Whoa, new fic. I'm a sucker for post-apocalypse shit, which inspired this. Multiple pairings throughout, probably.
Disclaimer: I don't own these boys. Just the words, which aren't as good, but what's a girl to do.
People filed into the building with no sign of letting up, each one nursing a wound or helping their companion who was incapable of walking on their own. Carlos peaked out of a small window and saw an extensive line that wrapped around the small pharmacy-turned-hospital building. He surveyed the line and saw people of any and all gender or race, and some children who somehow still had a flicker of naïve nope in their eyes, which Carlos couldn't help but admire. They were either incredibly brave for believing or incredibly stupid. One small girl waved at him, and he waved back and offered a small, weak smile before ducking back into the building. He grabbed the supplies Logan had instructed him to get and dashed out of the cramped room.
The scene in the core of the hospital was one of despair and eerie calm. Some patients were fixated on something happening in the middle of the room, and others were speaking to their family or friends, perhaps for the last time. Carlos pushed himself through the murmuring crowd, offering an "excuse me" or an "I'm sorry" to anyone who gave him a particularly dirty look. When he reached the center he saw what everyone was so fascinated by, and he saw his best friend, Logan. He was patching up a particularly cut up young man of about twenty. He was completely focused on his task, his tongue sticking out slightly out of concentration, and only broke when he saw Carlos out of the corner of his eye.
"Did you get the bandages?" Logan asked, and when Carlos nodded, he beckoned the smaller boy toward him. Carlos handed off the supplies and Logan quickly went back to work. He held the bandages in his mouth as he stitched and cut, and Carlos was just as mesmerized as the people around them. He was fascinated at how quickly and aptly his friend worked, and also a bit weary of how quickly he had adapted to this, how quickly he had gotten used to staring at gaping wounds for hours at a time.
The end of the world was just that: the eradication of all of the things that make a civilized society. It began with public assassinations of political leaders, during press conferences or campaign speeches. One after another, mayors and governors were gunned down by mystery assailants, or the lucky ones experienced failure of the organs as a result of poison. This was followed by the disbanding of the FBI, which some had believed to be impossible. Soon, mysterious plagues hit small, remote towns, due to contaminated air. Then, there were the bombs.
They flew through the sky more frequently than airplanes, and you only had about ten minutes warning prior to each one. They began on the east coast and worked their way across the states, California being one of the last hit. In that sense, Carlos and his friends were blessed, but in another they were cursed to watch their home state of Minnesota get blown off the map. They all had gotten a chance to speak to their parents on Wednesday, and Carlos' dad told him to be brave no matter how scared he really was, just like his papi. James' parents reunited to say goodbye to their son, Logan's mom cried and the boy did his best not to do the same. She couldn't find his dad, and Kendall couldn't get in contact with his. He wasn't surprised though, as the only number he had of his was that of his home phone from when he was seven. Minnesota was hit on Thursday. They had no idea who had survived, and hadn't heard from any of them since.
Jennifer Knight was a wreck, and it killed Kendall inside. Katie kept spouting off cryptic exclamations about how she'd wished she'd done this or that before she got blown up. Mrs. Knight didn't leave bed, refusing to accept the fact that she was going to die. She only spoke about twice a day, to tell her kids that she loved them so much. Kendall was angry: that he couldn't stop all of this and keep his mom from crying, that he couldn't convince his little sister that she wasn't going to die. James had come to terms with it, surprisingly, and even cracked a few jokes about how he wished he had a pretty blonde with him to watch the world end with. He commented that he at least had Kendall, and that was one of the few times he had smiled those few days. Logan threw out statistics at random, and his friends would just listen and nod and occasionally offer a "That right, Loges?" knowing that it was just his coping mechanism. Logan hated not knowing things, and he didn't know how or why this was happening, or if he would die, and that made him crazy. Carlos was quiet, scarily so, and that didn't change despite his friends eagerly trying to perk up. Even Kendall, all tense and squared shoulders, would give him a pat on the back after catching him staring off into space, and tell him to "cheer up, bud." But he couldn't, because he was scared and sad and he just wasn't ready to die. He would never say that, though, because his dad wouldn't want that.
