"You wanna WHAT?"
Markus seemed much more shocked at me wanting Drake to stick around than Nate was, and of course Holly was still out. I really hope she is okay. I know I don't really know her, but I've started to grow fond of the foxes, and if they cared enough about her to risk their own lives to rescue her, then I am sure we will get along as well.
"Look, I know I am pretty ignorant about the wasteland and it's 'dangerous' inhabitants, but there is one thing I do know. Kindness, and that is exactly what Drake showed us just now. I don't know if it was simply out of gratitude for rescuing him, or if he felt indebted to me, but no matter the reason, he helped us."
"But wasn't he the one that lead us into that trap?"
"I. Knew. Bad. Evil. I wanted. Help. We needed. Help. You. Strong. Rabbit. I see. You. Live."
"Wait, what? What do you mean you've seen me live?
"We. Brood and I. Attack. You. Threw. Giant. Rock at. Me."
Giant rock? Attacked me? What the hell was he … oh. "That was you who attacked me in Little Rodentia?"
"Wait? What!? This thing attacked you and you want it to keep it near you? You are insane!" Markus seemed to be the only one against my decision. Nate was keeping rather quiet about this whole thing.
"We. Starve. Baird. Evil. Feed. Scrap. No. Scrap. Days. No. Eat."
"That fucking boar starved you? No wonder you tried to eat me, I would have tried to eat someone as well!"
"Wait, you … please don't tell me you're a cannibal."
"Sheesh Markus, it's just an expression. Oh, please don't tell me that cannibalism is a thing. That's where I draw the line."
"Umm …"
Great. Just great. Not only do I have to worry about being enslaved, beaten, stabbed, shot and eaten by some undead abominations, I have to also worry about being eaten by other mammals? More and more I am beginning to think life was better in the Burrow. I took a look at everyone. Drake, the brothers, Holly. If meeting people like this means I have to worry about cannibals trying to eat me? Then bring them on!
"So, what do you eat?" Nate surprised both Markus and I when he asked that question, asking it as If he was simply talking to another mammal.
"Meat. Flesh. Blood."
"Ooookaaay. Olivia? A word?" Markus still had Holly propped up on his shoulder as he brought Nate and I close to him, "I vote for not taking the flesh eating creature with us."
"I still stand by my decision. Plus, you two are predators, aren't you? What do you eat?"
"Fish and insect protein, military grade nutrient rich meat alternatives, and whatever fresh fruits and vegetables we can get our paws on. Just because we come from carnivorous roots, doesn't mean we still crave … flesh and …" Markus shuddered.
"Well, why can't we ween him off of blood," I purposely emphasized that word, making Markus cringe a little, "and onto whatever it is you eat? Plus, there are still plenty of non- intelligent things he could eat, like, savage ghouls? Are they edible?"
"Ghouls. Bad. Chewy. Taste. Bad."
"You can hear us from all the way over there?"
"Drake. Hear. Good. Hear. Long. Distance."
"So he's a flesh eater and an eavesdropper. Great. Nate, what is your opinion on the matter? You have been pretty quiet."
"I …" his eyes moved between mine and Markus', "I … side with … Olivia."
"So it's settled … what? You side with her? You do realize what he is, right? Especially after what we just went through?"
"She's … right. If he really did want to … hurt us, he would have. He said it himself, he had no home now. If the other deathwings were gonna return to that … place, it was their home now, not his, and if he wanted to save himself, he would have just … left us, to our own devices. That's why I am siding with Olivia. It just feels … right."
"If Holly was awake I am sure that she …" Markus was interrupted by a loud screeching in the distance, "we need to get inside. It's not safe for us, for her, out here."
"And Drake?"
"He's too dangerous."
"If he stays out here, so do I."
Nate walked over and stood next to me, "I do too."
"Gah! Alright! You can all come inside, just do it now before I change my mind!"
"Thank you Nate." I reached up and gave him a little kiss on the cheek, he deserved it.
"I … I …"
"Uh-oh, I think I broke him. Drake, do you mind?"
"I. Obey."
"You don't have to 'obey', it's not an order, I'm not demanding you do anything, I'm just asking. As a friend."
"I. Help."
Drake picked up Nate, who was still mumbling after a simple peck on the cheek, and carried him as we followed Markus to their home. We walked around the side of the large dune but I didn't see anything that resembled a home. All I saw were hills, rocks, and other naturally occurring things, then again it was dark so maybe I am just missing the giant: 'Welcome Home!' sign.
I risked my Pip-Boar's light and turned it on. Surveying my surroundings with light was no more helpful. There was a large outcropping of rocks followed by sand dunes that wen on scattering the landscape. This area seemed to be on the edge of where the earthy terrain of Savannah Central merges with the aridness of Sahara Square. I guess after two hundred years without proper upkeep, the natural environment is slowly taking over. Makes me wonder how the Rainforest District and Tundratown faired. They were both mammal made biomes like this one.
"Welcome to our home."
