued. "Mount back up. Let's keep moving!"

Arthur gripped the reins tightly as he was not mentally prepared to face the harsh winds of Mother Nature. Dutch's speech the entire ascent down the mountain went through one ear and out the other as if he had heard it before. As a matter of fact, he had heard it all before.

Multiple times.

"Hey, you see that feller? Wasn't he at the camp with Colm?" Dutch asked over the whistling wind, interrupting Arthur's thoughts.

"Leave him to me," Arthur grunted, nudging his horse into a canter before breaking to a trot to cross the river.

"Alright, we're heading back. Just bring him back alive. He could be useful!" Dutch said as he and the rest of the gang parted from Arthur.

"Okay, you got it!"

"You got the wrong feller!" He heard the young man yell from ahead.

"Not so fast there, partner!" Arthur mumbled as he dallied his rope around the saddle horn, pulling the young man from his horse and into the snow. "You're comin' with me!" He said as he effortlessly tossed the man to where he was laying on his torso.

"Please, please, you don't need to do this!" He begged.

"What's your name, boy?" Arthur interrogated as he tossed the man over his horse's hindquarters before tethering the man's horse to his own.

"I don't know!"

"You don't know your name?" Arthur questioned.

"It's Kieran! Kieran Duffy!"

"Well, I ain't gonna lie to you, this is a real bad day for you Kieran Duffy," Arthur chuckled.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere you ain't gonna like,"

"Why? What are you gonna do to me?"

"Something you ain't gonna like! So I'd advise you to save your breath for screaming," Arthur demanded.

"No, please!" Kieran begged. "A-Are you runnin' with Minnie Barlow? She threatened to shoot me a couple of days ago and-"

"She was a fool for not shootin' ya!" Arthur replied, not liking that the subject of Minnie Barlow had yet been brought up again to him.

"I-I'm no use to you!" Kieran pleaded.

"You better shut your mouth, you little shit, or I will shut it for you," Arthur threatened.

His horse whinnied at the other horses as they arrived back to camp, "Here we are, you sack of shit. Let's introduce you to the boys." Arthur chuckled as he slung Kieran over his shoulder.

"Don't hurt me, please!"

"Are you trying to test me, is that it? Because I will break every bone in your body!" Arthur threatened.

"N-no! I'm sorry!"

"That's two bones right there!"

📷

"You found the little shit, did you," Dutch chuckled as he stepped outside the cabin as Arthur slung Kieran into the snow.

"Yep...I got him,"

"Very good. Welcome to your new home. Hope you're real happy here!" Dutch explained in sarcasm.

"You want me to make him talk?" Arthur asked as he stood the man up after cutting his ankles free of rope, gripping his shoulders roughly.

"Oh no, now all we'll get is lies! Uncle. Mr. Williamson, tie this maggot up someplace safe. We get him hungry first. I got a saying, my friend: we shoot feller who need shooting, save fellers as need saving, and feed 'em as need feedin'. We're gonna find out what you need," Dutch explained, holding the manuscript briefly up to let Kieran see that it now was in his possession. "I can't believe it! An O'Driscoll in my camp!"

"No, I ain't an O'Driscoll, Mister!" Kieran begged. "I hate that feller!"

"Oh, whatever you say, son! Well done, Arthur!"

"I'm just sorry we missed out on Colm,"

"Oh, there's time enough for that. Now, I gotta figure out if we can hit that train," Dutch replied before dismissing himself into the cabin to talk about matters with Hosea.

"Okay," Arthur replied, looking around before pulling out the 'wanted' poster of Minnie that he was given by Dutch back at Colm's camp. He only had a brief look at her then, but now that everything around him had slowed down, he could really take her in.

"WANTED"

DEAD OR ALIVE

$8,000.00

MINNIE "BANDIT" BARLOW

THEFT, ROBBERY, and ARSON

ARMED AND DANGEROUS

APPROACH WITH CAUTION

LAST SEEN OUTSIDE CITADEL ROCK, NEW HANOVER

[vexkader]

Solis Part 10

  I stared down at my paws, sitting up as one them started to twitch. A nagging feeling coming up at the very back of my head. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore it. 

