Hope came to between War and a hard place. She groaned, shifting against the rock digging painfully into her back, blinking the dust and sweat from her eyes until the red and white and gray blur crouched over her resolved into the looming shape of the Horseman. Smoke curled from the edges of War's armor, cinders floating passed in the aftermath of the explosion that he'd taken the brunt of for her. His eyes were bright and blazing with irritation.
"Stay here," he growled.
"Yessir," Hope wheezed in reply. War snorted, straightening smoothly as though he hadn't just gotten blown up, and hauled himself out of the little crevice he'd thrown her into. From her narrow viewpoint she saw Chaoseater flash silver and then the air began to shriek with demonic screams.
Hope sighed, letting her head fall back against the wall behind her as she rubbed her eyes. A pounding had started up at the back of her skull and her neck and spine ached horribly from the rough handling. Already this wasn't going like she'd been hoping.
The demons had been waiting for them, because of-fucking-course they had been. They probably thought they'd had it perfectly planned out too, waiting until the Horsemen had been bottled up in the jagged twisting canyons before opening up with mortar cannons. If it hadn't been for War's quick reflexes Hope knew she'd be a collection of strewn body parts by now.
She knew that something like this would happen at some point, had in fact been prepared for it, but... it would've been nice if they'd waited until they'd gotten further than 20 goddamn miles outside the city. She already missed the feeling of being clean.
Hope sighed again, more frustrated than tired, and began to wriggle her way out of her narrow little hidey-hole. Peeking cautiously around the edge, she found that the skirmish was already over and that cleanup was underway with brutal efficiency. All that remained of the ambush was the artful splattering of crimson across the canyon walls and the slowly dissolving bodies covering the floor. Those that had had the sense to flee were being picked off almost lazily by Strife.
"Well, that was pathetic." Hope turned as Fury came up to her hiding place, coiling her whip with sharp movements. "You'd think they would try a little harder than that."
Hope, aching and covered in dust, glared up at her. Fury chuckled. "Apologies, Darling, but you will have to get used to it. No doubt we will be attacked many more times before this is over." She held out a hand and helped Hope pull herself up.
"I know that," she grumbled, brushing herself off as best she could. "I was just hoping they'd lay off for a little bit longer..."
"There was never a chance of that, you know," Fury told her. "The moment my brothers and I arrived on Earth the demons and their masters became aware of our presence. Undoubtedly they will be tracking us every step of the way."
"Oh, joy," she replied in flat deadpan as she and Fury rejoined the others.
"Still in one piece, I see," Death remarked. Hope suppressed a snarl.
"Shut up," she growled, stalking past at a brisk pace that carried her quickly beyond the Horsemen. She didn't stop until she cleared the walls of the narrow canyon and, once she felt she had enough distance, finally let herself shake.
She'd been in life-threatening situations before; it had in fact been her perpetual state of being just five years ago. It didn't make it any easier to bear now, not when she could hear the faint echoes of long-ago screams beginning to crowd the inside of her head.
Hope closed her eyes and took deep breaths until her pulse stopped pounding in her ears. Get used to it, she told herself, clenching her fingers to stop them trembling. Just like Fury said. This is just the beginning.
"I don't suppose this means you'll be going home, does it?" she heard Strife say as he caught up with her. The brief flash of anger was enough to drive off the last of the shakes.
"Wouldn'tdream of it Strife," Hope replied sweetly, her smile just a little too sharp around the edges. "I couldn't beardisappointing you."
"Oh, you're already doing that, trust me."
"C'mon now, I know you don't mean that. I know in your bitter little heart you feel nothing but admiration for me."
"No, I know this feeling. It is definitely disappointment."
"Really Strife? Because that sounds an awful lot like you're projecting."
"Children," Death cut in, "enough. Abyss' sake, you're both insufferable."
"He started it," Hope grumbled, falling into step behind the eldest Horseman.
"And you continued it," he said. "Watch how you kick the hornet's nest, Little One. You might end up getting stung."
"Yes 'Little One'," Strife said mockingly. "You really should learn how to quit while you're ahead."
"Do not think this doesn't also apply to you, Strife," Death warned him. "You are just as bad as she is." Strife sneered but didn't reply, focusing his glare on Hope instead. She met it easily. If there was one thing she'd figured out about Strife in the time she'd known him was that he was mostly just talk, especially where the wishes of his brother were concerned. If Hope was being honest with herself, she probably took advantage of that fact more than she really should, but pissing him off had ended up being way too entertaining.