"Home? All I see is …"
I didn't see it before, and now that I do see it, it made me wonder how I even missed it in the first place. In that large rocky outcropping was a large metal door. It had been painted in a way in order to allow it to blend in better. The entrance was large enough for us all to fit through, but Drake still bent down a little to avoid hitting Nate on part of the doorway. That's when I noticed he was starting to snap out of it.
"Umm, why are you carrying me? Why is my face red, why did you …" he trailed off as his eyes met mine.
Never-mind. At least I knew how to shut him up if I ever needed to. This time it wasn't so bad. Drake was able to put him down and he started to walk on his own accord. It was rather cute. Uh … I mean … you know what? Fuck it. He's cute. There, you happy now fate? The fox is cute!
I wonder if Nate noticed how flustered I was feeling, because he quickly moved up to his brother who had lead us down into a large main room. "Here Mark, let me help you with her." Nate glanced back at me but when my eyes came into contact with his, he quickly snapped away, back towards Holly. With her held between both of them, they brought her into one of the first rooms we came across. It must have been some kind of communal residency because inside were five beds, and each of them had beds on the beds. Who the hell puts a bed on-top of another bed? What if a rhino wanted the top bed, and a tiny little otter wanted the bottom? One small mistake in the structural integrity, and the otter is as flat as a pancake.
Nate and Markus brought Holly to one of the beds and gently laid her down. Markus covered her with a blanket and kissed her forehead. "You two should go get cleaned up. Like I said, we have working showers, but unfortunately we don't have an operational water heater, so you will have to deal with a cold shower. As for you …" he looked at Drake, with a look of defeat in his face, "… just don't kill anyone, please."
"You. Kind. No. Kill."
"See Markus? He's just a big cuddly little thing isn't he?"
I don't know why, and I know I really shouldn't, but I stood on the tips of my toes in order to scratch under Drakes jaw, as if I was coddling a child. The thing that surprised me, and I think everyone else, Markus most of all, was the fact that instead of objecting, Drake … purred.
"You. Nice. Bunny. You. Mother."
"Mother!?" Mark, Nate, and I all had the same reaction.
"Hold it, I am too young to be a mother."
"Mother. Brood. Kind. Baird. Kill."
"Oh, your mother. He … killed her? I am sorry. I am so sorry. I know what it's like to not have a mother anymore, I think we all do."
The room was quiet as I gauged the brother's reactions. They both had the same visage, one of loss and sadness. In a way, we all had one thing in common, and while differences in loss still remained, we all had someone we loved taken from us. Markus turned towards Holly and placed his paw on her forehead for a moment before heading towards the door.
"I need to get my medical kit. Drake?" He looked at him and for the first time his eyes were void of fear. "Make yourself at home. We all deserve some rest after today."
I was the first to use the shower. Unlike the Burrow that had private showers in every residence, this place had just one large room. From the looks of it, someone had attempted to separate it with a giant blue tarp, each end tied to a shower head on either side. I stripped out of my clothes and threw them to the side. Setting my Pip-Boar down next to the pile of clothes, I turned the knob to the shower. At first I turned it towards the hot water, but then remembered that he said there was none, so I slowly moved it to the other side.
"COLD!"
My voice echoed through the room as the freezing water hit my body. It was really cold. How long has that heater been broken? I figured a tech wiz such as Nate would have been able to fix it? Maybe he wouldn't mind letting me try? I wonder what he was doing. What did they do here when they are not letting a bunny lead them through hell? Better question, why do thoughts of him keep entering my head?
I nearly slipped on the tiled floor when I heard a shower head on the other side of the tarp turn on. While the tarp itself was opaque, the room's light's was tossing a silhouette onto the material that looked an awfully lot like …
"N …Nate?"
"Oh, I'm … sorry Olivia. Did I … startle you? I wanted to let you finish, but this smell."
"No …" I didn't know what to say, there was a naked boy only a few feet from me. I sighed, my mind was already about to burst. "It's understandable, I was just … caught off guard is all. You should have said something."
"Sorry … I didn't want to … disturb you."
"Well, what's done is done I guess. So, how you holding up?"
I grabbed some soap that was sitting on a small ledge. It smelt good. Lavender? Probably Holly's. I couldn't imagine either of the boys wanting to smell this … pretty. I started to get a good lather up as we conversed through the tarp.
"I'm … still a bit shook up, I think."
"I don't blame you. After all you went through, all I put you through, I would be too."
"You're not … we wanted to help, to help Holly, to help … you."
"I … thank you. I know that things did not go the way we planned, but I am glad to have done it with you … you all. All of you that is." Why was I feeling so nervous around him all of a sudden? Just because there is a naked fox right behind that … " … we made a new friend too, so that's a plus. I gotta ask, why did you take my side instead of your brothers? He had some very valid points that in any other situation, I would have agreed with him on."
"I did it because of … you. That is, I mean, you are so accepting of us. You didn't know us, and where most mammals just see … foxes, you saw something else, didn't you? We were strangers, yet you still risked your own life to help us. I think that's why I like … chose to side with you. If you saw something else besides a fox in us, maybe you saw the same thing in Drake, where anyone else would have just seen a deathwing."
