Snow littered the ground and streets surrounding what before the virus had
been a hole in the wall used bookstore that often escaped notice even then.
Now after the adults had died, the bookstore faded from memory of all. All
except one, one who in his former life had spend most of his time avoiding
his life there.
A figure wandered about outside the store. His guard had reported that there was an unfamiliar person hanging around and he didn't trust anyone else to check it out.
Rain began falling, and the man wished whoever was caught out in it good luck. He was going in. He turned around, and as he did, a tiny whimpering sound caught his ear. Thinking it was a puppy, he looked around and his eyes rested on a head of hair that was definitely not a puppy. He couldn't tell for sure, but he thought he saw tear tracks on her cheeks.
He moved closer, as he did so his foot hit a tin can and the can clattered as it rolled away. The girl looked up frightened, and she shrunk back as she saw him.
She saw a boy with blonde hair, blue eyes so light they were almost white, his clothes were jeans, a t-shirt, and an oddly familiar jacket...and red makeup quickly running off in the rain.
He knelt down to her level. "What are you doing out in such horrible weather?" he asked.
"I ran away from home. I really did expect to be found by now. I was walking by and someone chased me. He had the same kind of makeup as you," she said, reaching up and rubbing her thumb across the dribbling makeup. She pulled her hand away and it looked like she had blood on her hand.
"Its raining," he said, taking off his jacket and putting it around her shoulders.
"Thank you," she whispered, turning her head into the jacket and breathing in his cologne.
"You're welcome. Look why don't you come back with me to my place. It's dry and warm. You can stay with my tribe." She nodded and he helped her stand up. He noticed that she was far younger than he had thought.
"What's your name?" she asked quietly.
He opened his mouth to tell her the name that struck fear in the hearts of the people of the city. Then he closed his mouth. "It's Martin," he said quietly. She smiled. "What's yours?"
She nervously tucked her black hair behind her ear and her green eyes looked at him cautiously. It was then Martin noticed something on the side of her face.
"What's that?" he asked, turning her face. It was a picture of an eye that Martin had once seen in a book. He rubbed at it, amazed that it hadn't washed off. When it didn't rub off he slowly realized..."It's a tattoo!" he cried.
"Yes it is," she said. "Its the sacred mark of my people, the Egyptians. It is the Eye of Ra, the sun god. And that is my name, Ra. I carry this mark because I am the beloved of the gods. It was prophesized before my birth that I would rule a people not my own by the side of a god. And all of this before my 17th birthday."
"How old are you?" Martin asked.
"Thirteen. How old are you?"
"I'm seventeen. Come on," Martin said, he held out his hand to her. She took it without hesitation and the two walked back to the bookstore, with her face close to him to block the rain.
They arrived back at the bookstore within five minutes. Ra was close to falling asleep in Martin's arms.
"Zoot!" cried one of the guards. He put one of his fingers to his lips, signaling the guard to be quiet.
"Shh..." he said. "Get a room ready for our guest. When its ready come to my room and get her."
The two walked until they reached the doorway that led to the stairs. Then Martin turned and addressed his tribe. "Locos!" he cried, "meet our newest. This is Ra." She weakly waved at the tribe.
"Hi," she said quietly.
"What about Ebony?" a Loco called Axel asked, stepping foreword.
"What about her? The Queen of the Locos is no more. She became unworthy of that title when she turned her back on us, on me. Forget her!" Martin thundered, then he led Ra away.
After they had closed the door to his room, Martin led Ra to sit on the bed. Ra pulled Martin's jacket closer around her small body.
"You're him, aren't you? You're Zoot."
"Yeah I am. I didn't mean to lie, but sometimes I think of myself as Martin, not Zoot."
"Martin was your name...?"
"Before I became Zoot?" he asked. Ra nodded shyly. "Yes that was and still is my name. Martin Fielding."
"Thank you for letting me stay," she said.
"Don't worry ab-" Martin's words caught in his throat at Ra's actions.
She had walked up to where he was lounging on the bed resting his arms behind his head. Ra unzipped his jeans and was down on him before he could react.
Martin moaned softly before his brain realized exactly what she was doing.
"What are you doing?" he demanded. Ra lifted her head.
"Thanking you," she said simply. At his shocked look she quickly spoke. "Its not the first time I've done this," she assured him.
"But you're thirteen," he said.
"Yes. And I know an eight year old with a baby. Its not all that uncommon. Especially where I was living. I was a Chosen escort. There relieve the tensions of those who served Zoot. But I was lucky, I only had one partner. A guy important to the Guardian. I-I didn't know his name," she lied quickly. Martin however could tell she was lying.
"You're lying. But I won't press you. You tell me when you're ready. And not a moment earlier."
Ra threw her arms around Martin's neck. "Thank you!" she cried.
Then she peeked up at Martin through her eyelashes. "Now back to what I was doing," she said, leaning down again.
