A/N) Thank you for reviewing the last two chapters guys, hopefully I'll see more of my old readers again. And sorry this is so late - but hey, it's still Thursday!
Enjoy this next one - or don't - it depeands . . .
Motivation is your Superpower
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Brick punches the wall over and over again.
Boomer sits in the corner, hugging his knees and flinches with each punch as Brick seethes. It isn't often Brick goes on a physically violent rampage. That was more Butch's thing. But Butch was – Boomer shudders and digs heels of his palms into his eyes – Butch was currently locked in a cage next to Mitch, possibly infected and – Bick was right. This was all stupid.
"Stop – stop it Brick. Please would you." Boomer sniffs, hating the crack in his own voice as Brick rapidly punches the weak wood grained walls. His knuckles are bleeding. Boomer panics and scrambles for his oldest brother and grabs his arm mid swing. "I said stop!" He shouts and yanks Brick's arm back.
"Let go Boomer." Brick's voice goes cold and filled with fire at the same time.
Boomer shakes his head rapidly and forces himself not to cry – suck it up Boomer – just stop being so stupid and weak. He shudders again, thinking about Mitch's eyes and that happening to Butch.
"Stop." He whispers and buries his face in Brick's shoulder, his death grip on Bricks arm tightening. He's not crying he's not - Butch wasn't going to die, he wasn't. He'd be fine, like Brick had been – he'll be fine. Everything's –
"Everything's going crazy." Boomer mutters out loud.
Brick's tense body slowly loosens, his punching arm muscles let go and Boomer's hugging it harder as he forces himself not to cry. Imagining Butch's wild dark green eyes turning into – dead unseeing eerie pale ones, glowing faintly yellow – not recognizing them as he tears into their flesh and eats their – Boomer hiccups a sob that takes him off guard.
There's a moment of silence.
Butch wasn't going to die – he wasn't – he can't – it's been the three of them for so long… Butch had fought hordes and hordes of Zombies – and now – now that they've found a relatively decent place he gets infected – here? It - it's so tragic Boomer almost laughs from hysteria.
It's been the three of them forever, since they were born – Brick, Butch, and Boomer – Brothers, friends, family. They knew each other better than they knew themselves -if Butch dies . . .
Boomer's heart clenches and he's suddenly having a hard time breathing. He's cold and shaking and his legs feel like they don't have bones anymore and he can't seem to stand up without clinging to Brick.
Which he is –
Then – a slow pat on his head startles him. Brick's hand was warm, like the rest of him and Boomer realizes Brick hadn't patted him since he used to have those nightmare when he was ten –
Pat - pat - pat – on his fluffy blond hair, pat – warmth –pat - reassurance – pat - it'll be ok. I promise. Pat.
Boomer cries harder.
"This sucks." Butch grumbles as Professor and Blossom circle around him and stick wires and things Boomer is afraid to ask about on him, in him, next to him.
"Shut up - we need to see if there'll be any change in your DNA since you got scratched. So far - it's turning grey and yellow – which is the first symptom." Brick frowns and looks away from Butch's forearm.
Boomer pressed his knuckles into his mouth to keep from hurling again. Seriously - ever since he found out that the Zombies were living but sick people- he couldn't stomach it.
"Right – right, but I don't feel like I'm dying." Butch – for all his false bravado and lopsided smirk, was looking at them with fear in his green eyes as he tries to hide it.
"That doesn't mean much I'm afraid." Professor answers and lifts two bottles of deep dark red liquid. Boomer's stomach lurches – that's their blood and – something else – "Many cases have happened where a person was infected, didn't realize it until they – well." The older man sighs and rubs at his furrowed brow. "Let's hope your condition improves instead yes?"
Butch nods, and looks away.
"You're an idiot." Buttercup seethes next to Boomer who startles. When'd she even come in?
"Yah – but it wasn't my fault!" Butch protests, his fear masked better now. "Mitch threw himself at me and you – "
"Uh -uh – don't put blame crazy boy – I hit him and you couldn't just hold out and – " She stops talking and looks away. "Forget it. You and Mitch can both rot for all I care." Her bottom lip was quivering.
Boomer looks away, embarrassed and terrified. His heart was feeling like someone had grabbed it and won't let go – his chest felt like there was something sharp poking it all over from the inside. He rubs at his collar bone. Breathe – just breathe.
"Buttercup please, control yourself or leave." Blossom's voice is steady, her eyes cool and sharp.
Boomer notices she's really good at masks too – like Brick.
"Fine, whatever." Buttercup hisses back, throws Butch a look Boomer doesn't understand, and stomps out as noisily as she can to hide the tears already escaping down her face.
"Now Brick, if you don't mind, I'm thinking we should do some testing on Butch." Professor speaks up, addressing the eldest boy.
