Chapter 4
PAMA Attacks
Chapter Warnings:
Cursing, Death, Murder, Blood, Gore
Trauma, Shock, Exteme Levels of Violence
Lukas jumped as the door to the apartment slammed shut; the sudden bang interrupting his gun cleaning. Across the kitchen, Maya almost spilled a bottle of chemicals she had been mixing.
Aiden stormed into the living room, followed by Gill.
Lukas tried not to scowl at him, here we go…..
"We need to talk," Aiden said, tensely through gritted teeth.
"Slam the door a little harder why don't ya?" Maya answered before Lukas, "I think you can bring down the building."
"We, need, to, talk," Aiden repeated, ignoring the female.
"Don't we always as of late?" Lukas responded dryly, putting his weapon down, turning to face Aiden "I have told you a thousand times Aiden, we are not, going to just drop Jesse-"
"PAMA is here,"
Lukas froze and Maya nearly dropped her mixes again. "What?"
"They're asking around," Gill piped up, "They have employees and soldiers snooping everywhere. I think they're looking for-" his voice dropped down as he cautiously looked around for the young male. He brought a hand up to his mouth, and said in a poor whisper, "I think they're looking for you know who-"
"God dammit Gill they're looking for Jesse!" Aiden snapped. He turned to face Lukas, "He has to go! Now!"
Lukas stood, "We are not, leaving him for PAMA, we have discussed this enough!"
"We haven't discussed it at all!" Aiden snapped, "You made a brash decision and forced the rest of us to accept your actions!
Lukas crossed his arms, in retaliation. "I'm not forcing anyone to accept anything!"
Aiden jabbed a finger at Lukas's chest, "You are putting everyone in this room in the path of PAMA because you won't leave some stranger- who you met less than a month ago- alone!"
"What am I supposed to do Aiden?" Lukas demanded, smacking the finger away. "Let him figure out to survive out here on his own?!"
"The rest of us had to!" The brunet snapped.
"He wouldn't' last five minutes in the city much less out in the wastes!" Maya cut in, "He'd be three feet out that door and there'd be some raiders who would snatch him up for the prostitution ring, or worse! Maybe they'd turn him into an organ harvest!"
Aiden snarled, "Shit, Really?! Not you too!"
Maya stormed across the kitchen, coming nose to nose with the taller male, "I'm with Lukas on this one you selfish prick! We are not leaving Jesse to PAMA!"
"Oh, so me, trying to look out of the well being of this team is being selfish is it?!"
"It does when it involves leaving an innocent person behind!"
Aiden cursed, looking over his shoulder, "Gill back me up here, tell your lady she's crazy!"
Gill's hands shot up, "That's asking for a rifle up my ass man. Leave me out of this!"
"Enough!" Lukas snapped, "We are not going to do this here!" he crossed his arms, "Look no one in this town can stand PAMA, they all hate them, we don't have to worry about snitches. We keep ourselves low enough for a day or two, and PAMA will move out of the area. All we have to do is lay low for a bit. Okay?"
Aiden's eyes were burning in a hell worthy fury, "And Jesse?" he demanded stiffly.
"Jesse," Lukas says firmly, "Stays with us, or me, if you would rather have it."
His friend's lip curled in disgust. "Fine," he spat, he turned on his heel, shoving past Gill mumbling about how the team's brain was full of radioactive cotton and so on.
"Lay low!" Lukas called after him.
Aiden flipped him off.
Lukas pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. He let out a heavy sigh, in an attempt to not slip into his own spell of cursing. He opened one eye, "Gill….are you sure?"
Gill let out his own sigh, slowly nodding, "I'm sorry man, but I'm a hundred percent sure that the men who tailed me today work for PAMA, they showed way too much interest in that bunker vault." He offloaded his gun setting it on the kitchen table, "I don't know if they're after Jesse specifically, but they are looking for people who were there."
"Lukas?"
Lukas turned around, spotting a disheveled but very much awake Jesse in the doorway at the edge of the hallway and kitchen. "Jesse?" he stammered, "You're uh- up…."
Gill and Maya took this has their cue to leave the room. Maya patted Lukas encouragingly on the shoulder as she passed, she did likewise of Jesse, giving him a gentle hand squeeze. Jesse watched them go, slowly turning back to Lukas.
"You were kind of loud," Jesse said meekly, he was pale, hands clenched at his sides, gripping the fabric of loose fitting pants. "Y-you said PAMA?" he asked fearfully.
Lukas cringed, "Yes,"
"I don't understand," Jesse whispered, "How can PAMA be here still, I-"
"PAMA...didn't dissolve when the bombs fell," Lukas reluctantly explained, looking away. "They still operated after the war. People might even say they are the only power anymore." he flinched, before looking back at Jesse "I was working on figuring out how to tell you."
"How can they still be going?!" Jesse stressed.
"No one knows how they made it through," Lukas said, coming closer to Jesse. "A lot of people think they're the reasons the bombs were fired to begin with. But whatever the case was they still made it, and they still operate today. No one trusts them, they don't know what they do, but whatever it is it never is good. They're in the area, they're looking around and-"
"Aiden said to send me back," Jesse turned white, "Oh God, they're going to take me back. Dear God-"
"What? No no!" Lukas took Jesse's arms, ""I'm not going to do that to you!"