  "Tiny-Half, you do not look well. Are you sure you-" Jóhan expresses, but I immediately blow him off with a scoff. "We're going. I'm fine." 

  He raises a brow, looking down at me. "You shake as if you are cold." 

  "Not cold." I state, looking up to him. "Do you have any water?" He nods and turns around, my voice sounding a bit dry. He came back with a small little cup, which I gratefully took. He expected me to down it right away, instead I reached a paw into my pocket. Pulling out two tiny white pills, which I took then followed by the water. 

  "Is that why you shake?" He asks curiously. 

  "It's for a condition." 

  He looked puzzled at me for a moment, tail twitching as he didn't understand. "What is this.. condition?" He asks me, throwing together a pack of food and supplies for a like hike. Hearing everything rustle around as he talked. "Shaking does not seem right."

  "Its none of your business." I tell him bluntly, finishing off everything including the water. With a scoff he heads to the mantle. Pushing down the fire to keep it low and slow burning, smoke billowing from the coals. Above he takes a dark orange-colored fish, looking to me with a newfound smile. "Smoked trout, it is good! We will have it for our walk."

  I nod, getting off the bed and recounting my items. My rifle, smooth and sleek as always. Check. Energy bars, dull and tasteless as ever? Also check. Jóhan finished up his preparations and we headed out into the cold morning. 

  A cold glacier breeze swept through my fur, Jóhan put his paws on his hips and breathed in deeply. Puffing out his bare chest. "Ah! beautiful morning, no?" 

  I looked around, the sun has barely even risen, just a slight glow on the horizon to signal its return. "I guess so, now show me the way to this ruin. I'm eager to finish this."

  Jóhan laughs as we start our trek, motioning a paw to follow him. "Patience Tiny-Half! Patience, enjoy this beautiful land and its offers!"

  I didn't know what he meant by this, and I wasnt interested in spending too much time here. "Jóhan, I do have to be paid for this you know. And get to other things." I protest, waving my tail behind me in irritation. 

  He blows me off as our paws carried us over dirt and grass. We must've been quiet for at least half an hour, enough time for the sun to start poking through. Up and over a grassy hill,  to a wonderful view of a blissfully dark grey beach. A small lake reflecting the scenery around it, as the sun bounced off its ripples. 

  "Here we are, it is time for morning eats!" The leopard gracefully bounced down the hill to the beach, heading toward what was a shovel left there. I had to admit, I was curious about this. So I bite his bait and followed him down. 

  "You come from a place of volcanos, yes?" He asks me, grabbing the wooden shaft of the shovel, sticking it into a mound of sand. This sand felt odd beneath my paws. Warm and almost bubbling, in definitive contrast to the cold and hard dirt on the way here. 

  "Yes, Venus is covered in them. Why do you ask?" 

  "Because my home, Iceland, as you see is also volcano. Our land is warm and beautiful!" 

  I had a hard time believing the 'warm' part of that. It was summer and I was reconsidering bringing a jacket. 

  "Some of these sands you see carry that warmth. Warmth of an oven!" He tells me, digging away at the sand. I watched carefully, a rifle still in my paws. He lifted sand upon sand, water filling the holes he created. To my amazement this water was bubbling and steaming! I could feel that very heat from here! 

  "Earth is a giant oven here, ripe for cooking!" His shovel thunks against what sounds like metal. Carefully he goes a bit lower, upon popping the shovel out. A whole metal pot came out with it, the warm smell of bread with it? No that can't be right, as delicious as it smelt. 

  "It is time to eat, come sit, sit with me!" He grabs the metal handle with his bare paws walking back to the grassy hill. Intrigued by this, I followed. Sitting down, he opened the pot. The smell of bread was even stronger now, and sure enough there was bread! Cooked from the heat of the sand!

  "Amazing." I remark, eying it closely. 

  "Ah but wait till you see how it tastes friend, come sit. Eat with me!" 