"I'm not going to say I am a good judge of character, I nearly got kidnapped by slavers because they sounded 'nice', and on multiple times I have almost gotten eaten by ghouls because I thought that maybe they would be intelligent like us. But Drake? I honestly do see something in him. I don't know what, and deep inside I am hoping I don't regret it, but just like you and Markus, I don't think he's what everyone else sees in the surface, deep down I think …"
I had now realized that I had been slowly moving closer to the tarp, and from the shadow, I think Nate was as well. It was tall enough that we could not see each other, but we could still clearly see the shadows being cast on it. My brain and my body seemed to be both fighting against each other, and working together simultaneously.
"Miss. I brought you a …"
Onion's sharp voice broke the silence in a way that startled me, casing me to slip on the floor, and sending me crashing into the hanging fabric. I tried to catch myself on the tarp, but the ropes snapped, causing it to wrap around me as I fell, right onto Nate, landing on him as I let out a slightly embarrassing squeak. I saw his face now as he was lying on his back, the tarp the only thing between our naked bodies.
"… towel. You okay Miss? You face is turning a most unbecoming red."
"What happened! Is everything … alright?" Markus must have just entered the showers to see what the commotion was. My eyes were still locked onto Nate's, my face feeling as if my entire body's blood was now rushing through it.
"Look, I know you two just met, but aren't you taking it rather fast?" I didn't have to see Markus' face to know he must have had a large smirk on it.
I snapped my mind back to the situation as I quickly jumped up, the tarp still wrapped around me. In my haste to get up I had forgotten that Nate was also naked, I saw … everything. I turned and marched right up to Onion, not looking at anything else, grabbed the towel from him and went straight to the empty room of beds, still wrapped in the fabric, dragging it and the ropes it was attached to behind me. I walked past Drake as he looked at me rather inquisitively.
"Bunny. Okay?"
I ignored him, entered the room and slammed the door behind me.
"She's fine Drake, just a little embarrassed is all." I was still able to hear Markus through the door.
I ferociously tore off the tarp from my body, wrapped it in the towel and collapsed face down on the nearest bed. I did the only thing I could do. I screamed into a pillow, hoping to use it to drown it out. Then I did something that even I wasn't expecting. I smiled.
I'm not sure how long I dozed off, but a scream woke me up. Without thinking, I jumped out of bed, towel still wrapped around me, and rushed out of the room. The scream came from the other sleeping quarters down the hall. Were we under attack? I didn't have my gun, or my Pip-Boar. Fuck!
"Get it away! Get away!"
It was Holly! She was awake, but what was making her … oh no. I reached the door and ran in.
"Drake!" I had feared the worse, that somehow he was still under the influence of that fucking boar. He was under his control for such a long time, that I was not sure if there were any lingering effects.
Drake was just standing there, non-threateningly looking at the panicked rabbit who was being restrained by Markus. I could hear him trying to comfort her, but she must not have been in the state of mine to comprehend his words. I calmed myself down, not wanting any show any agitation that could potentially escalate this.
"Drake, would you mind waiting for us out in the hall?"
"Yes. I wait."
Holly's expression of panic suddenly turned to that of utter confusion.
"It … can talk? Why is there a deathwing here!? Why is it talking?!" she looked over towards me. "Why is there a half- naked rabbit here?! Markus! What's going on?!"
"Wait … don't!"
Nate had just run in, this time fully dressed in a t-shirt and cargo pants. He looked at me and an odd expression appeared in his face before he ran over to Holly."
"Nate! You're okay!"
"Yes, we are ok, please, calm down Skips. I know it's a lot to take in, but you need to rest." He signaled for me to come closer. "She is the one who helped rescue you. If it wasn't for her …, Holly Kerrigan, meet Olivia Springs."
"It's nice to finally meet you." I held my paw out and she cautiously took it.
"Nate you look ..." I noticed Nate sneaking a look at me as Holly addressed him, causing him to snap his attention back to her, "...happy. Too happy. Someone please wake me up from whatever this is!"
"Hey Olivia, is it okay if we had a little privacy? I think it would be easier to explain recent … events, with just the three of us."
"I understand. I'll just be …"
"You're welcome to use my … workshop. It's just … down the hall."
Holly's vision rapidly switched between Nate and I before finally flopping her head onto the bed, releasing what sounded like a groan and a sigh mixed together. I took that as my cue to leave. I saw Markus wrapping his arms around Holly as I left the room. Outside the room, Drake was standing there, stiff, as if someone just placed a statue of him there without me seeing.
"Drake, just because I said wait out here, doesn't mean you have to literally wait out here. You are free to move around at your leisure."
"You. Said. Wait. I. Wait."
"Oh boy, we really need to work on that. I meant to ask, why do you always look so, uncomfortable, standing?"
"Stand. No. Comfort. Stand. Hurt."
"It hurts to stand like that? No wonder you always look uncomfortable. Why?"
"Baird. Evil. Baird. Make. Stand. Me. Hang. Me. Hurt."
