Chapter 13

"Drop the gun fascist pig!" The voice was strangely high pitched.

"What?" Daze was confused. He started to turn his head.

"I said drop it!" The barrel pushed into his neck with uncomfortable, though not painful, force.

"Look, I'm not a Cog, I'm Stranded!" Daze realized that the lights on his power armor might be confusing.

"Really? Well then step into the light." The pistol poked into his neck a few times.

Daze started thinking. If this stranded's trigger finger got a little itchy it might prove fatal. But if he made a move it might set off an already itchy finger.

The pistol barrel left his neck for a moment and in that moment Daze made a decision. He reached back and grabbed at the barrel with his right hand while he struck at his assailants head with the left.

His right hand closed on the barrel of the pistol. He yanked it free and tried to spin in around behind the stranded and get it in a headlock.

Daze's arms closed in on nothing but air as his attacker slipped away.

"Not a Cog my eye!" The voice spoke from the darkness. Daze noticed that it sounded young, and female.

"Hey, I didn't want to end up without a neck!" Daze started moving into the light.

"Prove to me you're not a Cog!"

"I'm not shooting am I?" Daze scanned the shadows for is assailant. "How many Gears do you know that wouldn't have opened up as soon as they had your gun?"

"Hmph," Daze's attacker grunted.

"I'm moving into the light now," Daze said as he backed up into the center of the light. "See? I'm just as ratty and unkempt as you are, all I got is some armor."

"How do you know how ratty I am?" A young girl stepped into the light.

She looked to Daze to be about ten years old. Her face was caked with dirt and her formally blonde hair was tangled and matted with mud. Her clothes were truly nothing more than rags with a pair of shorts and a loose shirt being all that actually looked even remotely like clothes. She had a belt that held a few cartridges and a small backpack as well as a lantern.

"Wait, so you're the one who was holding me hostage?"

"Well you did look like Cog."

"Do you even know how to fire this thing?" Daze handed her back the boltok.

"You want to find out?"

"I'm fine." Daze lowered his hands. "So what are you doing in here?"

"This is our base, I have to keep this door covered incase any locust come by." She looked up towards the ceiling, forty stories away. "You're pretty lucky you made it here when you did, the sun is heading for the horizon pretty fast and I was about to close the door."

"How do you keep the locust from finding you? And what about Kryll?" Daze asked as he looked around the interior of the building.

"Well we painted all the windows but that let the Kryll in part of the way except at noon." She looked at where the suns light was falling high up on the inside of the building. "Then we go around with lanterns until night time when we fire up the lights."

"You turn on the lights?" Daze was stunned. "Don't the locust know you're here?"

"Nope, there's nothing for the light to reflect off above the building and we have made sure that its completely dark from the outside." She glanced at him with a look of satisfaction. "No one knows."

"Well is it alright if my friends and I bunk with you for the night?" Daze looked across the large interior courtyard at the lights on the other side.

"Probably, are there any girls with you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well that might make it a little harder," She looked at him with an expression that bordered on joyful, though facial features were hard to read with so much "interference." "Just make sure they keep their weapons close by."

"Why? Is your group like all guys or something?" Daze chuckled at the possibility.

"With one exception." Dio looked over to where Daze's friends were waiting, "They're all good guys, but the lack of women can be, well interesting."

"Oh…" Daze was silent.

"I'll tell you about it while we walk, now let me meet your friends." She jogged to the barricade and scampered over.

Daze heard her introduce herself to the others as Diomache but she said that she liked to be called Dio. Daze and the others introduced themselves.

"Dio huh?" Jordan smiled slightly, "Like, Die-Ohhhhhhhhhh! Served btches! Ow!"

Susan smacked Jordan on the back of the head. "Cut it out!"

"Sure, like whatever you want, but you might not want to swear when you're around my dad." Dio walked off with lantern in hand. She got out a flint and struck it against the barrel of her boltok. The sparks landed on the wick and a small flame appeared. She set it down and walked back to the barricade where the others were just hopping down.