"Please don't!" Jesse begged, "I can barely remember what they did to me, but please!" tears pooled in the poor boy's eyes, "Please Lukas! I can't, not again, I-"
"Jesse, look at me." Lukas said firmly, grabbing him gently by the shoulders, grounding the other male in front of him. "I am not, going to let them have you. We have no idea if they are looking for you, and even if they were, I am not going to be the one to send you to them. I won't let them get you."
"But Aiden-"
"Aiden is just worried about PAMA, everyone is. They're a group people usually tend to avoid. No one wants to mess with them, Aiden included. Look," Lukas took Jesse's hands giving them a soft squeeze, "I don't know what they did to you in that vault, I don't know why you were in that tank, and I don't know how you survived the ordeal. But we- I won't let them do anything to you again."
Jesse looked down, tears running down his cheeks, "I can't go back, I can't….." he whispered brokenly.
Lukas hesitated unsure of what to do with the smaller male, who clung onto him with shaking unsure hands and wobbling fingers. He took a breath, wrapping his arms around Jesse's shoulders, "You won't…" he said softly.
Jesse stiffened, for only a moment, before latching onto Lukas and letting out a sob.
Aiden stormed his way down the barren block, pushing his way past druggies, beggars and prostitutes.
Almost a week and he was still steamy, the alcohol didn't help either. Couldn't go to Charlie's cause PAMA was too busy sticking their noses in places such as there. PAMA was sticking their noses everywhere in fact. Couldn't walk three blocks without seeing some little sneak working for PAMA.
Almost suffered a week in that apartment, watching Lukas constantly assure their little guest that PAMA wasn't going to take him. It was downright suffocating and irritating to watch.
Luckily food was needed, and Aiden was the first to go to the market, just to get away.
Damn Lukas, damn PAMA, damn that little dweeb. That blasted, weak, sensitive-
He was on his way back now, carrying with him what food their limited budget could afford. Aiden rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks.
Aiden recognized Earl's bruised face from a block away. The greasy weasel was in front of the apartment building that made up their base. But what bothered Aiden was the group of men with him. It was clearly obvious even from a distance that the pack was heavily armed, organized and ready for a gun fight. He eyed the patches on their uniforms.
PAMA.
Aiden immediately dropped his bag of food, unlocking his pistol from his hip and tucking behind the corner again.
"Are you sure this is the place?" the head man of the group asked.
"Course," Earl assured, "I know they're the group you're looking for."
"And the boy?"
"Money," The druggie answered instead.
The man snarled. "The, boy."
"He's with them still," Earl said sticking out his hand.
Aiden growled, fucking bastard sold us out!
Not that Aiden was surprised, he and Lukas kinda messed him and his pal up pretty bad. They had crossed paths before, Aiden was frankly surprised Earl didn't throw them to the dogs sooner.
The PAMA soldier smirked, "Ah yes, your payment."
Aiden jerked slightly as the man pulled out a gun, and faster than anyone could blink shot Earl in the head. Nearby locals screamed in terror, scrambling away from the source of the sound.
The head PAMA soldier yanked out a radio, "We have the location, I want soldiers on the perimeter get it closed off now!"
Aiden cursed, grabbed the food bag and backed away from the corner, "Shit~" he scrambled away, cutting down a side alley. PAMA had the front of the building but there was hopefully still the side entrance. He could go up that way and warn Lukas and the others.
His hopes were dashed as upon getting to the back of the building he spotted more PAMA dogs prepping to enter the complex.
"Fuck…" he back away looking around.
Both doors were blocked, and taking them on….
He warned Lukas, he warned him.
But leaving them behind isn't an option, Aiden thought, that would really make me a dick.
He hoisted himself up onto a nearby shack, the sheet metal creaking and groaning in protest. Scaling the roof he moved to the next deteriorated building, going higher.
The second floor of the apartment complex had a still solid, sturdy- ish balcony, if he got high enough he could jump and probably- hopefully make it. He could get to the third floor from there.
Down below PAMA was gathering its forces, there had to be roughly twenty perhaps thirty men and woman ready to raid the building.
Aiden got to the top of his climb and hurried to the far edge of the roof. Here goes nothing, he thought. He raced across the metal top of the building, his boots crashing loudly against the layered tin and aluminum. He jumped just as PAMA broke into the apartment complex below.
Aiden landed on the balcony and rolled, smashing through the weak wooden door unintentionally.
The naked hooker and her equally naked partner both screamed in terror.
"Sorry!" Aiden scrambled up, pausing at the bedroom door, "Uh...you ladies might want to leave the building….Just a suggestion." then he ran.
He could already hear PAMA barging their way through the first floor, tearing through room after room in search of their target. People on the first floor were beginning to scream as they realized what was going on. People on the second floor were opening their doors, curious and frightened of the noise.
Aiden raced up the stairs. The gang had the entire third floor to themselves. Once PAMA cleared the second level there would only be them left. He barged through the door of the the third story. Maya yelped, nearly dropping a sizzling bottle of whatever.
She turned around, face red and curled a fist at him, looking ready to pummel, "Aiden! how many flipping times to I have to tell you-"
He cut her off, tearing open the weapons cabinet in the living room and yanking out the guns, "We have to go!"
"What! Why?! What is going on?!"