"Wait, are you saying that if you were to hang, he would hurt you for doing it?"
"Yes. Baird. Evil."
"What about the other ones? I saw dozens of them who were hanging."
"Baird. Pick. Me. Baird. Pick. Others. We. Stand. No. Pick. Can. Hang."
"You mean he selected you, what as his personal guards or something?"
"Guard. Yes. Blood. Take. No. Take. Hang. Me. Take. More."
"I don't follow. I get that he chose a few of you to guard him, but blood? What do you mean?"
"Blood. Take. Me. Give. Blood. Take. He. Use."
"You mean he was forcing you to guard him while he experimented on you?!
"Yes. Baird. Evil."
"Oh, if that boar managed to live, I will find him, and I will end his life."
"Bunny. Nice. Too. Nice."
"I've been getting that a lot. Let's go see if we can find someplace for you to hang for a bit. I promise you, I will never force you to do anything you don't want to. But, you are strong, so I may ask of your help, but no matter how dire the situation, I will never, never force you to do anything you don't want to. You just have to promise me one thing."
He didn't say anything, he just stared at me.
"I want to protect anyone who needs it. From the smallest rodent to the biggest …" I looked at him and smiled, "… deathwing. If someone needs help, if they are an innocent who needs protection from the evils of the world, I want you to promise me that you will help others, like I helped you. That is all I ask of you."
"Drake. Promise. Bunny."
"But what if he EATS US!" Holly's voice echoed from the room before I heard the door slam shut.
"Oh, and don't eat anyone, unless they are bad. You can eat the bad ones."
I smiled at him, and I think, I just think, he smiled back at me.
About an hour went by before Nate found me and said that Holly had calmed down. I had managed to find some resemblance of clothing tucked away in a dusty trunk. It was defiantly way too big for me as Nate gave me a look that must say how silly I looked. It was a button up shirt with overly long sleeves and a pair of black pants whose long legs kept trying to trip me as I followed Nate back to where Holly and Markus were.
Upon entering I saw that Holly must have gotten cleaned up, because her fur looked much more vibrant, and she was in a rather loose fitting white t-shirt and black jeans. Markus and Holly were chatting, a smile on both of their faces when she turned and saw that I had arrived.
"They told me … what on earth are you wearing?"
"The only thing I could find, sadly. I really did not want to put that filth covered stuff back on, and I didn't remember to pack an overnight bag."
"She is a feisty one Marki. I think I may have something for you. Ok you two, leave us alone for a moment, we need a little, girl time. Aww, don't worry Marki, I am not going anywhere. If what you said is true, if someone did happened to magically teleport into room the very moment you left, I am sure if I give Olivia here a spoon and a toothpick she will have us out of here, and maybe even with a wall or two still intact."
What the hell did they tell her about me!?
Markus left but Nate seemed hover near the door until his brother grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out, closing the door.
"I should have something in your size. Here, put these on." She tossed me some pink panties and a matching undershirt. Pink wasn't really my color, but I didn't wanna offend her by refusing, and I also didn't want to have to wear these … things everywhere. I stripped out of the overly large clothing and turned and faced away from Holly as I slipped the undergarments on.
"For an insane death bunny, you sure are rather shy. We're both girls here, it's not like it isn't something I haven't seen before. Although Nate's right, you do have a cute butt."
He said what about my what?! "He … did he …"
Holly started to laugh. "No, he didn't. I don't think puff tail would be able to mutter those words without, well, muttering. Although, from what Marki says, I am pretty sure he's thought it at least once."
Once again my face warmed up rapidly. Holly distracted me by tossing some clothing at me. It was similar to hers, a loose fitting t-shirt, although the one she gave me was dark blue instead of the white one she had. She also tossed me a pair of black jeans that fit rather snug. A little too snug I think.
"Aww, is Olivia now self-conscious of her ass?"
I realized that I had been patting, and attempting to see, my butt. I immediately stopped and acted like I had never done … that. An hour ago she was acting delirious, and now she is teasing me to a point where I may go mad. And I'm the crazy one!
"I want to thank you too. Mark and Nate, they are like family to me. No, they are family. Mark says that you know we came from a Burrow, and that even mentioning that brings back … painful memories. They hurt them in there, just because they were predators, just because they were foxes."
"What did they do to cause them, to cause Nate so much pain?"
"I … I don't think it's the time or place, not yet at least, and certainly not from me."
"I won't press it."
"Thank you. Also, thank you for protecting them. If you had not been there when I was … taken, I am afraid that, well, they are good boys, they really are, and smart too. But without me, sometimes they're just … doofs, but they're my doofs."
"Okay, what is a doof? It's been bothering the hell out of me."
"Oh that, it's just a little nickname we call each other, usually when one of them does something embarrassingly stupid."
"That's like, all the time then."
She laughed again, this time harder. "You got it in one. I love those boys to death but sometimes, well."