Despite all the preparation, all of the mental walls they put up, they were still shocked when it came. Sirens blared and people screamed throughout the PalmWoods as a distinct sound filled everyone's ears. They were instructed to go to the ground floor of the hotel in case it collapsed and were in a staircase then the bomb made impact. It's true what they say, that your life really does flash before your eyes, and Carlos saw images of pee-wee hockey, his parents, Gustavo and Kelly, and Big Time Rush's first show rapidly played out in his head. Then, everything went white, or black, or red, Carlos didn't know. He didn't hear anything, he didn't see anything, and he didn't feel anything. He thought he was dead, and if that this was heaven then being dead was going to be really boring.
The first thing he remembers actually seeing was downed beams and dust in the air. Carlos barely grasped the fact that he was alive before he heard the familiar voice of Katie yelling things that little girls shouldn't be yelling. He was almost without a scratch, his helmet having protected his head from a particularly heavy piece of wood that fell right near his it. He made a mental note to rub that in his friends' faces later. And then it hit him: his friends. He got up quickly and dug out Katie, who had broken her leg but hadn't shed a single tear. Carlos carried her on his back and searched for the others. James' had some burns and a broken wrist, Kendall had shielded Logan from a light that exploded above them and his back was scraped and bleeding, and Mrs. Knight had a broken wrist and ankle but it didn't seem to bother her as she pulled her son into a hug and cried, this time out of relief. They were trapped in that staircase for almost a day with a couple of other hotel guests, and it was almost like a small-scale version of what was happening on the outside. Some people fought and others cried, and some even died from radiation exposure or untreated wounds. Logan attempted to help a couple, mostly children, and this was met with anger from one man who demanded that the boy help him. He had grabbed him by his collar and was screaming in his face when Kendall grabbed him and punched him in the face, breaking his nose. No one bothered Logan as he tended to the younger ones after that.
The world outside was anarchy. The fires hadn't even gone out before people started stealing and murdering. They had no idea that this was how things were going to be at that point, and searched desperately for some kind of sanctuary. They were met with nothing but those who wanted to kill them, and steal the clothes off of their backs. Three days passed when Kendall picked a shotgun off of a dead woman they had founded in a convenience store. It was unnerving to all of them except Katie, who was happy to have some sort of firepower. She often said that she would carry one herself if it weren't for her leg, and the boys took turns carrying her from place to place. They left Mrs. Knight in a settlement they passed on the third day, giving all of their money to a greedy "hotel owner" who ran a business out a crumbling apartment building. Her injuries were too taxing and it was the safest place they could find, and Kendall promised to come back for her. On the ninth day, Kendall killed his first man. The eleventh, James and Logan did, and the fifteenth, Carlos. He would never forget the look in the eyes of that man, one of emptiness born from pumping way too many drugs into his system. He had snuck up on them in the middle of the night and Carlos just grabbed a pistol and shot. He made the mistake of looking at the man's face when they were looting his body for any valuables, and he had nightmares for days.
They reached a well establish town on the twenty-first day and decided to stay there for a while, exhausted from their travels. Katie's leg wasn't getting better despite Logan's treatments due to lack of proper medical supplies. It was just their luck when they found out that the town didn't have one and were living off of painkillers they occasionally found on criminals that would attempt to attack the town, only to be shot down by the mercs that protected it. That's when the wheels in Logan's head started to turn, though he wouldn't say anything to his friends just then. They had been in town for four days when James approached his friends just before going to bed, a questionable look on his face.
"I don't want to stay here," He had said, "I want to leave."
Kendall was messing around with his trusty shotgun and didn't even look up to answer, "I know, man, we just have to figure out what do with Katie and then—"
"No, I mean I want to leave you guys," He murmured, fear plaguing his voice as he anticipated his friends' reactions, "Do my own thing, you know?"
"What?" Kendall stood up and tension filled the air quickly, "What is that supposed to mean?"
James was visibly intimidated by the other boy but only for a moment before he straightened back up and looked him in the eye, "I want to go to the Blue District."
Kendall let out a laugh, "Of course," He turned to Carlos and Logan and shook his head, "Of course!"