"PAMA is here!"
"We know they're in town Aiden, all we have to do is lie low-"
"No! They are in the building right now. They know we're here and they're after Jesse."
Maya went white, "Oh my God."
"So if you wanna help the special snowflake I suggest you arm yourself."
"Throw me the automatic!"
He tossed it to her, followed by the cartridges. "Where are the others?"
"Gill is on the other side of the floor and Lukas and Jesse are in Lukas's bedroom trying to find clothes that fit Jesse better."
"Well tell them to find them faster!" Aiden ordered, "We gotta grab our credits and whatever else we can carry and book it. Now!"
Maya nodded and booked it, while Aiden returned to the cabinet. Loading gun after gun and arming himself. He found Lukas's hunting rifle and Gill's shotgun, loaded them and set them on the nearby table. He slid a secondary pistol onto his other gun strap, and flung the team's only sniper rifle over his shoulder before grabbing a AK-47 for his primary.
His heart was pounding, hard. A cold sweat ran down his neck. It took all his skill and nerve to keep his hands from shaking as he hastily shoved bullets into empty cartridges.
Next to him Gill snatched up his shotgun and dropped down next to Aiden. "Maya is getting our group credits," he said swiftly. "Hopefully you have your personal ones already on you." He dropped a satchel down between them, "We can throw the extras in here."
They dropped the remaining boxes of ammunition in, followed by any extra guns. Double checking the safety as quick as they could.
A shot went off on the first floor. It was responded with a rapid loud succession of bullets.
Gill cursed and started packing faster, "How'd the hell they know to look here?!"
"Earl snitched us out,"
The large male snarled, cocking his shotgun, "I'm gonna put a shell in that drug addicted grease monkey-"
"No need, PAMA already did it for you," Aiden said dryly.
"Damn. Karma works quick."
Lukas raced into the room with Jesse right at his heels. The latter was pasty white, shaking visible even through his running.
Lukas snagged up his rifle and cocked it, "Are they up yet?"
"Second floor," Aiden said standing. He glanced over to Jesse and extended a pistol towards him to take, "Be useful and arm yourself."
Jesse's arms remained attached to his body, hands clenched against his sweatshirt, "I- I-"
"Do you know how to shoot a gun or not?"
"I don't know how!"
"It's a pistol," Aiden gaped, "How could you not?!"
Jesse turned pink in the cheeks, "Why in the world would I need to learn to shoot any gun?! I wasn't raised in this!"
Maya snatched the gun out of Aiden's hand, "Talk about this later guys!"
Lukas walked quickly back to Jesse and took a hold of his arm, pointing back down the hall, "Head for the other side of the floor! We have a back exit we'll take."
Maya zipped up her coat as Jesse hastily fled back, down the hall, "What if they're on the back set of stairs?"
"We'll deal with that when we-"
A series of shots tore through the apartment door and the entire group scattered. Aiden dropped jumped over the kitchen island Maya right on his heels.
Lukas dropped to his knees as Gill grabbed the massive cabinet and dropped it down as cover.
"Come out with your hands up!" someone yelled beyond the desecrated door.
"We don't want any trouble!" Lukas yelled. "We've always stayed out of PAMA's way!"
Till recently, Aiden thought bitterly.
"You have invaded private property and stolen items belonging to our organization. Return them and you won't have any trouble."
"We don't have any items!"
"Return Subject RB-32J and you will be spared!"
Subject RB-32J?
Aiden glanced at Maya; her eyes widened slightly. Mouth parting in question.
"Jesse?" she mouthed.
Aiden shrugged and looked over the counter at Lukas. The blonde had gone silent, his cheeks red with an angry heat. His eyes were hardened and steely and his posture tense and shaking from a quiet rage.
"You can't have him! People are not subjects!" he snapped, tense.
"This is your final warning, give up the-"
A set of shots rang through the apartment, followed by a scream.
"Jesse!" Lukas gasped.
"Open fire!" the PAMA soldier yelled.
A rain of bullets and smoke tore the tender remains of the door and part of the wall apart.
Lukas cursed and slide deeper down the cabinet.
Aiden spotted the first man coming in, quickly shooting him in the exposed throat. "So much for negotiations!"
Maya grabbed her previously abandoned bottle of mixes, "Gill, Lukas stay down!" she screamed.
The two addressed males immediately ducked as Maya hurled the mysterious jar and it's content across the kitchen, past the living room and out the door. Screams of pain and agony poured out of the smoky haze, and a horrid smell wafted into the room.
"What was that?" Aiden asked as he recocked his pistol.
"Acid compounds," Maya answered.
He actually gave her a crooked smile, "And what in the world were you mixing acidic compounds for?"
She grinned, "Thought I'd mix it into your coffee." then she flinched as the bullets continued once again shredding the walls, "Thought I'd save you the suffering of this!" she hollered over the sound.
Aiden fired a few more shots in the toxic miasma, hearing cries of pain and death rattles call out from within. "I think I'd rather be shot than drink acid!"
Lukas fired his rifle till he ran out, the shells clattering on the ground around his feet. He kneeled back down as Gill took over, his shot gun making Aiden's ears ring. Lukas hastily was loading bullets back into the rifle, "Aiden!"
"Yeah?" Aiden asked as he emptied his pistol, dropping the clips and shoving a new set in.