"Look out everyone, this gets a little loud." She pulled on a rope above the entrance that started a grinding, screeching sound that lasted a few seconds before a thump and a complete lack of light from the skyway showed where the door had fallen shut.

"Get in close, the Kryll wont wait for long." Dio picked up the lantern and made her way along the outside walkway that surrounded a food court in the middle of the building.

"So what are you guys doing out here?" Daze asked

"We used to be apart of Franklins outfit, but then the locust attacked and we lost some people." As Dio looked away Daze noticed a tear glistening in her eye. "My dad and a few others wanted to start attacking the locust instead of taking it in the ass whenever the locust decided to give it."

"They had a falling out?"

"Yeah, so my dad and the other men who had lost the most, wives, children, everything, they took a vow to kill every last locust or die trying."

"So is that what they do during the day?" Daze asked.

"Yeah, but they also go scavenging when we need food or supplies." She pointed over to where a group men had merged into the lights, "That's them now, lets go."

Dio started off at a jog towards the lights.

As soon as they got into the light, Dio set down the lantern and ran to her father, who swept her up in his arms and gave her a hug.

"Ahhhhh, my little girl!" Dio hugged him until he set her down and then whispered in his ear.

"So, which one of you is Daze?" There was a calm fire in the man's eyes.

"I am." Daze said as he stepped forward.

"So you're the one who attacked my daughter?"

"I didn't attack her, I only disarmed her and stepped into the light," Daze stood firm even though Dio's father was at least six inches taller.

"Okay, so why do you want to stay the night?"

Daze briefly related their story and what they were doing out and about in the city. "Its getting dark and we don't have anywhere else to go."

"And why should I let you?"

"We have guns, we could help you defend against a locust attack."

"Ha! They haven't attack us yet, so I don't know how much use you'd be!"

"That's what we thought this morning."

"Well I'm sorry about that, but I'm inclined to let you stay for now as long as you abide by our rules. My name is Kurt." Dio's father stretched out his hand.

Daze shook his hand and walked with him to a large fire.

"First rule, keep swearing to a minimum, I know its easy to do but I want concentration to be on fighting not your vocabulary." Kurt looked at the girls, "Second rule, no screwing. Girls will sleep in the safe room and guys will sleep by the fire, I don't want anyone caught with their pants down."

Soft laughter rose from the group of men gathered around.

"And third rule, well, its more of a procedure than a rule. It doesn't happen much, but if the lights happen to go out in the middle of the night you are to get to the safe room as fast as possible. The Kryll can't get in it even with the lights out so you should be safe, but if you can't get to the room you should find the nearest patrol, get to the fire and restart it then wait till morning."

"Sounds good." Daze said as he stood up, "So where is this safe room?"

"Right back there," Kurt pointed to a large, round hole in the wall.

Daze saw a huge metal door sitting wide open on the out side. It looked like it had some sort of round ladder on the outside. Apart from that he could not see anything that looked like a handle of any kind.

"So how does it work?" Daze asked.

"It used to be a safe, a large room used to store money," Kurt got up and walked towards it, "You see right here is a combination lock, you turn it the right way and it will unlock the door for you to open. On the inside we have a handle for easy opening."

"Why do you still have the lock there?"

"Just incase the locust cut power before an attack, then they wont be able to get in."

"Well it looks cozy doesn't it girls." Daze smiled at where Susan, Clara and Holly were standing. "Look they even got a mirror and water."

"The water is for emergencies only, sorry ladies."

"Oh, well you can still doll up at the mirror! Anyone got any makeup?"

Daze jumped back just in time to escape a well aimed kick from Clara.

Kurt chuckled and turned back toward the fire. "Everyone gather round, its time for dinner."

Daze looked at the top of the building and noticed that the only a sliver of light was cast on the side. He could hear and see the braver, or perhaps the more resistant Kryll flying around the inside of the building. He saw Kurt draw a knife. Dio flipped her boltok around and grasped it by the barrel.