  Still amazed by this, I did just that. I sat down with him and enjoyed a breakfast of bread with the trout on top. Cut thinly to not over power each other. I had to admit it was a nice diversion from the usual instant noodles I would usually eat. Doing all this as the sun rose above this island. 

  "So Tiny-Half, we will continue to the glacier but I must warn you. We will pass through a old town. It has been untouched for hundreds of years." He turns to me, a seriousness on his face I had never seen from him. "Do not enter those buildings, they are cursed from the útrýmingu."

  My face twisted, "The what now?" I ask him. 

  "I do not know the english word, but long time ago the world shook. Creating monsters and us alike. Do you not know this?" 

  I huffed, I did know this. Everyone was taught this from elementary school. The apocalypse that destroyed civilization as we knew it over six hundred years ago. 

  "I do, I'll be careful in it. I expect you to lead the way." He nods understanding his part. 

  "Good, you may have gun but these things do not bend to your weapon." I wasnt going to argue, I've heard terrible things about the past. I suppose some areas like here in Iceland are still affected by these... anomalies. 

  We continued onward after breakfast. Passing over hills, marshlands, using old forgotten roads to travel. All the while Jóhan enjoyed the cool weather. 

  Though come mid afternoon, after I was told we were getting close. His demeanor changed, the once strong and head held high snow leopard now looked anxious. Checking around, nervously looking to the top of the hills. 

  His uneasiness felt contagious, knowing something was around that could scare this cat was unsettling. I had my rifle though, let something test us. Soon enough however, I knew what was making him this way. At the bottom of a small hill stood a dilapidated town. 

  Buildings that hardly stood made up a small maze of old roads. Crumbling from the harsh weather, bits of asphalt sticking between my toes. Windows almost nonexistent here as the glass been broken and smoothed out by the years of neglect. 

  "BB?" I asked silently so Jóhan couldn't hear me. 

  "Vex, you havent talked all day. Do tell me you're not being eaten."

  "I'm not, I'm in a small destroyed town. It looks like a war was fought here." I whispered anxiously, feeling a growing unease. "Are you seeing this?"

  "Off your feed yes." He says confirming my question. 

  "Tell me, how old are these."

  A brief silence was heard before he told me. "These buildings predate the apocalypse, being built either late nineteen nineties, or early two thousands. Making them a touch over seven hundred years old."

  This blew my mind, how could such buildings stay standing for being so old? Almost none had a roof, but still for even the foundations to still be there. 

  "Seven hundred." I whispered to myself in awe, walking through ancient history practically. My thoughts were quickly off by a sound of what was like steel collapsing on itself. Mine and Jóhan's fur sticking up from the sudden shock. 

  "BB I have to go!" I say in a rush, cutting him off and readying my rifle before the AI could talk back. 

  Stepping up to Jóhan, he walked slowly eyeing every building we passed. "I do not like it here Tiny-Half."

  I agreed staying close to him. "Neither do I." 

  As we edged near the town, a thick fog rolled in. Covering and hiding these buildings, as they started to say their whispers to us. Dead languages I couldn't understand, things moving in the distance I could not see! A dread feeling struck my heart, I could not stay here. 

  "Tiny-Half we must go, please no more here!" Jóhan says in a panic, his pace turning from slow to a jog. I picked it up as well, my paws pounding the ground below, kicking up debris. 

  Human figured danced in the fog, trying to coax us in, into the basements of the building. Whispering a doom I did not wish. I started to run, wanting out of this personal Hell. The dead will not call me, as Jóhan shared similar thoughts. The two of us running, panting and feeling this feeling of encroaching death! 

  The whispers were louder, almost yelling for us! Fog creeping in, trying to choke our lungs out! What has Earth done for this to happen! 

  I coughed while running, no more of this please! My legs carried my up as fast as they could, up and up with the leopard beside me. 

  The further up I went, the cleaner things became! The fog was lifting! Freedom from a dead town! I started to smile, feeling a heavy feeling off my shoulders as the day was now clear. No more was the fog there to snare us. 