"Gill and I are pinned! Go catch Jesse at the back stairs!" Lukas flinched as bullet cut through his cabinet cover, the hole inches from his head. "We got your back!"
Aiden waited for a pause in the firing squad, before dashing like a marathon runner beyond the safety of the kitchen. The shots immediately picked back up again, bullets whizzing all around him.
The remaining trio returned fire, Maya grabbing onto another bottle of mixes and hurling it. Lukas shot the bottle as it vanished beyond the door, the entry way glowing bright as fire erupted from the shattered glass and poured down on their attackers.
Aiden rushed into the living quarters of the complex. He spotted bullet punctures on the hallway's walls.
That must be where the first shots came from. He concluded.
Aiden slid to a stop as he approached the steel back door. It was latched and bolted shut. He could hear voices on the other side. Aiden quickly looked around confused. There was no latch on the other side of the door. You could only do it from this side, however Jesse - the only one who could have bolted it shut- was nowhere in sight.
"Jesse?" Aiden turned around, inspecting the area, "Jesse?!"
A crunch of glass caught his attention and Aiden lifted his boot. Eyeing the object on the floor. It was a now broken sedation needle, the contents spreading out across the old wood. Alarmed Aiden looked around, waving the air as smoke was slowly filling the floor "Jesse!"
A muffled thump cut through the sound of gunfire and Aiden rushed towards the sound. It was coming from his room. He shoved open the door and immediately froze. Aiden was shocked at the scene before him, unable to move an inch.
Just like when…..
He stared at the sobbing male on the floor. "Holy….."
Earlier…
"They tattood you?"
Jesse finished pulling his shirt off static frizzing his hair. He turned around seeing Lukas staring, "What?"
Lukas turned a little red in the cheeks. "Sorry I didn't mean to peek. I just...your hip…."
Jesse paused, then looked down at his side, having to twist slightly. The symbols on his exposed hipbone where hard to read from his angle But he didn't need to read them, he already knew what they said.
RB-32J.
"Yeah, it was my number. My label." Jesse explained as he folded the shirt and put it on the bed. "It's nice to use my name again."
"Well I like your name."
"I like yours too," Jesse said softly, he ran his hand along the ink, sighing. "Just another bad mark on a bad body I guess."
"I don't think your body looks bad," Lukas debated, "It's a fairly good one actually."
Jesse looked up at Lukas, raising a curious eyebrow. "What?"
Lukas's jaw dropped and he turned scarlet, "I um- well, you look good, I mean uh-" the poor blond became a blushing mess as he struggled on words, "I wasn't meaning to stare- I just observed- Pants. We were getting you better pants."
Jesse smiled brightly as Lukas hastily turned around.
"Sorry!"
"No no! It's okay," Jesse said, turning away as well and slipping off the belt that kept his baggy pants up, "It's….nice to know." he mumbled, fighting an unfamiliar warmth in his cheeks.
It was hard, Lukas's words sent a hot river of sensations rushing through him, making him grin despite the jaw ache from the result.
Olivia always used to say he had a thing for blonds. Jesse remember there had been a really cute guy at the party. Olivia and Axel were so excited to have him there, they kept trying to get him to-
Jesse's smile dropped.
"Jesse?" Lukas asked, sensing the dip in his mood. "Jesse are you alright?"
He took a shuddering breath, swallowing down the impending tears, "Y-yeah I just-" he rubbed an eye, "I was thinking about my friends…."
Lukas paused, and Jesse heard him shuffle; then a warm hand rested gently on his shoulder. "I can't imagine how hard this must be for you." he said softly. "But….I'll be here to help you the best I can."
"I appreciate everything you are doing Lukas, really, I do….."
They looked at each other, if not kinda awkwardly, before Lukas coughed, "I'll uh...let you….change."
Jesse took the clothes and slipped into the bathroom, while Lukas settled down onto the recliner.
"So," Jesse asked, as he shimmied out of the loose pants, "How long have you known your friends?"
Lukas snorted, "Oh a long long time. Since we were kids."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, we all grew up in Beacon Town together," the blond explained, "We all learned our skills there, well Aiden went to Ground Town. But for the most part we all grew up together."
"Where is Beacon Town located?"
"It's across the wastes," Lukas said,"Really, really far away. We came to Founder's Town a year or so ago for jobs. There were more opportunities over here."
"Oh," Jesse said, coming out of the bathroom. He awkwardly, adjusted the pants around his hips, "These seem to to fit better."'
Lukas gets up, grabbing the belt, "Looks like we might still have to use the belt. Is it comfortable though?"
Jesse nodded and grabbed the long sleeve shirt, he folded earlier, "Yeah, thank you,"
Lukas smiled as Jesse started to apply his layers, "This should do you until we get you some clothes that don't fall off your hips."
"Guys!" Maya called suddenly, the door swinging open and hitting the wall with a hard smack.
Lukas jumped as did Jesse, "Jesus Maya! Break my door why don't you?"
"PAMA is here," she gasped.
Jesse felt his heart stop, "W-what."
Lukas took gentle hold of Jesse's shoulder. "Maya what are you talking about?"
"PAMA is in the building Lukas," the female explained, "Aiden says they're raiding the bottom floor right now."
