Lena shuffled around in her sleep, lying on the couch. She had fallen asleep waiting for her brother to come home; he was working a job and called to tell her he'd be late.
The door opened with a bang and Lex's voice was rough in the darkness.
"James, I—James. James, listen to me. He is the contractor. He's the contractor, okay? I can't lose this job."
There was a pause as James said something over the phone, and Lex let out a frustrated breath.
"I understand...I—let's talk about this in the morning, okay?" He flicked a light on and Lena yawned, stretching out of her cramped position on the couch. "We'll talk about it in the morning. Alright. Goodnight."
The phone clattered onto the coffee table and Lena smiled sleepily up at her brother. "Hey."
He tossed his keys next to the phone and waved a lazy arm at her. "Scoot."
"Fun day at work, huh?" she teased, propping her knees up on the cushions to make room for his lanky frame and long legs.
With an exhausted sigh, Lex tried to find a comfortable position on the couch. "What are you still doing up? It's late."
"Oh shit, what time is it?" Craning her neck, Lena glanced at the clock on the wall behind her.
"It's way past your bedtime."
"I'm not a kid, Lex. I'm thirteen," she snorted. "And it's still today." She crawled off the couch to where she'd hidden his birthday present as he rubbed at his eyes with a grimy hand.
"Lee, please. Not right now. I do not have the energy for this."
Despite her comment a second ago, Lena's expression was endearingly childlike as she held out the plain box. "Here," she said with a grin.
"What's this?" He questioned, reaching out to take it. He stared at it, not sure what to do with it.
Lena gave him a 'duh' expression. "Your birthday."
He gave her a tired but grateful smile and opened the box. A shiny watch gleamed up at him, nestled between the white velvet cushions. He had no idea how she'd scrounged up enough cash to afford it, and he sighed.
"You kept complaining about your broken watch," she started, with the enthusiasm of someone who's just done something right, "So I figured. You know."
He leaned forward to put the box down, draping the watch over his wrist.
"You like it?" she said with an eager expression as his fingers fiddled with the strap.
"Lena, this is..." He held it up to his ear, adopting a disappointed expression.
"What?" She looked crestfallen.
He tapped the face a few times to sell the prank. "It's nice, but I...I think it's stuck, I—"
"What? No, no, no." She reached for it, the beginnings of disappointment on her face, then smacked his arm when she saw his ruse. "Oh, ha ha." She lay back down, folding her arms under her head and resting her legs across his knees.
"Where did you get the money for this?" He was admiring the mechanism, setting the hands to the right time.
"Drugs," she said bluntly, giving him a sly smile. The one where he could never tell if she was serious or not. "I sell hardcore drugs."
"Oh good." He reached for the remote. It was definitely possible that she did, she had a wickedly sharp mind and with the way they had to scrape by, he wouldn't have been that surprised. "You can start helping out with the mortgage then."
"Yeah, you wish."
The TV announcer was narrating a baseball game and Lena quickly fell asleep to the boring sports commentary. Her brother looked over an hour later, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. Ever since their parents had died in a freak accident in the belly of the city's laboratories, he'd had to raise her sister. Six years her senior, it had been half a decade since the accident; he was 19, she was 13. Sometimes, when it got to be too much, the odd jobs and bad hours, he would take a day off work and spend it with his sister, who was studying so she could make her way up in the world. Maybe he would do that tomorrow.
Sliding an arm under her knees and another around her back, he carried her up the stairs to her bedroom and the tiny twin mattress that sat by the wall. He lay her down and brushed her long, dark hair back, careful not to wake her.
"Good night, baby girl."
The phone rings in the early hours of the morning and Lena reaches for it with a clumsy hand, answering it with a sleepy "Hello?"
"Lena." The voice on the other end is frantic, breathless. "I need you to get your brother on the phone."
"James? What time is it?" She's confused, still half-asleep, and he interrupts her.
"I need to talk to your brother now. There's some—"
The call cuts off and a busy tone blares in her ear.