  Looking back from my position, I could see no fog. Only the town, left as we entered. A shiver ran down my spine, wanting nothing to do with that place anymore.  Jóhan's face said it all, fear of that place. 

  Neither one of use said a word, the further we moved away the better. I wanted nothing else with it. We had to have been miles away at this point, as the air felt clear once more. And colder. 

  "We are close Tiny-Half, the glacier will show soon." I nod, eager to get off this island. I wished to find these ruins, and leave nothing else. 

[the-firebird69]

And our son says these cloners are so sick it's not even worth it and she said you're actually right they're not even human and they're mean and they're hateful and you need to troops in there and we need them gone. I didn't say they're fighting Tommy f and that's what the fight is and we get that it really is it's tons of people fighting them robot people lost it all nobody wants to deal with these people anymore. And she's right there's a large movement against these idiots it's very large and they found out what to be doing over the years from this incident with her son with John reminallord.

Is that a lot of time to consider this what do you say is just annihilate that we have had the stuff to do and he's right we need to get rid of you jackasses too much of a distraction than idiots are always going you out of the way and they keep on saying this with you like a sideshow or first and foremost

Is 24 lasers in space it's only one last from yesterday nine are seriously engaged and none of those nine only three are damaged slightly and really they're not damaged much and it's going very slowly and the ships are getting locked up. But the rebel alliance is coming up with chips they're very fast and have serious armament and can out class the Empire ships. Thier doing it today. And they're keeping John rebelord out and they'll probably have to hit him and they say they have a bunch of Tommy f hardware they're just going to use.

Today should be different and Star Trek is changing it so we're waiting and patiently and we do see it working and last night's boost was needed and today is too and they'll see that the Empire keeps pumping it out I have spies up there watching and these people are despicable. Cheesman and friend. . I'm putting APB on them and warrants. Can't wait to see them smiling faces in the back of the cruiser again.

Suzuki has them in court and it's international Court and yes the star fleet alliances assisting that to happen and it is terrific they say and they want them to sue these two or three idiots. They've been waiting a long time to do it too and see him falling and they're going after him and see him crumbling and see them building up again to try and go after the Midwest and other areas in wiped out again a few more ways nobody very small and bite size for people and full of juicy nutrients.

It's only a matter of time a few days and they'll be gone. But here it is Tommy Allen was putting carriages and ships and flying them up and they're ready he couldn't figure it out. I'm sick of stupid people.

Today is Conan and not the barbarian that's already happened he went out there and attacked the Max and his arrogant started messing with her son this morning and lost it was Dan fighting him now they to fight each other. It's on to the second Conan movie out of the series of three and the final one they find bja atop The cerebus ship which is Tomorrowland thier not sure who's it is. And Jupiter ascending happens after it lands in the upper Midwest and then it loses the AI and becomes aliens but it's coming up code in the second movie is going on

Thor Freya

Here we have it it's give me trouble cuz I keep on saying may I speak and of course I can but I say it because that's what these idiots have their women saying it's kind of getting bothered by it but here's how it goes these people here that are surrounding him need to die today so put in the water out they need to leave forever and I want to push to get rid of them need to get him out of the way this is a lot of serious stuff happening now the diamonds will be in contention there's going to be a lot of threats on our people and we don't need to complete absolute important losers in the way

Hera

We do need to hit them here they hit them elsewhere and we need the intel on locations of devices and so forth and we need them out and we need to heat them up. The draw and so forth only works so long and we need to go at them make sure that they're engaged. I suggest beefing up our forces in Australia and erasing them there to suck them down there it probably work cut them in half they'll ll go back in

Zues

Absolutely true and we're getting on it and we're going down there and going to wait till a little fast cutting them in half works and I'm going to make sure it does he's a little assholes deserve it with a huge mouth big attitude they don't have to send it back up. And really I think you're right I think we do this and we draw tons of them and Neo gets drawn down and finally erased it's proof that it works.