"You seem to be okay with me now, but what about …"
"Drake? I won't lie, I get the willies around him. After having one snatching me up and bringing me to that … place, you probably can imagine the shock of waking up and seeing him. I really wanted to tell Mark to throw him out, part of me still does, but he told me about how you, and Nate, stood up for him. I tell you what girl, if you can get that doof to stand up for a deathwing of all things, there must be something to you."
I had no idea what to say, and thankfully I didn't need to come up with anything when a rap at the door interrupted us. The door cracked open a little and I heard Mark's voice come through the opening, "You girls decent?"
"Yes but …"
The door opened instantly on the 'yes' and Mark walked in with Nate on his tail, Holly gave me a smirk as they entered, what is she …
"… Olivia's still naked!"
Mark froze but Nate clumsily stumbled into his brother as he tried to cover his eyes and dropped something that clinked on the ground. Whatever it was got thrown over near me as the two fell to the ground and Holly just started laughing. "See? Doofs. Okay boys, get up, I was just teasing, she is fully dressed and her face is nearly the color of her fur."
I tried to ignore what just happened, before she makes a comment about my butt in front of Nate, and leaned over to pick up what I now saw was a bottle on the ground. It had a wax covered cap, and it was filled with an almost amber colored liquid. A label on it said: Tapir's Lark.
I held the bottle up to show them. "What's this?"
"Oh, Nate, haven't you tortured that girl enough?"
"My nerves are shot. I … could use this. I thought that maybe…"
Mark grabbed the bottle from my paw and looked at me with a small smirk, "This stuff tastes horrible, you don't want it."
"It's an acquired taste!" Nate snatched it from his brother's paw and opened it, taking a whiff. He pulled out two small glasses from his … pockets, why so many pockets?
"You don't have to drink it 'livi if you don't want."
"'Livi?"
"Short for Olivia, of course, both my boys have theirs. I figured, if you were going to be one of us, I might as well give one to you. You don't like it, do you?"
"Oh, no. It's just that, I never had a nickname before. Never really had any friends to …" From the looks on their faces, it looked like I was about to put a damper on the mood, so I quickly changed subjects as Nate handed me a glass filled with the amber liquid. "So … where's Drake?"
"He seemed very antsy. He said, or at least I think he said, that he needed to 'hang.' Figured he meant dangle from something like those other ones were doing."
"Yeah, I tried to find something for him earlier, but there wasn't a place big enough, or strong enough, for him."
"Well, the garage has plenty of hanging pipes and beams in it, so I let him in there. He took 'roost' and seemed rather, happy, so I left him alone. Kept the door open in case he wanted to come and say hi."
"I am glad you are okay with him here. I …" I took a big swig of the drink in my hand, but it hit my taste-buds before Holly or Mark could stop me. "Ugh! What the fuck is this?!"
"I told you she wouldn't like it. I don't think anyone other than you would."
"Bah, she just took too big a sip is all. Olivia, you need to sip it, enjoy it. Savor it."
"Enjoy what? Battery acid?"
Nate swirled the drink in his cup a little before taking a sip. "I don't usually drink too much of this, but after today, I think I earned a little extra. We all have."
I sniffed the drink, it had a rather sweet aroma to it, but it also felt like it was burning my nose a little. I've been through much worse. I took another drink, but this time a small sip.
"Nope! Nope! I would rather go paw to paw with a rhino decked out in full Guardian armor than drink this … although."
I started to feel … good. A slight warmth filled me from the inside out. I said I wouldn't drink it, I said I wouldn't … I took another sip. Oh, that felt … "Actually … once you get past the battery acid it is rather …" I took another sip. It was slowly tasting better. I think. My arms started to get wobbly as I tried to lift it for another drink. My head was swimming. I felt as if I could just fly right up into the air. I went to take another, but realized that at some point, I finished it.
"Maybe one more?"
"I think she has had enough. You trying to … take advantage of her …" Mark elbowed his brother on the shoulder. Nate almost dropped the bottle as he was pouring me another.
"You know what Marki? I think he is."
I took another sip. Whee. I saw their mouths moving but their words were jumbling in my head. Every sip of this stuff made me feel better, happier, looser. It was like my bones had been removed, leaving me to bend and contort my body at will. It was a very nice feeling. I tried to walk but then I remembered that the lack of bone in the legs make them go all wibbly wobbly. I fell on the ground. The others rushed to me to pick me up, but nothing they said made sense. Something about a banana? Oh I have those wafers, maybe they want my wafers? I tried to move, but they were pulling me closer and closer to the bed. I tried to take another sip but they pried the glass from my paw before I could. I just wanted a little more, just a little more?
I felt my body fall onto something soft as the world was washed away.
The softness was gone as I started to fall again. I tried to open my eyes but they felt as if they had been sealed shut. The happiness and looseness from my body was gone, replaced with a sense of loneliness and stiffness. I tried to move my arms, to find out where I was, but they wouldn't listen. I tried moving my legs, my ears, my head, but they too were unresponsive. I tried to speak but no words could form.
I continued to fall. The loneliness was being stretched. Holes were forming in it as new feelings filled them. Fear. I started to feel scared. I couldn't see as if I was blind, and I couldn't speak as if I was mute. The only sound was that of the rushing wind as I fell. I did not know where I was and that scared me.