"Shit!"`
Jesse was struggling not to slip into a panic, "L-lukas-"
"It's going to be okay," Lukas assured, "I'm not going to let them get you." He turned to Maya "Where is Aiden?" he asked.
"Getting the guns."
"Kay, we'll join him, you go to the safe and get the team credits." He took Jesse's hand, "Jesse come on!"
Jesse was frozen in fear, glued to the floor. He couldn't breath, he couldn't think, "L-lukas I can't- I-"
"Jesse," he soothed, "I will be here for you." he gave a gentle tug with his hand, "Trust me."
Jesse slowly nodded and followed Lukas out of the bedroom. They ran down the hall entering the living room area where Gill and Aiden were rapidly loading the weapons. Lukas rushed to the nearby table and grabbed a rifle and cocked it, "Are they up yet?"
"Second floor," Aiden answered hastily. He stood up, extending a loaded pistol to Jesse, "Be useful and arm yourself." he ordered.
Jesse's froze arms clenching his shirt, "I- I-"
Aiden's eyes flashed in irritation. "Do you know how to shoot a gun or not?"
"I don't know how!"
"It's a pistol," Aiden snapped, "How could you not?!"
Jesse felt his face heat up in embarrassment, "Why in the world would I need to learn to shoot any gun?! I wasn't raised in this!"
Maya had returned; a satchel full of important items in her hands, she snapped the gun out of Aiden's hand, "Talk about this later guys!"
Lukas walked quickly back to Jesse and took a hold of his arm, pointing back down the hall, "Head for the other side of the floor! We have a back exit we'll take."
Jesse shakily nodded and turned away, running down the hallway to where the back exit waited.
You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay, He kept repeating himself over and over again. Lukas is going to help, he won't let me go. PAMA won't get me.
He pulled the bolt free, opening the door as to have it ready for the team's quick escape, and gasped as he found himself staring down the barrel of more than one gun.
Jesse lurched away from the door, shoots firing through the gap, and he screamed in terror. Slamming the door shut and shoving the steel bolt through the slot. He shakily yanked the padlock and key from wall sliding it through the slot as the soldiers slammed on the other side of the door. He locked it, tightly and began backing away from the exit.
He turned away from the door, shaking hard, "Lu-mmmph!"
A hand clamped over his mouth, and Jesse was forcefully pulled back. He dropped the back door keys in surprise and grabbed at the hand covering his mouth. Jesse let out a muffled scream as he felt another hand grip his wrist.
"Gotcha!" They said triumphantly. It was another PAMA soldier, someone who had already snuck in before Jesse had gotten to the door.
Jesse screamed and struggled as he was dragged towards the door.
"Easy now," the man said, "Let's get you calmed down eh?"
From the corner of his eye, Jesse saw the flash of a needle. Energy surged through him and Jesse fell into a blind terror. He slammed his elbow into his attacker's gut, wrenching himself free as the man gasped in surprise and dropped his needle.
"Lukas!"
"Get back here!"
Jesse snatched up the door keys and raced down the hall, nearly crashing straight into a nearby wall. He took a sharp left instead of heading for the living room as the man made a dive for his legs, "Stay away from me!"
"You're not getting away!"
Jesse raced into the nearest open door, trying to close it behind him before the other caught up. He cried out in pain as the soldier slammed into the door, the handle shoving into Jesse's back. He fell to the floor, the keys once more falling from his hand and landing on the nearby bed.
The male kicked the door the rest of the way open, reaching towards Jesse, "You have nowhere to go." he sneered. He closed it behind him cutting off Jesse's escape.
"NO!" Jesse scrambled up, and grabbed a hold of a close by chair. He swung it hard, the soldier grabbing hold of it and grunted in pain as Jesse tried to shove the legs into his ribs. The male angrily shoved back, sending Jesse sprawling into the nightstand by the bed.
Jesse cried out in pain as the weak wooden structure collapsed under his weight, sending both him, the smashed wood, and the former nightstands contents crashing to the floor.
"You're going whether you like or not kid," the older man sneered, grabbing Jesse by his shirt. Jesse gasped out in terror, his hands reached desperately behind him, looking for something- anything, to arm himself with.
His fingers came into contact with something stiff, and solid. He quickly wrapped his fingers around it as he was hoisted up, bringing his new weapon around.
Jesse hardly registered the gleam of the long hunting knife as it flashed by him. Then with a frightened scream and faster than neither Jesse nor the PAMA soldier could register, he sent the blade deep into the chest of his attacker.
The man froze, going stiff as a board, and he wheezed, a pained breath escaping his lips. Jesse stared in horror at the last visible bits of the jagged weapon, blood already making it's slow run down the silver steel.
The soldier staggered back and collapsed, and Jesse with his hand still gripping the weapon tight, went down with him.
The stranger released Jesse's shirt, shakily reaching up towards Jesse's throat. "You - you- can't-"
Jesse screamed and jerkily yanked out the blade, bringing it rapidly back down, this time into the male's throat.
The man lurched, blood spewing from the severed artery, he gasped and wheezed for air, still moving, still alive, still after Jesse!
Jesse yanked out the blade, ignoring the hot wet splatter on his face and clothes. He brought the knife back down, stabbing once more. Then he yanked it out, then back in-
He was going to take him away! He couldn't go back! He wouldn't go back!