Still staring him down, Hope flipped him the bird and danced out of arms reach when he took a threatening step toward her. Death simply shook his head.
"Honestly, if we get to the end of this without the two of you murdering each other, it will be a miracle." He said as he summoned Despair in a cloud of mist. "Well, perhaps if we manage to do that this insane venture will work out after all."
"We've only been out here for like, four hours, Big Guy," Hope said, letting Death pull her up into the saddle after him. "Can we please at least pretend that this isn't a completely stupid idea? At least until we know whether or not it actually is?"
"Just being realistic, Little One," he replied. "Perhaps if you behave yourself, I'll try to humor you."
"Prick..." she muttered, shifting in the saddle to try and get comfortable. She didn't think she'd ever get the hang of riding horses, much less giant ethereal ones, which was sure to make this trip feel a lot longer than it already did. It beat walking though, that was for damn sure.
As they took off at a brisk pace across the wasteland, Hope took stock of herself. Uninjured, if a little bruised and dusty, though she was sure that wouldn't last long. The mental stuff she could... deal with. Knowing that she didn't have to worry about fighting for her life this time around helped; the Horsemen were here for that. Really the only thing she needed to concern herself with was being persuasive enough to convince the people in the Safehouses to leave. Granted, she wasn't exactly good at talking to people, but she'd take that over facing demons any day.
"Penny for your thoughts, Little One?" Death asked.
"Hmm?" she hummed, train of thought derailed. "Oh. Just... thinking... about stuff. Or I guess trying not to think about certain stuff. I've been trying to work on this whole 'staying positive' thing."
"And how has that been working out for you?"
"Not bad but, you know, day's still young."
"Your optimism is always so short lived."
"Yeah, that's kind of how anxiety works, Big Guy." Hope huffed out a sigh, thumping her head back against his chest. "If there's one thing I'm totally certain on its that I'm not gonna be certain about any of this."
"No one is ever truly certain about anything, Little One," Death said, giving her a pat on the head. "Anyone who says otherwise is lying."
Hope sniggered. "It's comforting knowing that I'm not the only one who's completely fucking clueless."
Death answered with an amused snort. "Glad I could help."
They lapsed into companionable silence, punctuated by the pounding of hooves in the dust.
"Hey D," she said after some time, "You remember the last time and how awful that was?"
"Vividly," he replied dryly. "Each and every time you complained has been burned irreparably into my memory."
She elbowed him sharply in the ribs and didn't get so much as a flinch in return. "You're actually the worst," she said. "Am I not allowed to get sentimental?"
"Sentimental about what exactly? I wouldn't exactly call what happened before a memory worthy of sentiment. Unless you're feeling nostalgic for all the demons?"
"What? No! That wasn't where I was going with this!" Hope snapped. "I was gonna say that this wasn't as bad, but you've already ruined the moment."
"As you said before, the day is still young. This could easily get much worse."
Hope's shoulders slumped.
"Why?" she asked, defeated. "Why are you like this?"
"There are those that have been asking that for centuries, and no one has found the answer. Don't hold your breath Little One."
Hope groaned. She'd honestly forgotten how fucking irritating the big guy could be. Maybe she had gotten a little nostalgic. She leaned around him and shouted back at Fury. "Hey Fury! Let me ride with you, Death is being a dick!"
Fury's laughed from astride Scorn, the big thundercloud-dark steed snorting static from its nostrils. "Not this time Darling!" she called back. "You've dug this grave yourself! You should know better than to try and engage Death in a battle of wits."
Death gave a dry chuckle as Hope scowled. Was it already too soon to regret coming along?
Hope had eventually bullied her way into riding with War.
Well, less bullied and more complained until War acquiesced just to get her to stop.
("Abyss' sake, girl," he growled at last, grabbing her by the back of the jacket and all but yanking her off Despair's back. "Get over here.")
War had taken the lead and left Death to look on in baffled amusement at the sight of Hope perched high up on his brother's shoulders, the map unfurled in her hand and neck craning to look for landmarks.
War hadn't protested when she asked for a lift. He'd just silently held up his arm to let her step up and swing a leg around his shoulders. It was astonishing really, the sheer amount of patience War exhibited when dealing with Hope. Before those two had met Death had been certain that their personalities would have clashed catastrophically, but amazingly they had needed to say very little to form some kind of mutual respect. Death supposed it had something to do with how much this apocalypse had affected them both.