Trepidation. My fear escalated, as if my body and mind knew of some oncoming danger. I kept falling. The air rushing around me was slowly being replaced as well. At first I couldn't make it out, the wind still drowning it, but soon the wind started to fade as the noises became louder, clearer. It repeated, over, and over. One word. One, fearful word.
Help.
As I fell, the word got louder and clearer, as if I was rapidly approaching their origin. So many were crying out for help, but they were not screaming it, they were not shouting it. It sounded as if, despite their pleas, they knew help would never come. As I plummeted towards the pleas, I tried to call out to them, to tell them that it was okay, that I would save them, but the words could not come. It was not if I was unable to create them, I felt them forming in my throat, but I knew, I knew the reason. I was too late.
I stopped falling. I did not hit anything, nor could I feel anything supporting my weight, but I simply stopped moving. My eyes started to burn as I could feel my vision returning. I opened them, slowly. The world around me was dark, but there was a single spot of light in the distance. Everything was blurry, but I could tell that that small dot of light was getting larger. Larger. Larger. Soon the light was upon me, but it was not normal light. This light was red with anger. I felt heat. I smelt smoke.
The flame became brighter as it's light filled the area around me. Ash started to burn my eyes, but I couldn't wipe them, my arms still unresponsive. I heard the cries for help. They were all around me. I tried to find one of them, any of them, to tell them that is will be alright, that it will be over soon. I was lying.
Help.
I want to. I want to. Tears started to form, and as they did, they took with them the ash that was blinding me.
Help.
The voice was getting closer. Just let me help. Please. Let me help.
Help.
The voice was right in front of me. I could feel the heat. I could smell … no. Please no. The tears started to fall harder as my vision focused on charred remains in front of me. This wasn't Beaverton. No, this was, different. This was someone who needed my help, someone who begged for me to save them, but I never showed.
Help.
Another voice. This time behind me. I felt my body move, as if I were some kind of puppet, being manipulated by an unseen force. The new voice was now in front of me. The heat of the flames, and the smell of burning flesh left as the new once came closer.
Help.
Who are you? Why are you tormenting me?
Help.
This voice, this one belonged to a little girl, just a small white bear who wore a pink dress. Please, no more children. Images of the children I found in Beaverton started to flash in my head. Please, no more. Tears were falling, as if they could drown the world, drown me. I begged them to take me, to take my suffering.
Help.
Suddenly a collar appeared around the girl's neck. It was flashing red. No. Not that. Please. I wanted to reach out, to take the collar off and tell her it would be okay. I was too late. The explosive detonated, causing the girl's head to fly off. Blood sprayed like a fountain from her neck as the body crumpled under its own weight. The lifeless head rolled in front of me. I was too late.
Help.
Please, no more. I want to help. I want to help you all! I just need … I need to be stronger!
Help.
My body moved against its will again.
Help.
Please, just end this. If I could save them all, I would gladly trade my own life. Please!
Help.
The voices surrounded me. New voices were slowly being added to them.
Help.
There were countless voices now, all surrounding me. I tried to closed my eyes as the tears wouldn't stop, but they wouldn't let me, as if someone was making me watch.
Help.
Then I saw them. Heads, countless heads, all with lifeless stares in their eyes, their mouths still gasping in horror at whatever terrible force ended their lives. The heads had no bodies, but instead were impaled on large spikes. Blood still flowed from their open mouths.
Help.
North West.
Help.
Mayor Swift. Please, no more. No more!
Help.
Bo, and his family.
Help.
Drake. No.
Help.
No. No. Please. I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted to make it all go away. I wanted to scream to make it stop.
Help.
Holly.
Help.
Mark.
Help.
Nate.
I started to fall.
"Please no. Please make it stop!"
I woke up, my pillow covered in tears, my heart racing, the feeling as if I just died, only to be resurrected again. I couldn't breathe. I sat there. That nightmare, it felt so … real. I tried to forget it, to wipe away the tears, to make it go away. I felt something on my shoulder. I turned, expecting my nightmare to become reality, and I saw Nate. His paw was on my shoulder as I saw him sitting next to me. I felt something move. It was his tail, wrapped around my waist.
"Nate?"
"I … you were … crying. I think you were having a … nightmare. I tried to wake you … but …"
They were still alive. It was only a dream. A horrible, dream.
"I can … I can leave."
He started to get up but I grabbed him and pulled him back the bed. I wrapped my arms around him as I felt his tail wrap tighter around me.
"No. Stay. I … don't feel like being alone."
I just laid there, my head pressed against his chest. I could hear his heartbeat. It was fast at first, but it slowed. The noise relaxed me. His arms moved around me as the movement of his chest, the warmth of his arms, lulled me into sleep. I started to dream, but this time, it had a happy ending.
"Do you really have to go? Can't you stay for a … little while longer?"
"Sorry Nate, but I have to return to Hope. I need to make sure everything is fine and report my findings to the mayor. She might want to know about some mad-boar who may or may not be alive and who can control mammals. Most importantly, I want to know if she ironed out things with the residents about …"
"Us."