As Logan sat, watching the events unfold in front of him, he was surprised that he hadn't assumed this earlier. Naturally, James would want to go to the Blue District. Following The End, California split into multiple sections, or districts. Red was military and combat training, where one could go to get proper weapons or learn how to defend themselves against the dangers of The Desolate. People were highly advised to avoid the Yellow District, a wide span of area full of people horribly mutated and made deranged by radiation or drugs. With little to no leadership or mercenary presence in the area it was essentially a deathtrap, though it was still referred to as "grade A hunting ground" by scavengers who simply liked shooting the heads off of what were once humans for fun and sport. The "endless" Green made up most of the state and was equal in crime and punishment: for every crime committed there was an equal amount of punishment, given by self-appointed leaders or by a survivor who decided to take the law into their own hands. And then, there was the Blue District.
The Blue District was small, but sought after like a port in a storm. It was advertised as the "entertainment" portion of the area, full of clubs and casinos. In reality, it was an area full of greed, where people gambled for money they would just waste on the prostitutes that outnumbered the regular citizens. Drugs were sold alongside moldy bread and aspiring singers bumped shoulders with murderers. It was dirty and grimey to most but its streets could have been paved with gold to others, such as James. He had never given up on his dream, not even after the world ended. He would sing show tunes and pop songs as they crossed The Desolate. He would charm merchants, male or female, into giving them items at a reduced price, and even for free on a good day. He was Blue.
Kendall and James argued for the rest of the night before Kendall simply shot James down, shrugging his protests off as petty, childish things that would just magically disappear morning. However, when they awoke, it was James who had vanished. No trace of him remained except a brief note.
Guys,
We will see each other again, I promise. I love you. STAY ALIVE! Logan, go and save lives. World needs you. Carlos, don't lose your heart. Please. You'll hear my voice soon.
Love, James
Logan actually laughed as he read it, because it was so James. He noted that Kendall hadn't been mentioned by name, and Logan made a futile but appreciated attempt at consoling him by saying that James was just mad, and that he'll miss him too. Carlos halfheartedly read the note before tossing it aside. The other two boys were curious as to why he seemed so detached, not happy or sad or angry that his best friend just left. Little did they know that Carlos had nightmares every night, and woke up every night, and just so happened to wake up at the exact time James was packing up his belongings. He wasn't ashamed that he hadn't stopped him, because Carlos wanted the best for James, but he knew Kendall would be mad and never mentioned it.
That was three months ago now, and Carlos remembered that night often. When he and Logan would talk about the day, about the patients they saw, they would reminisce on their time together and how much they miss James and Kendall. They hadn't heard from James since that day, and a heavy feeling sat in their stomachs when they talked about him. They both silently assumed that if he wasn't famous, if they didn't hear his soothing voice on Ghost Radio, a radio station formed by a couple of tech nerds who had happened upon the only working radio tower in all of California, then he was probably dead. They didn't talk about that.
After James left, Kendall seemed to find a new fire. He was dead set on cleansing The Desolate of evil, and determined that he could only do that if he became some sort of all-powerful warrior. He decided to travel to the Red District and join the Suns, or the Sunset Army. This was California's military that kept order throughout the state, or at least attempted to. Truthfully, it was just as much of a joke as Blue's entertainment industry, its "training" the equivalent to Blue's casting couch.
No one dare tell Kendall that, though, and he left about a month later. Logan said that he wanted to stay in town and open a medical clinic, and Kendall refused to leave until he was sure it was stable enough and his friend would be safe. At the time, Carlos didn't know what to do. He wanted to go with Kendall and get stronger, for his dad, but he wanted to stay and help Logan help people. In the end, he chose the latter, and he became the one who arranged and conversed with merchant bands that passed through so the town would have a steady supply.
It all seemed a distant memory as Logan cut into the man who was now seizing on the table, coughing up blood. He did so for about a minute before his body went limp, and Logan moved away. He looked around at the crowd around him and their faces that wore expressions of horror before sighing and motioning to Carlos to take the body away. He did so, and he looked back and saw Logan pointing at the next person in line to be treated who shook his head and walked out. About five others did this before a young girl, no older than ten, jumped up on the table.