Hope had flicked on the radio clipped to the strap of her bag; Death could just about hear the soft buzz of white noise, drifting to him on the wind. She kept her head cocked, listening carefully to the static fluctuating with brief snatches of garbled speech. Giving War a gentle tap, she pointed him slightly west of their current course. As War nudged Ruin in that direction she fiddled with the radio knob, twisting it this and that to try and get better reception.
"We're getting close," she reported, loud enough for the rest of them to hear. "I'd say ten or fifteen miles southwest of where we are. Terrain is blocking the radio frequency a bit, but we're close enough to pick up some chatter."
"Have you thought at all about what you'll actually say to these people once you find them?" Fury called to her.
"Uhhh... ssssort of," Hope answered, sounding unsure. "Pretty sure telling the truth isn't going to get me too far. I can't imagine it going over too well if they knew I was traveling with all of you." Hope stopped her a moment and furrowed her brow. "Actually, I'm not sure if people even know who you all are. Reports from anyone who's claimed to have seen you are vague and inconsistent at best. You're basically cryptids."
"I don't suppose the mystique could give you any leverage?" Death drawled. Hope snorted out a short laugh.
"Not unless I want people to think I'm crazy. Or worse, think I'm working for the demons." She sighed, folding up the map and sticking it back in her bag. "Someone has to have seen the troop movements and know that something's up. I think the best I can do is tell them that a storm is coming and hope that someone has the sense to believe me."
"And if they don't?" The question came from War. Blunt, as usual.
"Then we move on," she solemnly replied, "and I try again somewhere else." Her shoulders slumped just a little and she shook her head.
"Look," she said, "I know that its stupid to think that I can save everyone. But I don't think I could forgive myself if I didn't at least try."
"Little One, I quite literally sacrificed myself to bring back humanity," Death pointedly reminded her. "If anything happens to make that sacrifice in vain I will be very unhappy. Believe me when I say that we will do what we can to make sure you succeed."
"Well, that doesn't make me feel pressured at all," he heard her mumble. "I'll do my best Big Guy."
Oh, she would certainly try. She was determined, of that there was no doubt. The question now was rather her best would be good enough.
They dropped her off about 200 yards from her destination, shadowed beneath one of the many jutting outcrops of rock to hide from the sentries looking out over walls made of concrete barricades and barbed-wire that surrounded the Safehouse.
"I shouldn't be tied up here for longer than a day," she told them as War lowered her down from his saddle. "I'll send a crow when I'm ready for a pick-up. What are you gonna do in the meantime?"
"We will scout ahead and see if we can't find some trace of where these new citadels are being built," Death replied. "The sooner we can locate and dispatch the new chain of command, the better. We will keep an eye out for your signal."
"Right." She fidgeted, pulling on the strap of her gun and, before she could change her mind, unsheathed her dagger and held it out hilt first toward Death. "Can you hold onto this for me? I don't think it'd go over too well if they found it on me."
"Are you certain you wouldn't rather keep it with you?" he asked, taking the dagger from her.
She gave him a bit of an uneasy grin and waved him off. "It'll be fine," she said. "You know I can get it if I need it, but hopefully I won't have to."
"If you're sure," he said, tucking the dagger into his belt. "If it ever disappears, I'll assume you're in trouble."
"It'll be fine," she insisted through clenched teeth. "Seriously, don't come looking for me. If I need your help I'll let you know, but please. This is gonna be hard enough as it is without the four of you storming the castle."
Death let out a huff and looked desperately like he wanted to role his eyes. "You worry far too much. I personally have no desire to make enemies of the humans here. Though, I can't make any promises for the other."
"Just-" Hope started, gesturing in frustration, "Keep cool, okay? It'll be fine." God, she sounded as fucking clueless as she felt.
"It'll be fine," she repeated, just to convince herself.
"Sweet Oblivion, just go already!" Strife growled. "We're burning daylight as it is."
Death steadfastly ignored him. "Just watch yourself, Little One," he said, wheeling Despair around to leave the way they'd come. "We will return soon."
"Don't turn the entire human race against us while we're gone," Strife tacked on as he turned to follow.
"I'd need you there for that, Strife," she shot back, trudging in the opposite direction and flipped her hand in a farewell. "See you guys in a while."