Nuada Arrianna

It's so a****** next door needs to die and we're sending in troops now

Thor Freya

He gave up your entire Fortune and you're giving your army up to sit there and harass me cuz you're a moron and can't tell which way it goes. That's it there's no mystery you're a stupid fool and I'm not your buddy and I'm not working with you nobody is now going after you for crimes that you committed against them and it's because of your mouth here too they'll start pulling you at a jobs probably and soon you'll be a nobody a real actual nobody

Zues Hera

You're the one who did it to me....

Trump

Exactly right and that's something you can't admit either

Zues Hera

Oh

Ok so I did to myself and you admit you destroyed me that's correct he says so I feel it now I've been set up and you don't care of course I don't you're a huge pig in my face you pig and you're pork and losers forced me to do the job and they just sat there doing nothing so yeah we're taking you down and you're going down and you're going to be dead forever and you have no right to do anything that you're doing to me he did my whole life cuz you're cheese and pork and loser and you don't know what the hell you're doing wrong yet cuz you're stupid I know what it is you ruined their illusion and deception and you ruined it on me and you ruined it for a lot of my people well help them but you know just go suck your cock you f** you f****** loser you're a huge loser CAA says I suddenly understand something I'm sitting here pestering him to kick your ass and he is I just keep doing it and it looks really stupid and bad well I can't help it so it's going to be over

Trump

That's too bad your poor little b**** and by the way they're going to kill you off cuz you can't be seen this losing to me you don't even understand that you're so simple and stupid

Zues Hera

All this is happening people in very fast his team is taking them down faster than anything I've ever seen it's because he's a violent person and he's angry at him and he keeps on from provolking himself to go after him it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen and he keeps getting caught up in the little pieces that's stupid f*** has to go

Mac Daddy

I want a piece of him and I'm going to take him down and a friend is right we just sit there watching so he's taking them down it's supposed to be our plan I'm supposed to take him down 5 years ago and take him in and take his stuff and we just sit there doing nothing part in a big part of the problem is Tommy f wasn't letting us but we have to we have to do this to create Starfleet and out of the ashes of this complete failure will come of system and institution that will save us if we do the work I'm not trying to wait for you anymore this guy has to go he's a piece of garbage and this cheeseman is a piece of s*** she really is they don't know any math at all this hokey little assholes and he was right the whole time it's amazingly bad

Mike tew

We just sat here in the middle hospital being happy about it this is horrible what a nightmare must be for him he's poor already and letting him sink there's no one to sink to simply being a bum like this f****** want him to be screw this s***

You're pissed off too and we see it and people are doing stuff now like Daniel and others they're going at them in the public eye you're going to tear them out of the office and off the news it wasn't saying all this dumb stuff I'm getting everybody injured and you have to take these laser sites out and nobody's like really fighting it and really trust in the way they suck so bad

Billium

And her friend says it there's no real positive aspect to these trumpsters it's hard to imagine but really they're they're just huge assholes parasites and mean people so it's hard to keep people's attention until you start talking about murders and people's lives are taking and stuff they're taking from people still to this day and I want them brought up and charges cuz people can pay attention to that

Mac daddy

I'm finally charges for myself against John remillard and there are many of them including homicide and the real charges and it's going to have to face him because I'm a district attorney when I'm filing them

Daniel

We're following them too and we're finally them for the from the doj because these people are trying to stop the process of Mar-A-Lago based on them breaking the law to investigate the documents meaning if they investigate the documents they're going to contaminate the evidence so we're blocking it now

Biden

There are several other things you're doing wrong over there John remillard you're invading our friends privacy constantly your pestering him constantly like some unknown crazed b**** and you won't stop you're trying to take his personal belongings and funds and money constantly and you're messing with social security all those things are very illegal and the reserved for forwarders so we're going to stop you like foreigners get stopped what would we tell them is inside of you stop or you end up there as that that's why they're in line and he's been saying it too you're an enemy combatant and people are not controlling them now I'm going to all your conjuring of dumbass and by the way we're going to go after you too or stuff we need it now to build those ships so you're in the way

Mac Daddy