Out in, out in!
The knife kept going, the man kept jerking, twitching.
I can't! I can't! I - I-!
The blood pooled on the floor and the body went still. But the weapon didn't stop.
Lukas was in a mad race through the apartment complex, distressed enough as he was, he was now even more so upon discovering neither Aiden nor Jesse were located at the back entrance.
"Jesse!" he called.
"Down here!" Aiden yelled.
Lukas readjusted, hurrying down the side hall towards the source of the sound. He found Aiden stiff and immobile just outside of his bedroom.
"Aiden where is Jesse?!" Lukas near shouted
Aiden's eyes were wide with shock. "He- I-"
Lukas rushed into the bedroom through the door, fearing the worst, but instead stopped, stunned by a gruesome sight.
Jesse was on his knees, straddling the still form of a man. Or what was left of a man. The body was a crimson mangled mess of blood and stab wounds. The face was no longer identifiable, merely a gory concoction of fluids, sinew and impaled flesh. Jesse was sobbing, clutching a bloodied knife with both hands as he continued to stab at the corpse.
"I can't go back!" he cried continuously as the weapon went down over and over.
Lukas scrambled forward, "Jesse! Stop!" he wrapped his arms around the male. The latter screamed in terror, sobbing as he blindly tried to stab at Lukas.
He caught the blade easily with Jesse's weakened swing, "Jesse! Jesse! It's me!"
Jesse stiffened, blinking though bloody eyelids. He was covered in the red substance, the precious bodily fluid having thoroughly stained the front of his sweater, sticking to his face and his hair. "L-lukas-" He whispered, staring straight at Lukas
Lukas nodded, "It's me Jesse, it's me."
"I-" Jesse looked back down, paling at the sight of the mangled corpse before him ,"Oh God."
"Don't look at him-" Lukas started, attempting to pull Jesse's attention away from the mess, but it was too late, Jesse had seen.
"I- I killed him!" Jesse dropped the knife, the metal blade clattering to the floor loudly. "I killed him- Oh my God - I"
"Shhh, shhh."
Jesse broke into a wail as tears streamed down his bloodied face, horrified by what he had done as the cold prospect of reality came crashing back down onto him. Lukas pulled Jesse in close, cradling him and allowing the dirtied male to cling onto him and cry.
He glanced up at Aiden, who stood silently, still stunned by the doorway and for a second Aiden's eyes seemed to flash a pang of sympathy, but the emotion quickly vanished, as Maya and Gill joined them, both out of breath.
"Okay so the living room is on fire, and I caved in the roof over the hallway entrance," Gill panted out, "But they're all going to come up the back way now, and whaaat happened here?"
"Oh my God Jesse!" Maya dropped down next to Lukas, reaching out towards Jesse's shivering form, but hesitated touching him in case he reacted poorly "Lukas, what happened?!"
"He's in shock-" Lukas began.
"We don't have time to talk!" Aiden cut in impatiently, "we're in a burning building and we have company coming up the back." He snatched his knife and its cover from the floor. He cleaned the blade on the bed and shoved the sheathed blade into his cargo pocket.
"How do we get down then?" Maya asked.
"We climb." Aiden said bluntly.
Jesse stared numbly at the floor as he laid against Lukas, "I killed him…." He whispered softly
Aiden tore the sheets off his bed, "Welcome to the fallout," he said flatly.
Lukas growled, "Aiden-"
But Aiden was already tearing his sheets, twisting and tying knots down the strips, "Gill get me more blankets!" He ordered.
Gill left the room and Maya joined Aiden in trying random knots. The male brunet flashed a look at Lukas, gesturing to Jesse still in his arms "Can he move?"
Lukas took a quick inspection of Jesse. The smaller male's eyes had gone glassy; he mumbled incoherently into Lukas's shoulder. "I'm going to have to carry him." He stated, wrapping an arm securely around Jesse.
"Can you carry and climb?"
Lukas frowned, tightening his hold on Jesse slightly "I'm not leaving him here."
"I wasn't suggesting that." Aiden scoffed and flipped his bed over, tying one end of the makeshift rope to the metal frame. He cursed as the knot slid off the slick steel. "Shit…." he looked around the room, then kneeled down and tied the sheets around the waist of the corpse. He then wove the rope under the bed and started feeding it out the window.
Gill was hastily ripping more sheets handing them to Maya who rapidly began tying them to Aiden's line.
Lukas turned his attention back to getting Jesse back to him. "Jesse, Jesse," Lukas urged, shaking Jesse gently "We have to go."
Jesse flinched and glanced up, eyes shifting towards Lukas timidly "I….L-Lukas-."
Lukas gave a tight, but reassuring smile. "It's ok, I'll carry you, but I need you to hold onto me."
"Hurry up!" Aiden snapped, "It's all the way down and I'd like to be gone before anyone notices!
There was a smashing of wood,followed by a solid metallic thunk. PAMA had broken through the back entrance. Gill quickly closed the bedroom door and shoved the dresser in front of it.
Lukas scooped up Jesse, who luckily still seemed together enough to understand what Lukas needed from him. He hooked his legs around Lukas's waist, wrapping his arms around Lukas's shoulder, clinging tightly to him.