Brick nods, mouth in a thin line. "I'll do them."
Blossom shoots him a weird hard look; Boomer can't understand that one either.
"Excellent. I'll compare them to Mitch over here who is due for another sedative, Blossom honey?"
"Yes Professor." Blossom nods firmly and reaches for another needle.
Boomer feels sick again and stands up. "I think I'll go – um – see how Bubbles is." He looks at Brick for confirmation.
His red haired brother nods, eyes on the Professors hands, watching him do whatever it was he was doing with the scary pointy looking stuff.
Right – Boomer turns and Butch looks at him, face a weak mask of relaxed. "Grab me a bite?" He asks.
"You can't, not until we finish testing." Brick snaps, his anger still simmering. It was fear and concern under there, anger was how he coped.
"Sorry." Boomer gives Butch a thin smile and pats his not infected arm through the bars. "I'll see you later."
"Yeah." Butch slumps in defeat and presses his forehead against the bars.
Boomer's throat tightens and his eyes sting – Butch in a cage looks – it looks wrong. His brother was wild yah, and sometimes possibly insane but he shouldn't be caged. Ever.
Boomer shakes his head and almost runs out of the tent before he starts bawling like a child.
"Hey Bubbles, you ok?" Boomer tires to smile for the sunny girl in front of him.
Bubbles was sitting in front of the fire pit, it's where they gathered to cook meals or boil water for washing and disinfecting.
"No." She sniffs, hugging her thin arms as she stares into the charcoaled wood and grey ashes.
Boomer sighs and sits next to her dejectedly, putting his chin in his palms. "Yah. Me neither." He relaly wans't.
"I'm sorry Boomer, I wish I'd been strong enough to put him back or something. If I'd been able to fight back better, we might have been able to put him back." Her eyes water and she buries her face into her little hands, sniffing loudly.
"Hey, come on now." Boomer shifts awkwardly – Brick tried to calm him down maybe if he – I hope she doesn't freak out. Bravely, he reaches a hand and pats her shoulder gently, nerves scattering in his brain.
Bubbles sobs harder, turns into him, and hides her face in his shoulder. Boomer freezes, her hair smelled like nice soap and slight smoke from the fire under his nose. She was tiny – he wans't all that large but she was tiny compared to him. What do I do?
She's still crying and he's sitting there frozen like an idiot! What do I do? He panics – heart racing in his ears as he slowly, fearfully, lowers his arm around her shoulders and semi hugs her while patting her again.
This seems to be ok. She doesn't pull away are flinch or get angry so – Boomer tires not to feel so tense and breathes through his nose to calm himself.
He was already stressed enough – what's he supposed to do with this?
With a thick swallow that sounds too loud for his own ear and settles his cheek on her soft hair. "Brick always said there's no point in what if's – so – it's ok Bubbles. It's not your fault. It isn't anyone's fault." He tries to believe himself, to settle his own anxiety, to calm down too.
He wonders if it's working better for her than it is for himself.
She slowly stops shaking and sobbing, until she's only sniffing softly. She was warm and he was starting to get unbearably hot.
"Th – thanks Boomer." She whispers, high voice cracking.
Boomer smiles slightly, it was cute -she was cute . . . he's already decided he likes cute thinks – like bunnies and – other stuff he can't really remember right now. Then he'd met her and everything else was hideous in comparison. She was the cutest thing he'd ever seen and he doesn't think he'll ever see anything he likes better.
His heart is still thumping and he's sweating up a storm but – she was hugging him, sort of, and she wasn't angry or pulling away so –
"Bubbles?"
Boomer doesn't get angry really, but he did get a trifle annoyed at whoever just interrupted the warmest moment of his pathetic existence when Bubbles pulls away and looks over his shoulder. He turns to see a short mousy haired girl with large blue eyes twisting her fingers together and kicking the dusty ground.
"What is it Robin?" Bubbles goes tense against him, she hadn't pulled her hand away at least, it was still on his shoulder, her grip tightening.
Focus Boomer – focus. He could hear Brick's voice now.
"Um – remember how we didn't know where Al and Pledge went?"
"Yah?"
"Um – I think the twins found them."
"Where?"
Robin shudders. "Outside, in the cremation pit."
"Are they – dead?" Bubbles voice shakes and Boomer dreads the girls answer.
"No Bubbles –," Robins face is ashen. "Not completely, but – "
Boomer stands slowly, bringing Bubbles with him as they look at the shaking girl with morbid fear and bated breaths. Well –what, what! Boomer's panicking inside his own head, his hands grip Bubbles shoulder harder. What are they?"
"They've been mutilated."
What?
Don't forget to let me know what you think ;)
The next chapters' going to be a mite gruesome though - so heads up.
See you next week!