Martin moaned when he felt her mouth on him, and he smiled, cause he felt like his life had finally found what he needed to function properly. Ra.
A figure wandered about outside the store. His guard had reported that there was an unfamiliar person hanging around and he didn't trust anyone else to check it out.
Rain began falling, and the man wished whoever was caught out in it good luck. He was going in. He turned around, and as he did, a tiny whimpering sound caught his ear. Thinking it was a puppy, he looked around and his eyes rested on a head of hair that was definitely not a puppy. He couldn't tell for sure, but he thought he saw tear tracks on her cheeks.
He moved closer, as he did so his foot hit a tin can and the can clattered as it rolled away. The girl looked up frightened, and she shrunk back as she saw him.
She saw a boy with blonde hair, blue eyes so light they were almost white, his clothes were jeans, a t-shirt, and an oddly familiar jacket...and red makeup quickly running off in the rain.
He knelt down to her level. "What are you doing out in such horrible weather?" he asked.
"I ran away from home. I really did expect to be found by now. I was walking by and someone chased me. He had the same kind of makeup as you," she said, reaching up and rubbing her thumb across the dribbling makeup. She pulled her hand away and it looked like she had blood on her hand.
"Its raining," he said, taking off his jacket and putting it around her shoulders.
"Thank you," she whispered, turning her head into the jacket and breathing in his cologne.
"You're welcome. Look why don't you come back with me to my place. It's dry and warm. You can stay with my tribe." She nodded and he helped her stand up. He noticed that she was far younger than he had thought.
"What's your name?" she asked quietly.
He opened his mouth to tell her the name that struck fear in the hearts of the people of the city. Then he closed his mouth. "It's Martin," he said quietly. She smiled. "What's yours?"
She nervously tucked her black hair behind her ear and her green eyes looked at him cautiously. It was then Martin noticed something on the side of her face.
"What's that?" he asked, turning her face. It was a picture of an eye that Martin had once seen in a book. He rubbed at it, amazed that it hadn't washed off. When it didn't rub off he slowly realized..."It's a tattoo!" he cried.
"Yes it is," she said. "Its the sacred mark of my people, the Egyptians. It is the Eye of Ra, the sun god. And that is my name, Ra. I carry this mark because I am the beloved of the gods. It was prophesized before my birth that I would rule a people not my own by the side of a god. And all of this before my 17th birthday."
"How old are you?" Martin asked.
"Thirteen. How old are you?"
"I'm seventeen. Come on," Martin said, he held out his hand to her. She took it without hesitation and the two walked back to the bookstore, with her face close to him to block the rain.
They arrived back at the bookstore within five minutes. Ra was close to falling asleep in Martin's arms.
"Zoot!" cried one of the guards. He put one of his fingers to his lips, signaling the guard to be quiet.
"Shh..." he said. "Get a room ready for our guest. When its ready come to my room and get her."
The two walked until they reached the doorway that led to the stairs. Then Martin turned and addressed his tribe. "Locos!" he cried, "meet our newest. This is Ra." She weakly waved at the tribe.
"Hi," she said quietly.
"What about Ebony?" a Loco called Axel asked, stepping foreword.
"What about her? The Queen of the Locos is no more. She became unworthy of that title when she turned her back on us, on me. Forget her!" Martin thundered, then he led Ra away.
After they had closed the door to his room, Martin led Ra to sit on the bed. Ra pulled Martin's jacket closer around her small body.
"You're him, aren't you? You're Zoot."
"Yeah I am. I didn't mean to lie, but sometimes I think of myself as Martin, not Zoot."
"Martin was your name...?"
"Before I became Zoot?" he asked. Ra nodded shyly. "Yes that was and still is my name. Martin Fielding."
"Thank you for letting me stay," she said.
"Don't worry ab-" Martin's words caught in his throat at Ra's actions.
She had walked up to where he was lounging on the bed resting his arms behind his head. Ra unzipped his jeans and was down on him before he could react.
Martin moaned softly before his brain realized exactly what she was doing.
"What are you doing?" he demanded. Ra lifted her head.
"Thanking you," she said simply. At his shocked look she quickly spoke. "Its not the first time I've done this," she assured him.
"But you're thirteen," he said.
"Yes. And I know an eight year old with a baby. Its not all that uncommon. Especially where I was living. I was a Chosen escort. There relieve the tensions of those who served Zoot. But I was lucky, I only had one partner. A guy important to the Guardian. I-I didn't know his name," she lied quickly. Martin however could tell she was lying.
"You're lying. But I won't press you. You tell me when you're ready. And not a moment earlier."
Ra threw her arms around Martin's neck. "Thank you!" she cried.
Then she peeked up at Martin through her eyelashes. "Now back to what I was doing," she said, leaning down again.
Martin moaned when he felt her mouth on him, and he smiled, cause he felt like his life had finally found what he needed to function properly. Ra.