Aiden tugged the sheets till the corpse hit the bed. Then he climbed out the window and rested his heels on the side of the building. "Maya?"
"On it," she picked up her gun and moved to the window.
Aiden began his rappel down with his descent.
Gill patted Lukas on the shoulder. "You go ahead of me, I'll cover you."
Maya let out a yelp of surprise as a spray of bullets splintered the window frame. She jerked away from the opening as strips of wood struck her face. Maya quickly rebounded however; returning to the window and letting loose her own ammunition
Jesse lurched in Lukas's arms, whimpering at the sound as Lukas gently rubbed his back, trying to calm Jesse down a bit.
There was another shot and outside Aiden let out a pained shout.
"Aiden!" Maya shouted
Lukas looked out and down just in time to see Aiden drop the last story. He hit the ground and rolled, blood already staining the left shoulder of his jacket. As he came up onto his feet he drew his pistol. He fired exactly six shots, all with deadly accuracy.
Seconds later six bodies fell from various windows of the opposite building to theirs. They all hit the ground with a sickening thud and Lukas grimaced as their bodies bent unnaturally.
"Aiden!" Maya called, "Are you alright?!" She asked as Aiden reached up and gripped his shoulder with gritting teeth.
Aiden grabbed the end of the rope and pulled down, keeping the tied sheets stiff against the building, "Just get down here!" He shouted up to her, obviously in a bit of pain.
Maya swung her leg over the side, quickly scaling down the building. Gill took her place at the window, cocking the shotgun. On the other side of the bedroom door the shouts were getting louder. Lukas could hear the men of PAMA tearing through the floor.
"You got him?" Gill asked, worried as he took note of Lukas's human luggage.
"Yeah," Lukas said, nodding, before taking ahold of the man-made rope and awkwardly swinging his legs over the window. But then nearly fell as he didn't take into consideration the added weight from Jesse clinging to him."Shit!"
Jesse whimpered from the sudden turn of motion, clinging tighter to Lukas
"It's okay, we're going to be okay." Lukas gripped the sheets tight. The fabric creaked, threatening to snap, but the knots woven through eased the tension and the blankets held. Lukas felt the immediate strain on his shoulders, his hands shaking as he clung to the makeshift rope. While Jesse wasn't all that heavy, This was a far heavier weight than he had anticipated, but he struggled to keep a cool composure.
Lukas swallowed thickly, adjusting his position on the side of the wall "Okay Jesse, just hang on we're heading down."
He took the first step down, gripping on to the knots with his hands, and using the lower ones to support his feet. Jesse clung to him like a baby gorilla. His face was buried into the crook of Lukas's neck, refusing to look down.
Maya's automatic went off. But Lukas refused to look, he just kept descending faster.
"We're okay, it'll be okay." Lukas continued to repeat these words like a mantra, whether it was to himself or Jesse he didn't know.
Above, the top floor was beginning to smolder as the smoke escaped through the cracks in the building. The ancient structure was quickly going up in flames.
"Hang in there Jesse, we're almost-"
A window in the second story smashed, and a soldier gripped onto Lukas's leg, yanking part of his body into the building.
"Lukas!"
Lukas cursed and struggled to pull his foot free. Jesse cried out in pain and terror as the soldier reached up and grabbed hold of the male's hair, trying to yank him off Lukas.
"No!" Lukas pulled back hard, kicked the man in the chest. He and Jesse launched free of the window, Lukas briefly losing his grip, sliding rapidly down the rope. He regained his hold, fingers screaming from the strain.
The soldier reached out of the window, trying once again to get hold of Jesse. Then there was a loud bang, and the man slumped, blood oozing off his skull as he slid off the sill and fell from the window.
Lukas watched the body fall past him, following it down. Below Aiden lowered his gun and stepped aside as the body smashed into the dirt.
"MOVE!" he hollered.
Lukas loosened his grip on the rope, sliding rapidly down the side of the building, "We're okay Jesse, we're going to make it. Shh it's going to be okay."
He landed on the ground, feet tingling with shockwaves from the impact and he stumbled. Aiden quickly was there to support and steady him.
"Gill go!" Maya yelled.
Gill leapt out the window just as a loud bang came from the building. "Cover MEEEEEE!" he yelled as he practically fell from the third story.
Maya and Aiden redirected their guns, aiming for the window as PAMA soldiers foolishly stuck their heads out. Gill hit the ground unable to contain his balance and falling back onto his ass.
"Gill?!" Maya asked, worried.
"I'm good!"
"Good now move!" Aiden yelled.
The team scrambled, racing away from the growing inferno as bullets rained down upon them.
"We're never going to outrun them like this!" Maya cried.
"They have car!" Lukas yelled, spotting the said military vehicle parked on one of the wider paths in town.
Gill actually cackled , "Everyone to the vehicle!"
"Are you nuts?!" Aiden raged.
Gill raced to the car, "I can hotwire it!"
Maya yanked open the unlocked door, and wrenched down the sun shield. The keys fell into the palm of her hand, "Or, we can use the keys. Since men seem to leave them all in the same place." she said icily.
"Shame we can't keep it,"
Lukas looked over as Aiden and Gill shoved their brief getaway vehicle, down the hill. The armor truck racing down the slope and hit the acidic waters below. The metal immediately bubbled and hissed as it made contact with the dangerous lakes.