"James? Hello?" A strange feeling crawls up her spine and she hangs up the phone, getting out of bed.
What was that all about?
Her familiar posters adorn the walls, the bookshelf is filled with novels from the secondhand store down the street and her parents' collection of literature and textbooks. Leaving her bedroom, she walks down the hall, calling out for her brother.
"Lex?"
In the bathroom the Texas Herald's top headline reads; "Admittance Spikes at Area Hospitals!" She files away the title to the back of her mind and starts walking to his bedroom, calling his name.
"Lex? Where are you?"
Normally he would've answered her by now, or she would have found a note saying he was away on a job. He's left the television on, too, so she pushes her way into the dingy master bedroom.
"It appears that what we initially reported as riots seem to be somehow connected to the nationwide pandemic. We've received reports that victims afflicted with the infection show signs of increased aggression and—"
"We need to move everybody out of here now. There's a gas leak."
"Hey, move!"
"There seems to be some commotion coming from behi—"
"Get out of here!"
"Lady, get the hell out—"
As she watches the live feed, the building behind the news reporter explodes and the screen turns to grey static.
What was that?
She can't shake the feeling that something is wrong and just as she's trying to decide her next move, a loud boom rings out from outside.
She's not sure she's ever heard the sound first hand, but she knows without a doubt that it's a gunshot.
Oh god.
Peering through the dirty window, she can't make out anything but the lights in the faraway city, and when she calls out for her brother again, this time worry bleeds into her voice.
"Lex?"
"Lex!"
Police sirens flash by the house and somewhere to her left Lex's familiar ringtone starts playing.
Why doesn't he have his phone with him?
Where is he?
Eight missed calls from James?
She hears a cry outside and makes her way to their father's old office just as Lex runs through the sliding glass door, grunting and panting.
"There you are," she says, relief plain in her voice.
"Lena." He's frantic, breathless, and he looks like he's seen a ghost. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she says slowly as he rifles through the desk drawers looking for something.
"Has anyone come in here?"
"No..." Her voice hitches as he pulls out a box, unfamiliar metallic sounds coming from the object inside. "Who would come in here?"
"Don't go near the doors," he instructs loudly, checking the chamber of the gun. "Just..." The bullets clink as he loads them. "Just stand back there."
"Lex, you're kinda freaking me out." She follows his demand, taking a step back into the shadows of the office. "What's going on?" She didn't even know her father had a gun. Had Lex bought it when their parents had died? She knew they didn't live in the best part of town, but still...
"It's the Coopers," he explains in a panicked voice. "Something ain't right with them. I think they're sick." He says it like it's a death sentence, and Lena struggles to keep up.
"What kinda sick?" she asks, just as something bangs against the sliding glass door.
They both gasp loudly. "Jesus," Lex curses, automatically putting his body between hers and the door. "John?" he calls out cautiously.
"Lex?" Lena's voice wavers.
"Lee, c'mere. C'mere." He puts an arm in front of her, holding the revolver out with the other. "John," he calls out again. Something is repeatedly crashing into the glass and Lena gasps with every sound of impact, her heart racing in her chest. She screams when, with a loud crash, the body of a man forces its way through the glass, leaving shattered crystal over the floor of the office
"John, just stay back!" Lex yells, cocking the gun. "John, I am warning you!"
The body pulls itself off the floor and lunges for them, and Lena screams again just as Lex shouts "Don't!"
The flash and bang of the gun blinds and deafens her, but in the split second as the powder ignites, she gets a good look at their longtime neighbor John Cooper. He's a nice man, has hosted barbecues and block parties and always invites them, even brings over a pie on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The last time she sees him, his arms are gloved in crimson to the elbow and blood stains his business suit and tie. His face is a grotesque mess of gore and blood, and she gasps as his body thuds to the ground, dead at her brother's hand.
"Go. Go!" Lex shout-whispers to her, dragging her out of the office.