The sound of hooves receded behind her and Hope let out a breath. Thank god they had listened to her. The Horsemen had helped her feel safe out in the wastelands, but here, among her own people, they'd only cause more problems than they'd fix. This was something she had to handle on her own.
Taking another breath, she straightened out her jacket and stepped out from around the outcropping, preemptively putting up her hands up over her head. The moment she stepped out into the open she felt eyes on her.
"Halt!" A voice rang out from atop the wall. She looked up at the man perched behind the barbed wire, taking a bead on her with a long barreled rifle. She could feel several more watching her from concealed points along the wall. "What do you want? Where'd you come from?"
"Up north," she answered immediately. "Other side of the New York Barricades. I've got a message for whoever's in charge here."
"You armed?" he asked, not moving so much as an inch at her statement.
"Yes," she replied, slipping the hunting rifle off her shoulder and holding it at arm's length by the strap. "I'm willing to hand it over if you need me to."
The guard was silent for a moment, but eventually lowered his weapon and shouted over his shoulder to open the gates.
Hope flinched at the loud crunching, grinding cacophony of the giant slabs of concrete being dragged across the asphalt, opening just enough to let her squeeze through. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat.
She shot a split second glance over her shoulder, half hoping and half dreading to find the Horsemen there. There was no one, of course. She wasn't quite sure how that made her feel. With one more breath she steeled her nerves and slid through the gate.
The Safehouse hunkered down ahead of her. It looked like it might have once been a public high, but every window was boarded over and the doors reinforced with sheets of steel. On this side of the gate she could make out half a dozen armed guards perched on wooden scaffolding that ran the length of the wall, keeping an eye on the many shadowed crevices that surrounded them. It reminded her uncomfortably of a prison, but she supposed that was just the way it had to be. Keep the people in, keep the demons out.
The guard that had let her in descended from the scaffolds and jogged up to her.
"Sorry for the hostilities there, miss," he said, sounding a bit bemused as he gave her a quick once-over. "We're not used to people showing up by themselves. And normally they're heading for the Barricades, not away from them."
"It's fine," she assured him, handing over her rifle. She hated the thought of going without it, but she wasn't here to make enemies. "I know you're just being careful. Honestly I would've been disappointed if you weren't suspicious."
"Appreciate the understanding miss," he said, shouldering her weapon and extending a hand for her to shake. "Jefferey Garten. I handle security detail here in Morgantown."
"Hope Hopkins," she replied, taking the offered hand and giving it as firm a shake as she could. Garten seemed like an okay guy, though she could tell that he was a little thrown off by her. In his mind he was probably trying to imagine a tiny woman single-handedly armed with only a gun fighting her way through a demon-infested wasteland. She wasn't about to correct him.
"The person you're looking for is Caroline Bush. She's the Safehouse coordinator," Garten informed her as he led her past the barricades surrounding the front doors. "You want shit to get done around here, you go through her first."
As he ushered her inside Hope was struck by how quiet it was. There were lots of people, more than she'd been expecting, but they all spoke in hushed tones, huddled together in tight knit groups. Those closest to the doors fell silent as Garten entered with Hope in tow, stiffening for just a moment in fear before they realized who it was. She knew the feeling.
"Anything I should know before I go talk to her?" Hope asked.
"Not really," he said. "Just try not to piss her off too much. She's fair when she wants to be, but she doesn't take shit from anyone."
"Noted," she said quietly. She felt more eyes on her and now she could feel the nerves she'd been keeping at bay coming back with a vengeance. Too late to back out now though.
Time to play diplomat.
Uuuugh, so much dialogue. Honestly feeling a little bad about the long wait just to give you all a fuck-ton of dialogue, but I've been sitting on this chapter for way too long and I figured that I just needed to get it out there so I can stop worrying about it so much and maybe move on to things that will be more interesting. Not as though I'll be coming back to this chapter another hundred times to change it, but you know, that's just kind of how it goes. There's plenty of fun to be had later on, I promise.
But hey, remember guys, writing is hard. Every little bit of support I come from people reading this stuff is what fuels me, so please feed your local writer with the sweet nectar that is Favorites and Comments. You guys keep me going ^_^.
ALSO I'm still in the market for a Beta reader, or even just someone to bounce ideas off of to make this whole process a little easier. Please. I'm so lonely. None of my friends know what I'm talking about.
