The boys kicked it back down to Santa Carla at breakneck speed knowing the sunlight hours were fast approaching as they headed straight for the Cave. The dynamic between the four of them was very much the same, but different. The experience they had all been through had changed them yet made them stronger at the same time.
Marko was angrier and more openly brutal, he was the youngest of all the boys and had been a bit shy but now he was possibly the first to react and he was angry with Star for her betrayal, and more than a bit annoyed with David for the way he wanted to handle things with her, although he would still abide with his leaders wishes. Most of all he was angry that he'd been left alone for all that time.
Dwayne was possibly more introverted than he was before, the ordeal he'd been subjected to had been extremely painful as had the knowledge that there were actually beings out there that could inflict that upon him. Humans that wielded that sort of power over a vampire. He swore that no one would ever do that to him ever again and his level of trust for strangers was now zero, except for Paul and now David and Marko again. He wouldn't even trust Laddie, it didn't mean he didn't like him or feel that companionship he'd had with the boy, but he'd grown and been made aware of what could happen to the likes of Dwayne and Dwayne didn't like that. Dwayne and David picked up right where they'd left off, they all did really but especially Dwayne and David.
Paul was probably the most resilient of the group and seemed to bounce back as if nothing had happened. Dwayne wondered if it was because of the way he had been tortured but he still seemed to just want to forget it and move on. Admittedly, Paul was doing everything he could to remain in an extremely altered state of reality but he had been a stoner before this had happened so not much had changed. Paul and Dwayne were lucky they'd had each other after their ordeal whereas David and Marko had been left to suffer alone with nothing but revenge to keep them going.
The Cave looked very much like it did back when they had all dwelled there. There were a few houses that had been built on the pathway up to the Bluff but developers had pretty much left the area alone due to the unstable ground, especially after the '89 earthquake that had ripped through the Santa Carla hills right up to San Francisco and had proved very fortuitous for Marko. The walkway down from the cliff was even more dilapidated and broken which wasn't a problem for the boys but kept most bored teenagers away and the ones who did venture down there, never came out again. The Morrison picture was still there and the pieces of broken hotel furnishings were still scattered around. Upon entering, they all split off to see what was still there of their stuff, even Laddie was interested to see his old bed but was saddened to see Star's trinkets thrown around the floor and broken and her curtain ripped down, obviously Marko had taken out his initial aggression out on her belongings. Laddie had never blamed Star for splitting the family up, she was just doing what she thought was the right thing to do for both herself and the little boy she had taken charge of. He found his old teddy and picked it up, looking at it thoughtfully, and was flooded with recollections of his time with the boys. Memories he'd tried so hard to block out and he felt a crush of sadness that he'd once wanted to be one of them. He had looked up to Dwayne like an idolised big brother and would have done anything to be just like him. Then he thought of Star, who had been so kind to him and treated him like his mother did and had given up everything to save him from this nightmare. He looked over at David and Marko and felt a shiver run up his spine, he began to fear what they would do to her once they found her again, especially seeing what Marko had done to his girlfriend. Laddie had forgotten what these freaks were capable of and with the reminder of what they would do, he was scared for her.
Paul and Dwayne were stoked to be back, with every piece of Paul's past he rediscovered, came a hoot and a holler for Dwayne to come a see, he was even excited to see his old stereo even though CD's were in now, not tapes. Paul and Dwayne had become closer than they were before and Marko just sat on the ledge of the fire pit and watched them. Dwayne found one of his old jackets and his old skateboard which made him smile and they all made themselves at home again and Paul pulled out another joint from a very old bag of pot that had been left behind. He was surprised Marko hadn't smoked it all and when he looked at Marko, the look of shock on his little brother's face made him laugh.
David stood staring at the wheelchair he used to sit in and then the broken pieces of his bejewelled bottle. He looked over towards Star's quarters and saw the blood stains on her bed and pulled out her necklace from his pocket, a surge of anger filling him. She owed him and she damn well knew it. Well, he had his boys back now and there was nothing that was ever going to stop them again, least of all her. They were stronger, he could feel it, and with the power between them David felt his confidence peak and his desire to accost her, complete with his pack was overwhelming. It was all or nothing now, bitch.
The sun rose and they dragged Laddie with them and trapped him in a cavern down the back near their sleeping quarters. He didn't put up a fight as he knew there was no point, then they fell under their daily repose and being back together in their own territory helped them bond again. He had his boys back.