"You...you shot him," she says, shell-shocked. "I...I saw him yesterday afternoon, I..."
"Lena, listen to me. There is something bad going on." He's breathing fast, holding her by the shoulders to ground her, forcing her to look him in the eye. He looks terrified. "We have got to get out of here. Do you understand me?"
With a sniffle, she nods, still not processing the situation. Lex just shot John Cooper in their house. He's covered in his blood, that's how close they were when he pulled the trigger. "Yeah," she says, nodding again.
"James," Lex says, like he's just thought of an idea. "C'mon. C'mon!" He grabs her by the arm and it's all she can do to keep up with him as he runs out to the porch.
Headlights blind her as the door opens and James' familiar voice greets them but it's harsh and frantic, just like her brother's.
"Where the hell you been? You have any idea what's going on out there?"
"I got some notion," Lex retorts, pulling Lena to the car.
"Holy shit," James breathes.
"C'mon, baby girl. Go on in there." Lex ignores James' comment, helping Lena into the car. She gets in without a word of protest, sitting down on the familiar leather seat. She has the feeling this ride isn't going to be like last month's, when they sang along to the radio and drove to the nearby fishing pond.
"You got blood all over you!"
"It ain't mine. Let's just get out of here." Lex's no-nonsense attitude cuts off James' questions.
"They're saying that half the people in the city have lost their minds," James says as the two men climb into the car.
"Can we please just go?" Lex pleads harshly, looking back at Lena's scared face in the backseat.
"Some sort of parasite of something," James continues. He's always been the kind of man that needs to fill the silence, and in the midst of this strange crisis, he's no different. "You gonna tell me what happened?"
"Later," Lex says gruffly.
James reverses out of their driveway, giving Lena a weak smile. "Hey, Lena. How you holding up, honey?"
"I'm fine," Lena answers, hugging her knees to her chest. Lex is always getting on her about wearing a seat belt, but she doesn't think that'll be a problem this time. "Can we hear what's on the radio?"
"Yeah, sure thing," James agrees easily.
"Thanks."
Nothing happens, just a crackle as he flips through the stations.
"No cellphone. No radio. Yeah, we're doing great," James grumbles, pulling onto a main road. "Minute ago, the newsman wouldn't shut up."
"They say where to go?"
"He said, uh..." James tries to recall what he just heard. "Army's putting up road blocks on the highway." The streetlights filter through the car as they speed up, trying to put distance between them and their house. "No getting into Travis County."
"That means we need to get the hell out," Lex says through gritted teeth. "Take 71."
Two more police cars speed past them going left, and they turn right.
"Did they say how many are dead?" Lena asks timidly from the backseat, her hand on Lex's shoulder.
"Probably a lot. Found this one family all mangled inside their house," Tommy answers, focused on the road.
"James," Lex says in a warning tone. He's trying to protect his sister as much as he can, and she doesn't need to know the details. Even if she has just watched him kill a man.
"Right. Sorry," James says, contrite.
The headlights illuminate a car that's bent around a sign, and Lex exhales sharply. "Jesus Christ, how did this happen?"
"They got no clue. But we ain't the only town." James navigates the roads with ease, even in the dark. "At first they were saying it was just the South. Now they're going on about the East Coast, the West Coast...Holy hell."
They're driving past a farm that Lena can't recognize in the dark, but James seems to know exactly where they are.
"That's Louis' farm. I hope that son of a bitch made it out." His tone makes it clear he doesn't think that's the case, and Lena swallows. She's played hide a seek in that barn with Louis' nieces.
"I'm sure he did." Lex doesn't sound convinced.
A thought strikes her and Lena speaks up. "Are we sick?"
Her brother's response is immediate and firm. "No. No, of course not."
"How do you know?"
James takes that question. "They said it's just, uh, people in the city. We're good."
"Didn't Tommy work in the city?"
"That's right, he did." Lex clears his throat, his eyes on the road, but his hand reaches back to wind their fingers together. "We're fine. Trust me."