"Yes."
"What about Drake?" Mark and Holly walked into the room, his tail wrapped around her waist, one arm on her shoulder while the other was handling some sort of food.
"Well, is it ok if he stays here, for the time being. If they had issues with two foxes, imagine the uproar that would happen if I strolled into Hope with a deathwing?"
"Fair point. He hasn't moved from his perch all night. I actually got worried and tried to poke him with a stick to make sure he was alive."
"You don't go poking people with a stick Holly!"
"But it almost looks like Nate poked you with his stick."
It took a few seconds for it to register, but when it did, I jumped up and rushed over to my stuff in the corner of the room and hurriedly gathered my stuff.
"Look what you did cottontail. You just flustered her. Again. You really should stop teasing that rabbit. I have seen her do … things."
Ignore them. Just ignore them. I glanced over to Nate who, from the looks of it, was thinking the same thing. Our eyes made contact but Holly had to go and make it worse.
"I am surprised she can even stand."
"Nothing happened! Tell her Nate. Nothing happened!"
"I … I …"
"Oh, I am just teasing you 'livi. To be honest, I don't think puff tail would even know what to do with it."
That time Nate was the one who jumped up and he stormed out of the room.
"In all seriousness 'livi, I want you to be safe. I took the liberty of packing you a few provisions, some ammo from the armory, and … this."
She walked over to a nearby bed and lifted up a black jacket and handed it to me. It was about knee-high to me. It had a few pockets on the outside, but was lined with even more on the inside. Seriously, what is it with these guys and pockets? I tried it on and it felt like a perfect fit, but it was slightly heavier than my old trench coat.
"It's heavy."
"It has a special ballistic weave in it. Can stop most normal bullets, and even protects against knife wounds. That is if you keep it on. Don't go throwing this away. Those weaves are not easy to come by."
"It's … thank you."
Holly came over and gave me a hug. "Thanks again for protecting my boys. It's the least I can do."
I heard a clacking noise as Drake walked into the room followed by Nate.
"Cub. Said. You. Leave?"
"Yeah, for a little bit. I need to check on things back at Hope and, I am sorry to say, I need to leave all of you here. They are not as welcoming as you would think towards certain … species."
"Bad. Outside. Danger. Me. Take."
"No, I don't want you to put yourself in danger just for me."
"Drake. No. Make. Drake. Ask. Bunny."
"Let him 'livi. It will make all of feel better about it. Please?"
I sighed. "All right."
"Olivia … before you … go."
"Look what you did to the poor guy Holly? You gotta stop teasing him like that."
"Well Marki, it's about time Nate found someone. I didn't think had it in him honestly."
Nate's whole body seemed to glow a reddish hue as he handed me a small data chip and turned to leave. He hesitated for a moment, faced me and gave me a hug, lifting me off the ground. "Be safe."
"I will." I don't know what happened last night, but I felt, better. I decided to tease him a little too by giving him a surprised kiss right on the lips. He dropped me and stiffly ran off.
"Looks like someone else likes to tease."
"Onion! We gotta go!"
"Right away Miss."
Onion looked shinier. "Onion, is that you?"
"Yes Miss. That Mister … Nate fellow gave me a good polish. He wanted to 'tinker' around with me, but I expressly told him not without your permission Miss."
"Probably best for now. Hey Onion, remember when Drake carried you yesterday?"
"Unfortunately, I do Miss. It was rather dreadful."
"Well too bad. We are taking another ride."
"Miss! I object!"
"Overruled. Thank you for your hospitality and the … um… tell Nate I said goodbye, but I promise that I will be back sooner than later."
"Oh, since Nate left in a … hurry, let me tell you that the chip he gave you? Contains both coordinates to the bunker, and our private communication channel. If you need to get a hold of us, you can use that. It also has Nate's Pip-Boar tag and identification as well. He wanted to update your Pip-Boar personally, but, well, guess he was too busy to do that last night." She winked at me.
On that note … "Gotta go. Drake! Onion! Go. Now."
We left the bunker and I was nearly blinded by the morning light. How long was I asleep? I checked my Pip-Boar. It was a little after ten in the morning. I wanted to get back to Hope much earlier than that. I guess I was too … I really hope we didn't do anything last night. I really hope Holly was joking.
I told Drake I was ready and he grabbed both me and Onion and took off towards Hope.
He dropped us off far enough away that, if anyone saw us, it would have just been a small blur. I thanked Drake and told him to go back to the bunker. He was a bit hesitant on letting me go. I reached up and scratched the bottom of his jaw, and he purred again. I wasn't sure if I made a friend, or got a pet. Either way I assured him that I was fine, and was more worried more about him. During the day he was a target. Eventually he gave in and went off and back to the bunker.
Before moving to Hope I popped in that chip. Just as Holly said, it instantly uploaded everything to my Pip-Boar. A new station appeared under the radio: BNK-124-Gama. There was no way to remember that, but thankfully it gave me the option to change it. I made it something much simpler. Bunker.