"They got a tracker welded to the engine,"Aiden explained bitterly, "and I'm done with gunfights for now thanks."
After making a very stressful getaway in the PAMA vehicle - Maya and Gill arguing on directions not helping the situation- the team finally made their way clear of Founder's Town and PAMA forces. They quickly scrapped the car for any useful supplies and were now disposing.
Lukas glanced briefly to Founder's Town in the far off distance, a pillar of smoke added to the black sky above. He returned his gaze to Jesse, who was sitting in front of him, and ran his fingers along Jesse's hairline to push bloody tresses out of his face. "Jesse?" he whispered softly. "Jesse?"
The other male looked up at him slowly through dull eyes, "I'm sorry," he mumbled out weakly.
"Shh, don't be."
"You've….lost your home."
"It wasn't home Jesse," Lukas soothed. "It was just a temporary living space."
"But-"
"Lukas!" Aiden snapped, Lukas could feel his eyes glaring holes into his back.
Lukas sighed, "I'll be right back." He stood up and stepped away from the brunet, walking towards his team. Aiden came forward to meet him.
"What-ghk!" Lukas lunged back as Aiden swung a fist at him. "Aiden, the fuck?!"
"I have only been shot three fucking times in my life! Today being the third." Aiden snarled, "How is it every damn time it has been your fault?!"
"My fault?! We got sold out!" Lukas snarled, "But we made it out alive!"
"It's your fault because you didn't' listen! PAMA is after us now! I told you but no one ever listens to me do they?!" Aiden pointed angrily at the smoke stack in the distance, "What the fuck do we do now?! Obviously leaving Jesse isn't an option."
"No it isn't!" Maya said. "If it was we would have let PAMA take him."
"Everyone just stay calm, we'll figure this out," Gill said, raising his hands to act as the peacemaker
"Shut up Gill," Aiden hissed, cutting off Gill's words. He looked at Lukas, "If you had just listened, for once in your goddamn-"
"We couldn't just leave him there Aiden-"
"I'm sorry." Jesse's small voice cut through the heated debate.
Everyone turned or adjusted their gaze to the said male. He had stood up, bloodied fingers clutching the dried blood caked sweatshirt, "I'm sorry," he repeated, tears pooling in his eyes, "I- I didn't mean for- for you to lose your home and your lives. I didn't know PAMA would come after you because of me," he took a shuddering breath, struggling not to cry, "I-I can go, and you guys- you guys-"
"Jesse we're not going to do that," Lukas cut in.
Maya's tender side was back out and she crossed over placing a hand on Jesse's shoulder, "Too late now anyway," she said in a gentle playful tease, "Even if we dumped you out here for all the monsters to have you, PAMA would still come after us. We killed lot of them today, they're probably pretty mad."
"But-"
"Jesse, you're part of this team now," Lukas said, before giving a sideways glance to Aiden "Whether certain parties like it or not."
Aiden didn't respond to the statement, but Gill clapped his hands loudly together, "Looks like we're the fantastic five now. So what's our game plan. We need to figure out where we are going as soon as morning hits, I'd hate to be out here when PAMA starts crawling all these hills looking for us."
"We can go to Beacon Town." Lukas said. "We've ruined our prospects out here, but we have connections back home. Better yet, people who know us well enough they won't snitch us out."
Gill cringed slightly, "You sure man? We can't take the main paths, because PAMA will probably be searching on them. So without the safety of the roads or the ease of the caravan travel; it's gonna take us easily 3 months to get back. Are you sure?"
"Do you want to move to the coast instead or?"
Maya cut in, "Home sounds nice, we can pull our old connections, and even if we can't get a job has hires, Ground Town is not too far and they are always in need of trail guides. We have a better chance of getting back on our feet if we head to home."
Lukas glanced warily over to Aiden. The male was gingerly rubbing his wounded shoulder, silent as stone, "Aiden? What's your say?"
Aiden's eyes flashed briefly, and he let his hand drop down with a heavy sigh, then, "I have the wasteland maps in my satchel. We're going to need to plot a good route to use for the morning. I suggest we look at them before it gets dark." he said turning away.
Lukas sighed, having the caught the bitterness seeping off of Aiden, "Aiden-"
"Ground Town works just fine Lukas, afterall, you're in charge," Aiden said dryly, trekking off to get his stuff.
Maya patted Lukas on the shoulder, "I"m going to pry that bullet out of him before we lose light and his agreeableness."
Lukas nodded and watched Maya go off after Aiden, he then trekked over to Jesse and sat down, with the brunet sitting down beside him moments later.
"Are you okay?" Jesse whispered, tucking his legs to his chest as he looked at Lukas
"Tired," Lukas mumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I'm sorry….."
"Don't be, we stand by our decision, and you're part of this team now," Lukas said, looking back towards Jesse "So don't ever be sorry,"
Jesse looked stressed, "Gill says Beacon Town is far, really far"
"It is, but we'll make it." Lukas forced himself to smile brightly. He rubbed Jesse's shoulder, "But when we get there and we're clear of PAMA everything is going to okay, you'll see. I think you'll like it there."
Jesse still seemed hesitant.
"Hey," Lukas gave him a squeeze, "Don't worry, it'll be okay. Everything will go back to being better, because between you and me, things really can't get any worse."