Finding comfort in her brother's touch, Lena shrugs. "Alright."
James slows down at the sight of three people on the side of the road. "Let's see what they need."
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Keep driving," Lex instructs, letting go of Lena's hand.
"They got a kid, Lex," James points out.
"So do we." By now, the family has noticed the approaching vehicle and the man turns around, waving his arms.
"But we have room," Lena pipes up, seeing the three miserable figures in front of the speed limit sign.
"Hey!" The man calls out, waving his arms up and down.
"Keep driving, James," Lex demands.
"Hey, stop! Stop!"
Lena turns to watch the three people fade into pinpricks through the cracked rear window, her heart clenching at the prospect of abandoning them as Lex grumbles under his breath.
"You ain't seen what I seen. Someone else will come along." He doesn't convince any of them.
Lena sniffles. "We should've helped them."
Everywhere they go the roads are blocked off and an ambulance drives by them. They come upon a backed up exit and in the headlights they can see a sort of fight going on.
"Hey, what the fuck man? Let's go!" Someone honks his horn and yells at a figure standing in the road.
Before any of them can react, the figure in the road seizes the driver and rips him out of his car, beating him to the ground. A vicious snarl is coming from the throat of another person on foot, who leaps in through the open door and attacks whatever unfortunate soul is in the passenger seat.
"Holy shit," James says under his breath.
"Turn us around. James. James! Turn us around!" Lex is yelling as James and Lena watch on in horrified fascination. It's not until one of the figures starts to run for their car that James snaps into action, reversing and peeling away just as the creature's hands hit his rear bumper.
"What the fuck just happened?" James shouts, accelerating down the dark street away from the chaos. "What the fuck just happened—did you see that?"
"Yes, I saw it. Just drive."
They reach the town and it's filled with people on foot, running from some unseen terror. As they make their way through the crowd, passing alley after alley, Lena realizes she hasn't breathed in at least a minute.
Headlights shine directly into her eyes and she barely has time to yell "Look out!" before the other car smashes into the side of their truck, sending her flying.
She manages to rouse herself a few minutes later and everywhere she looks is chaos. The car is on its side, people are screaming, and a downed electrical wire is spewing sparks. Lex is passed out in the front seat and James is nowhere to be seen.
"Lex?" She reaches over and shakes his arm. He's wearing the watch she gave him, she notices, but it's insignificant in the midst of this crisis. "Hey. Hey!"
He groans, lifting his head a few inches. "What?" When he takes in the riot through the broken windshield, he reaches for her arm.
"Get back, Lee. Get back."
Bracing himself against the roof of the car, he kicks at the windshield until it crumples under his work boots, leaving him enough room to crawl out onto the pavement. Just as he's getting his bearings, something comes at him, snarling and drooling, and pins him to the side of the car. Lena watches in horror as he tries to fight it off but thankfully, James comes out of nowhere and bashes its head in with a brick with a single, brutal blow.
James and Lex share a look, both of them grateful.
"Lex?" Lena calls from the car.
He kneels down, reaching an arm out to her. "I'm here, baby girl. Come on, give me your hand." He pulls her from the wreckage and only then does she feel the pain, sharp and hot, in her leg. He notices immediately, supporting her weight and peering into her eyes.
"What is it?"
"My leg hurts," she gets out in a strained voice.
"How bad?"
"Pretty bad," she admits, grimacing.
Watching their surroundings, James clenches his jaw. "We're gonna need to run," he says, looking at her with concern.
"Oh my god," Lex says under his breath. He reaches into his waistband and hands James the gun he killed John with. "You keep us safe," he instructs, then sweeps Lena into his arms. "Come on, baby girl. Hold on tight."
"Okay," she says into his chest, and then they're running.
Explosions boom around them and people are screaming, and Lena starts crying into his chest.
"Lex, I'm scared."