"Hey, hon," Logan said, putting on his best smile that looked unconvincing to anyone who knew better with those sleepy eyes, "What can I do for you?"
"I don't feel very good, Doctor," She spoke with a small, meek voice.
He handed her a cup of water and pat her leg, "You can call me Logan. What doesn't feel good?"
"Everything," She drank the water and gave the cup to Logan, who simply threw it on the ground, "My throat and my head and my eyes and my arms…"
As she went on, Logan looked her over and noticed a small spot on her elbow, and immediately knew the problem. The skin was stripped off and almost glowing a sickly green around a small scar. He grimaced as she went on.
"…And my tongue and my ears. Can you help me, Dr. Logan?"
This wasn't the first one of these he'd seen, a child mid-mutation. It starts with feeling sick and the skin peeling off, and escalates quickly. Within twenty-four hours she'd lose all mental reasoning and begin attacking anything in sight. It wasn't the first, and it wouldn't be the last, but it didn't make it any easier.
Logan did all he could do, his best, and flashed that smile, "What's your name, dear?"
"Nicole."
He looked around the table beside him and found a pill bottle, taking one out and handing it to her, "This will make everything stop hurting, Nicole. Carlos?"
Carlos had been watching intently and snapped to attention upon hearing his name, "Yeah?"
"Take Nicole to one of the guards— no, wait, take her to Catherine, and tell her we've got a live one."
"Logan…"
"Carlos," the forcefulness in his voice sent shiver down the small boy's spine, "Please. I've got other patients."
Carlos knew what that meant, "we've got a live one". They were going to put her down, like a dog. As Logan stared at his friend, his best friend, his eyes as cloudy as his judgment as doubt filled him, Carlos had no choice but to scoop up the girl and carry her out.
"Thank you, Dr. Logan!" The girl called out, and Logan waved at her weakly as he swallowed the lump in his throat.
He turned back to the table, cleaning it with a towel, and whispered to himself, "I can't do this."
"Can't do what, Dr. Logan?"
Logan turned his head so quickly he was surprised he didn't get whiplash, "Kendall!"
The doctor got up to embrace his best friend, and the other graciously hugged back. Kendall actually visited once in a while, but it didn't stop Logan and Carlos from missing him.
"What are you doing here?" Logan was beaming despite everything, and the crowd around them looked at the two with distaste, "Did you get taller?"
Kendall put his hands on the shoulders of the smaller boy, "I may have. Town next door got raided by some punkasses with explosives. Figured me and my team would stop by, see if you guys are alright…" He looked around the hospital and waved, "How's business?"
"That's what the influx is about," Logan pulled Kendall toward the table he was working on and sat back down, taking another patient, "It's fine. Not really a business 'cause I don't get paid much, but people like me. Well, most of the time."
"Saw that girl," Kendall put a hand on his friend's back, "Tough break, but you can't save 'em all, Loges," He mockingly cleared his throat, "Sorry, Dr. Loges."
"Very funny," Logan shined a light into the face of an elderly woman who sat on his table, complaining about pain in her eyes, "You got some dirt in your eyes, dear, probably from the explosions. Here are some eyedrops."
The woman scampered away, huffing and puffing about she didn't have no damn dirt in her eyes. A couple of hours and the lines thinned out, faith lost in the miracle hospital that was like a beacon of hope, supposedly. Logan treated whoever was left, with the help of Kendall and eventually Carlos, and was exhausted at the end of the day.
"Want me to walk you guys home?" Kendall offered, taking Logan's lab coat that he stripped off and placing it on a table.
Logan and Carlos looked at one another, and Logan snorted, "It's not a far walk, man." He said.
Kendall rolled his eyes, "Well, damn, I'm just trying to be nice," He ruffled Carlos' hair and continued, "I miss you assholes."
Carlos moved his head away from Kendall's hand, "Don't you have to go back to the Red?"
"Nah, I'm not training anymore, just waiting for them to ship me out to wherever I'm needed."
"Since when?" Logan said, "Congrats, man!"
"'Bout a month now," The three left the clinic and Logan locked the doors. The sky was dark and smoky, a result of the destruction of the neighboring town, "Kind of bored, I'm not gonna lie."