It only took ten minutes to get to the front gates of Hope. It was a busy morning. Large tents were set up outside the gates as mammals went to and fro. Buying, selling, and trading. Life had returned to Hope, and thankfully, it was still standing. After that nightmare, I was afraid I would come back to a burning mess. Thankfully nightmares are not real. I hope.
There was one thing off however. After stepping foot in Hope, everyone was … staring at me. I know I was gone a day or so, but did they forget me this fast? Every single mammal stopped what they were doing and just stared as I walked past them. Was it something I was wearing? Did I say, or do something wrong when I left? I hope this wasn't about Nate or Markus.
I was stopped when the mayor, dressed in her typical half combat uniform, half ballroom dress attire. When she was convincing me to go with the foxes, she was serious. When she was with me 'interrogating' Nate, she was serious, but this look? It was beyond serious. It was … frightening.
"Olivia Springs. We need to talk."
Fallout: Zootopia After Show
Featuring:
'Stripes in the Morning'
[Stripes]
"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is with Stripes in the Morning! Today we have a very special guest."
[Max]
"Don't make any sudden movements you striped bastard, there's a deathwing over there. Quick, if we move quietly, we can escape it before it sees us. Or smells you."
[Stripes]
"Don't be such as scaredy fox Max, he's our guest tonight. Ladies and Gentlemammals may I introduce, Drake the Deathwing! Say a few words to the audience Drake."
[Drake]
"Horse. Loud."
[Stripes]
"Zebra, actually. Although horses and zebras do both belong to the equine variety of mammals."
[Max]
"It's… a deathwing… and it's… talking… holy fuck nuggets Stripes! You've done it, you really done it, we are going to die thanks to you!"
[Stripes]
"Don't be silly Max, this guy wouldn't hurt a fly… aaand he just ate a fly. Didn't see that one coming. So while my assistant hyperventilates over here, tell us a bit about yourself Drake."
[Drake]
"Drake. Free. Drake. Live."
[Stripes]
"Vague, I'll give you that. Deathwings can't talk, but you are the exception to that, aren't you?"
[Drake]
"Baird. Change. Drake. Baird. Make. Smart. Make. Drake. Talk. Drake. Not. Talk. Well."
[Stripes]
"Umm… add the two, carry the elephant… why is there an elephant? Okay I think I got what you said. That boar experimented on you, and gave you the ability to talk, but you're having difficulties understanding what to say, so you have to think it out very carefully, choosing the right words that contain any meanings that your already know, before speaking, is that correct?"
[Drake]
"Yes. Horse. Smart."
[Stripes]
"Zebra. Not horse. Want some coffee?"
[Max]
"Don't you fucking DARE give the vicious killing machine CAFFEINE!"
[Stripes]
"Not even a small drop? It's only triple espresso."
[Max]
"NO!"
[Stripes]
"Well, his loss. So, Drake. Now that you're free, what are you going to do with yourself? A deathwing such as yourself wouldn't fit in very well with modern society."
[Drake]
"Protect. Bunny. Protect. Friends."
[Stripes]
"Sounds like a plan. Now, what about the rest of your brood? You had some others help you, can we expect an army of deathwings in the future?"
[Drake]
"Drake. Alpha. Drake. Old. Brood. Respect. Brood. Listen. Drake. No. Order. Brood. Brood. Free."
[Stripes]
"Free? Free from the boar's control, or free to do whatever they want?"
[Drake]
"Free. Brood. Free."
[Stripes]
"But are the citizens of the wasteland in danger of deathwing attacks from your own brood? I'm sure I speak for my listeners when I ask, are we safe from your kind?"
[Drake]
"Drake. No. Kill. Brood. Kill. Brood. Free."
[Stripes]
"So you won't kill, but they might? The citizens of the wasteland still need to cower in fear from your kind, still need to try to avoid, or even kill your kind out of fear, is that what you are saying?"
[Drake]
"Horse. Mean. Horse. Bad."
[Stripes]
"Just trying to ask the questions others are afraid of asking."
[Max]
"Stripes? Why is he making that clicking noise? No you know? I think I get it. He's going to EAT you...Wait. Hey! Uh...Drake right? If you're gonna eat him? THANK YOU!"
[Stripes]
"I know some species make noises like that when they are annoyed or aggravated, but how any can anyone be annoyed at my charming personality?"
[Holly]
"Drake? What's going on out here? 'Livi sent me to check up… who the hell are you?"
[Stripes]
" at your service. I was just asking this kind fellow a few questions."
[Holly]
"Well you're annoying him, so leave us alone!"
[Stripes]
"But madam, we are only trying to…"
[Holly]
"MARK! We have an intruder! Activate the perimeter defenses!"
[Stripes]
"Perimeter defenses? Oh, those are guns. Those are BIG guns. Well folks, looks like this is all we have for today's show. Tune in next Wednesday with another rousing session with the host with the most, me! Now if you will excuse me, I need to make sure I don't get my stripes blown off my body. Eep! That was close. Stripes signing off!"