"Keep your eyes closed," he instructs. But it's hard to keep her eyes closed when she has to know what's going on, needs to see what it is they're fighting. Her brain won't turn off until she knows what's happening.
"Those people are on fire," she says quietly, dread making her stomach go cold.
"Don't look, Lee."
"Okay."
The motion of his running is jarring, and she has to grit her teeth against the pain in her leg.
"Just keep looking at me, baby girl."
James is fighting off creatures that are coming at them left and right, and as they bolt through a door, he throws his weight behind it.
"Get to the highway!" His shout is hoarse but his eyes are determined as they gleam in the dark, meeting Lex's green ones.
"What?"
"You got Lena, go! I can out run them!"
"James?!" Lena says, fear making her voice shake.
In a snap decision, Lex starts to turn away from James and the creatures behind the door. "I will meet you there," he says with finality, picking up the pace.
"Lex, we can't leave him!"
"He'll be fine. We're almost there," Lex comforts her, running up a hill past something that looks like a man dragging himself up. Two of them are about to attack when bullets strafe the air around them, cutting down the creatures in seconds. A bright light shines in their faces and Lex turns so Lena isn't blinded.
"It's okay, baby girl, we're safe. Hey," he raises his voice, "We need help!"
"Stop!" A dark figure holding the flashlight and a gun is standing a few meters away.
"It's my sister," Lex calls out. "I think her leg's broken."
"Stop right there!"
"Okay, we are not sick," Lex says slowly, backing away.
The man ignores him. "Got a couple of civilians on the outer perimeter. Please advise...Sir, there's a young girl. But...Yes, sir."
"Listen, buddy, we've just been through hell." Lex takes a few steps forward and the man raises his flashlight silently. "We just need...oh, shit."
He realizes what the soldier is going to do a second before Lena does and is twisting his body as fast as it will let him to block her from the barrage of bullets. She screams as she's torn from his arms, her body making contact with the ground and sending spikes of agony up and down her entire body. Through a haze of pain she sees the soldier standing over her brother, gun raised, and she's about to cry out when a single gunshot echoes.
The soldier falls over sideways, dead, and James hurries over.
"Oh, no," he breathes, staring at Lex.
Lena looks over at her brother. He hasn't moved since the burst of gunfire, and she drags herself over to him, her useless leg trailing in the dirt behind her. She can't even feel that it's broken because all she can see is the red staining his shirt in several places, the dirt growing darker underneath his back, and all she can hear is James' heavy breathing in the dark beside her.
"Lex?!"
He's letting out horrible, gasping noises, like a fish out of water, and as she rolls him onto his side she can see the full extent of his sacrifice.
"Move your hands!" Her voice is desperate, the pain in her leg completely forgotten at the sight of Lex's blood. "You're going to be fine." Her voice shakes as her brother's chest heaves up and down, blood staining his lips and dripping off his chin. Most of the bullets hit his back, but one is a direct hit to his gut—how she didn't get hit, she'll never know—and she presses her hands into the wound.
"Baby...girl…"
He lets out a weak groan and she can feel the tears dripping down her face, mixing with his blood and the dirt. "I know, I know. I know it hurts, but you're going to be okay. Stay with me, Lex," she pleads, even as his breaths turn to gasps. She tries to pick him up but he's too heavy for her and he falls back down to the ground with a watery gasp.
"Lex."
His arms are limp and hanging as she supports his head and something cold and unforgiving has settled in her chest even as her heart breaks, a dull crack that she knows she'll feel for years to come—if she lives that long.
"Lex!"
He isn't making those horrible noises anymore, the noises that mean he's breathing through his own blood.
"Please don't do this to me," she begs, thinking of how she's the only one left. "No, no, please. Oh, God," she says brokenly, aware that James is crying somewhere to her left. "Please don't to this."
"Oh, God."
I absolutely love this game, and this bad boy just poured out of me, I'm rewatching a walk through for the dialogue, but I'm using the Supergirl characters. I don't own any of that stuff. Let me know if I should keep going!