"So you figured you'd just come help out your weak friends?" Carlos said, and Logan caught the bitterness in his words despite Kendall not doing so. Logan raised his eyebrow at him and Carlos shrugged.
Kendall laughed, "Basically. You guys need a personal bodyguard?"
The walk to their small but sturdy shacks took longer than usual as they caught up, although it was mostly just Kendall going on about training and his squadmates, or Logan talking about his patients. When they arrived, Carlos was happy to go right inside, rejecting a hug from Kendall.
"What's his problem?" Kendall said after Carlos closed his door.
Logan sighed, "He's pissed about that little girl."
"Hasn't he seen that before?"
"Yeah," Logan rubbed at his eyes, "Doesn't make it any less sad, though. They have to have found a cure for the muties, right?"
"Don't think so, man," Kendall said, "It's getting worse more than it's getting better, I think. A couple of trainees off the coast all turned together one night and we had to blow them away inside the barriers."
"Damn," Logan replied, and an awkward silence hung in the air. The two had never had very many of these before, and it made them uncomfortable.
Kendall broke the silence, "So," He practically sang, "You heard from James?"
Logan shook his head, "Nope. Kinda miss him."
"Yeah, me too."
More silence. Logan suddenly became very interested in a stone that lay at his feet.
"I've got something to ask you, Logan."
He looked up at his best friend, whose face was suddenly quite somber. He also noted that Kendall had gotten his lip pierced and had shaved his head on the side, giving himself a real undercut instead of the faux one he sported before.
"Did you get your lip pierced?" Logan spat out, and immediately regretted it. Of course he did, Logan, it's right there.
"Uh, yeah," Kendall smiled, "It was kind of, like, an initiation-type thing. I got a tattoo too—"
Logan caught himself staring at Kendall's mouth as he spoke and blurted out, "What do you need to ask me?"
Kendall raised an eyebrow, "Okay, Dr. Spazzy McGee," He held up his hands and then put them down again, sighing, "I want you… well, you and Carlos… both of you…"
The tall boy trailed off and Logan was staring again, snapping himself out of it just as quickly as before, "Yeah?"
"I, uh… I want you guys to come with me," Kendall's walls suddenly came down, and he looked anywhere but at Logan, "I wanna find James and… and change the world. I wanna find out what happened."
"What happened?"
"Who dropped the bombs, ya know? Who decided to pull the plug. Who pushed the big red button—"
"I get it," Logan laughed, "But why do you want to find James?"
"'Cause we're a team."
Kendall's words struck a chord in Logan, and he couldn't help but give the boy a sympathetic look. He was still so young, they all were. They were just kids who had been thrown into this mess, and dealt with it the only ways they knew how.
"Kendall…"
"I know, it sounds silly," Kendall assured him, "But someone's gotta know, right? And we can't do it without James."
"What if we do find out? Then what do we—"
"I don't know! I…" Kendall walked toward Logan and looked him in the eye, "I haven't gotten that far yet. Look, all I know is that I wanna do it, but I don't wanna do it alone. You guys are my friends and if anyone can do it, it's Big Time Rush."
That was a name the other boy hadn't heard in a while, "But James—"
"We'll find James! We've gotta find him…" Kendall grabbed Logan's hands, "Christ, man, I feel like I'm asking you to marry me. I know you've finally got a life here, or whatever, and these people need you, but I need you too, alright? And… and I want you guys with me! I don't do well on my own and—"
Logan was laughing, "Okay."
Kendall stared in disbelief, "Okay? And what are you laughing at?"
"Okay. And I'm laughing at you."
"Why are you laughing at—?" He gripped Logan's hands tighter, "Okay? You'll really do it? But what about Carlos, and the clinic, and—"
"Carlos will come too, and I'll find a replacement before we go," Logan squeezed Kendall's hands back, "Besides, we're a team right?"
Kendall hugged his best friend for entirely too long, "Man, I could cry if this wasn't already gay enough," He let go and held his shoulders at arms' length, "Yeah, a team."
Logan laughed again and Kendall realized just how much he missed that cocky laugh. He couldn't help but smile as he thought of the events that would unfold with his best friends at his side once again. They were a team, they were Big Time Rush, and not even nuclear warfare would keep them apart.