Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters.
There will be violence, gore and mentions of death through-out this story – If there is anything else it will be added at the beginning of each chapter.
"The Future of Valhalla" – Chapter 2, The Lure.
Night is falling fast and the reunited brothers were sitting around a hastily made fire, roasting the rat that Lukas had caught earlier. Emil lay on his back looking up at the sky, aware that his brother kept looking up at him to check he was still there. "I'm not going anywhere Lukas so stop looking at me." Emil told him. Lukas scrunched his face and shook his head muttering under his breath as he checked over the gun that his brother had found. It needed a new spring for the trigger and ammo, Lukas could fix it once he had a spring but the ammo… that was a different story. The smell of the roast rat made the boy's mouths water and their stomachs grumble. "It's not going to be long. We have to cook it well, I know rats not your favourite but it's better than nothing." Lukas offered to his brother. The darkness setting in meant they had to eat fast and move quickly to a new encampment. Not wanting to fall prey to the night creatures was as important as avoiding anything in the daylight. The darkness hides secrets.
A mouthful of rat, grease dripping down their fingers the brothers ate ravenously, grateful to have the protein to fuel their slowly weakening bodies. Good food had been a long time scarce. They had some tinned food from a house before Emil has done his disappearing act, but that would last, the rat would not, so for that night they ate their first hot meal in weeks. "We have an hour or so of sunlight left, we need to go Emil" Lukas said as he packed up their things, his father's hunting knife held securely in his hand. Emil's body groaned as he moved his stomach had shrunk over the weeks of poor rations and the rat had expanded it, only very little but enough to hurt. "Can't we just stay here?" Emil whined. Lukas kicked some dirt over the dying coals of the fire "If you wanna stay here and get eaten by the shakers then fine, but I'm not risking that, get off your butt and move" The elder of the two commanded.
Emil groaned but listened to his brother, he knew they had to be under cover in the darkness, their years of living this way had taught him that. They walked for few miles searching for a ruined building or a cave, a wrecked vehicle, anything they could be covered by to set their camp. For tonight, their camp was an old over turned arctic trailer. They couldn't stay at the same place twice in a row, if anything or anyone had followed them, they were done for. The brothers settled for the night at the mouth of the trailer, listening to the noises of the night. The howling of creatures unknown, the movement of the sparse shrubbery that scattered the pockmarked expanse of land that was laid out before them awaiting their journey in the daylight.
Lukas's sleep didn't come easy; the nightmares plagued him once more, a regular occurrence now. Emil was awakened by the muffled noises and jagged movements of his brother as he tossed and turned in his sleep. He bit his lip and shuffled closer to his older brother wishing he could do something to help him, but he knew it's not the life they have now that plagues him. Emil knew he had it easy with sleep, he didn't have the same memories as Lukas, he didn't remember the reason why his brother panics when Emil isn't near, the reason the nightmares haunt any peaceful moment Lukas could possibly have. The nightmare that sometimes made it into his waking hours.
Morning once more, sunlight streams through the open doors of the trailer and the harsh breeze picks up the dust and throws it around making dark patterns in the dirt. Lukas wakes to find Emil with an arm around him, his face peaceful and worry free, he wished he could make every moment like that for his little brother, but there's no way, no way at all. Shaking Emil lightly Lukas tried to rouse the smaller boy from his slumber "Come on Bror, we got a spring to find" He smiled lightly knowing that going searching for parts would put a smile on his younger companion's face, he knew his brother just wanted to help. The younger boy groaned and rolled over before letting a peek of the deep purple blue eyes out through his light bangs "Really… you want me to help?" Emil asked a little intrigued. "Ja, of course I do. I won't know where I'm looking if you don't show me" Lukas tapped the gun that lay by the side of them. Emil's face broke into a rare smile, a sight Lukas treasured with every happening. Lukas cautiously stepped outside and pulled his knife before waving Emil out from the cover of the trailer. "Come on, it's still early we have plenty of daylight to do this" Lukas said as he led the smaller boy back through the path they followed the previous day.
The metal on the scrap heap was hot to the touch, baking under the toxic sun for days on end made this mound an exotherm's dream home. Luckily Emil had found some material at the beginning of their search combined with a little string and a few cuts with the hunting knife and Lukas had made the pair a set of makeshift gloves each. Picking away at the scrap bit by bit, the brothers placed every spring they found in an old street lamp case. Unfortunately for the pair they hadn't found a single hint of any ammo hidden away in the pile of mindless junk. Emil and Lukas wiped the sweat from their brows, streaking dust and dark grease across their pale faces, the looked up and sighed at the fading sun. "Time to get going" Lukas announced as he slid his way to the bottom of the heap Emil following behind shortly after. Lukas decided to walk around the heap in search of a new direction to find camp, Emil followed behind rattling the case of springs as he walked.
The wiry trees and sparse bushes along the path scattered suspicious looking shadows along every stretch of broken pathway, Lukas' nerves were on edge and even Emil had become wary of their surroundings. Every whistle of the breeze sounded like someone calling a name, a child's cry or a dog's bark. Lukas walked knife raised and poised to strike at a moment's notice. Rounding the corner of a fallen down wall Lukas held Emil back with one arm, too nervous to even think about letting the boy take the corner with him. He felt like he was being watched, an uneasy feeling set into the pair as Lukas let his brother follow on, making sure he was close.
Lukas saw in his sights the perfect building up ahead for them to make camp, a rundown boarded up post office, it wouldn't take them very long to get inside. Lukas became a little more hopeful now that he saw the building, he hoped for supplies inside, anything they could possibly use. His steps took less time, his brother followed along behind at a slower pace, the clanging of the springs heard as he walked a little faster, until suddenly they stopped. Lukas whipped around and found Emil stood in the middle of the path way looking off to the left. Looking at something small and huddled on the ground. Lukas' hand gripped the blade, and moved slowly towards his brother "Emil… Emil come on" Lukas whispered. "Bror, it's a little kid." Emil pointed out to him. "I know… which is exactly why we need to go. NOW" Lukas insisted. Emil frowned "But he's a little kid Bror, what if it was me? Would you do the same?" Emil asked with a stubborn look on his face. "Ja, if I didn't know you, I would! Now come on" Lukas pulled at his arm, causing the case of springs to fall and clatter to the ground. Lukas and Emil's heads shot up towards the kid, he had flinched at the noise and noticed them staring.
The small boy stood up revealing his tattered sailor suit, his dirty face and knees and a small cut on his arm that was caked in dry blood. The boy's lower lip quivered and he took a hesitant step towards them both. The grip on the knife tightened and the blade was raised slightly. "Don't come any closer!" Lukas said in what he hoped was a confident and scaring voice. The small boy stopped and his face screwed up a little more and small sobs could be heard from him. "Lukas Your scaring him" Emil whispered, "Good. I know what you are. Where are they? Where's your baiters?" Lukas called out to the sobbing boy "He's a Lure. A fucking lure for those filthy shakers!" Lukas spat and turned to look at the child again "He has to be. Who has a kid that young in a place like this?!"
The small boy raised his head at the questions "I…I…I… I can't find my momma." He stuttered out, "I Lost my nunu and I can't find my momma!" Lukas' legs buckled, his vision went hazy. "NO, NOT NOW" he yelled scaring the boy once more. The memories that haunt his nightmares came back to him in a flood of vibrant images. Emil held his shaking brother unsure of what to do, his stoic brother on his knees and a seemingly harmless little sobbing just across the path. His voice hitched as he called to his big brother "Lukas, Come on, Pull yourself together. Bror, I need you…"