I HAVE THE URGE TO MAKE THE MOST CLICHE POST APOCOLYPTIC SCENE EVAR AND YOU WILL READ IT!

CHAPTER 10: VEGAS

9 was holding 6 by the shoulders, hard.

"6...what do you mean by they won't come back?"

6's face looked like he was on the verge of tears, he studdered and wouldn't give 9 an answer.

"You need to tell me these things 6! Why didn't you tell me! How am I supposed to do anything if you don't TELL ME!"

9 was shacking 6, digging his fingers into the artist's shoulders. 6 closed his optics tight and looked away, dry sobbing and whispering to himself, saying it will be okay. 6's legs gave out and he attempted to roll up into a ball.

This snapped 9 out of it, and he realized what he was doing. He loosened his grip on 6 and kneeled down with 6, shifting his position into a hug. 6 nuzzled his head into 9's chest, dangling his zipper. 9 ruffled his hand through 6's hair, the other hand patting his back.

"I'm sorry 6...I'm so sorry, it's just that-"

"Don't be sorry..."

9 looked down to see that 6 was now looking up at him. 9 could see his reflection in his optics, and 9 didn't seem to recognize the person that met his gaze in the glass of 6's optics. He had changed so much in such a short time, he had matured, but that wasn't all. When the B.R.A.I.N. had been defeated, and he stood there looking up at the rain with 7 and the twins, he truly believed that he knew who he was, and what his place was in the world. Now he didn't know who he was, and after what he had just done to 6, he might as well be a monster.

"How can I not be sorry 6? I shouldn't act like that around you, I shouldn't make you feel the way you feel right now."

"Don't be sorry..." 6 said again. "You carry so much guilt, and you carry it alone on your own accord. No one placed this weight on you, you place it on yourself. The person that's restricted you, that's held you back, is yourself."

6 stood up, and started walking away from 9. He turned his head back, clutching his half of the friendship bracelet that had replaced his key.

"Don't be sorry."

9 had wanted to follow after him, but he heard the opening of the grate that covered the exit to the tunnel, meaning that 2, 5, and Dylan had come back.

The crowd gathered at the exit to meet them, but only 2 and 5 stood before them. 9 made his way to the front of the crowd, and upon realizing that a member was missing, he asked,

"Where's Dylan? Did he find us a way to get to Vegas?"

2 and 5 looked at each other and smiled. 2 turned and began to walk out of the tunnel, and 5 motioned the others to follow them with a wave of his hand. The stitches climbed out of the tunnel to see Dylan with a huge smirk on his face.

Apparently 9 had been correct when he thought that Dylan kept several different types of clothing in his pack, because Dylan now was wearing a new set of blue jeans- these ones without tears- a dark brown t-shirt, and over everything a black leather trenchcoat. Dylan was sitting on some type of vehicular device, which had clearly been worked on. The metal had been polished to a shine, and the paint looked new, covering most of the bike with a jet black. On the side of the bike in red cusive letters read Inkstayned.

"What is that thing, Dylan?" 9 asked.

Dylan's smile grew a little wider.

"This is what's going to get us to Vegas, look."

Dylan rotated his right hand back on the handle bar and the bike lurched forward with the roar of a powerful engine. The stitches jumped back, surprised. Dylan immediately shot forward a few feet, then he turned to show that on the other side of the bike was a sidecar.

"That's incredible Dylan!" 9 said, approaching the vehicle. When he noticed how small the actual sidecar was however, he asked,

"But...where will Caleb ride?"

"How could you not have noticed?"

"Noticed what?" 9's face was now one of concern.

"Ok, I'll explain. The night the F-series left, I couldn't sleep, so when they started packing their things, I didn't really know what to do, so I settled on telling Caleb to follow them, to keep them safe. I can't believe you hadn't realized he was gone, then again, he does sort of wander a lot."

Dylan was right, how could 9 have not noticed? Now he felt like an idiot.

"Dylan, I'm sorry. It's just tha-"

"Hey, no problem, don't be sorry. Everyone makes mistakes. It's not like it affected anything."

Hearing the familiar term that 6 had told him only a few minutes ago made him stop, and so he moved on to other things.

"So when do we leave?"

From the sidecar Dylan took out a sleek black motorcycle helmet, and put it on. It completely covered his face, but 9 could tell that Dylan was still smiling.

"Right now."

The stitches packed all of their things into the sidecar then jumped in as well, and they were off. The roads were mostly destroyed or littered with broken cars, but Dylan was able to carve out a route.

After making it out of the city on a crumbling highway, the land became very different. They had been riding for only a few hours and the now very packed city had become a wide open desert. Between the wind and the speed that Dylan was driving his duster jacket ends flapped backward. 9 could see that the sun was setting, and sure enough, it was dark within the next half hour. Dylan yelled from behind the helmet so that the stitches could hear,

"We're almost there! It won't be long now!"

He was right. As the moon- which was full that night- rose above the desert with a blue glow, lighting the earth.

"Don't get too excited, like I said, it's probably destroyed."

The bike slowly drove over a particularly large sand dune, and once at the top the entire group gasped in unison.

Off in the distance, a large city stood, surrounded by a wall. Only the tops of particualy large buildings could be seen, but the entire city was alive with light, meaning there were others there.

Meaning the world was not dead.

"Welcome to Vegas."