"What's going on?" Holly had come up beside him.

"I'm not sure," Daze looked around curiously, "But I think we'll find out."

"Now Sev!" Kurt said in the darkness.

There was a clack and then the lights came on to reveal hundreds of Kryll flying around. They immediately flew downwards trying to escape the light. Some flew straight into the floor while others simply fell from the air like rocks.

Kurt and his men, along with Dio, ran and began hitting the Kryll in the head with whatever tool they had. Some used the butts of guns like Dio, while others chopped off their heads with knives and ax's like Kurt.

After a few minutes all the Kryll were either dead or had escaped back into the shadows.

"You kids ever had Kryll before?" Kurt asked as he began skinning the dead creatures.

"Nope, but I am one to try new things." Daze said as he watched the skinning process.

"Yeah right!" Clara laughed. "You wouldn't even try those beans that one time Theresa made them!"

"Well when I'm starving and haven't eaten anything all day!" Daze grabbed a Kryll and began skinning it the way the others were doing. "Besides, I'm feeling adventurous."

In a few minutes they had the Kryll on sticks and were cooking them over the fire.

"Make sure that they're blackened just enough to allow you to scrape off a layer of ash," Kurt said to them as he roasted a large Kryll, "If you don't you might get sick."

Daze sat down and began to cook Kryll absentmindedly. He was drained. Even though he had woken up no more than an hour before he was still dog tired. He watched as Holly got up and walked into the safe room. She closed the door till only a small crack kept it open.

She looks worse than me.

Quote:

Daze thought to himself.

He grabbed her skewer and finished cooking it for her.

The others were all sitting around the main fire telling stories and making jokes. Daze wondered at the happiness he saw. Sure, he and the others were relatively happy but these men were another thing altogether. He heard Dio talking about their fight with great embellishment.

Daze stood and walked towards the safe, both Kryll in hand.

Holly shut the door almost all the way then pulled her previously white tank top over her head and examined it closely. She looked at the blood of the grub she'd chain sawed and noticed an interesting spray pattern. She liked it.

Ha! She laughed to herself. I like the look of blood on my clothes, I must be going crazy!

Holly moved to the mirror and looked at herself. Her blond hair was disheveled and the ponytail was falling apart in the back. She gathered her hair in her hand and started to fix the ponytail when she thought better of it and let her hair fall to her neck in uneven locks.

She was starting to adjust her bra when something snapped and it went falling to the floor.

Holly bent quickly to pick it up. Oh no, Not now!

She grabbed it up and was about to put it on when she noticed that side strap was missing, almost as if it had been burned.

Holly looked down.

She saw that the skin on her arm and shoulder was cracked and flaky. She looked down and saw that most of her left breast was just as cracked and ugly as her arm and shoulder.

What would he say? What would he say if he could see her now? Would he except her the way she was? Of course he would have…but which he was she thinking of now?

There was a creak in the door. She turned around suddenly.

Daze was standing there. He was holding two sticks, each with a Kryll on it. He turned immediately to go.

"No…" Holly barely whispered it.

"No?" Daze stopped and looked straight into her eyes.

"I…I want you here…" Holly looked confused, "I want to talk with you."

"About what?" Daze continued to hold her gaze, his eyes not straying even in the slightest.

"I," She broke off, "I don't know!"

And with that she ran sobbing into his outstretched arms. He held her close. Holly felt safe in his arms, even though the world had gone to hell she still felt like everything was okay. It would all be fine. She buried her face into his shoulder and felt the heat of his body. She didn't realize how cold it had gotten. A small breeze blew her hair around her face.

"Daze?" She looked up into his face and caught his gaze.

"Yes?" He stared back at her, eyes unwavering.

"Do…do you think I'm…pretty?" She felt silly for asking such a childish question, but she didn't feel all that far from a child right now.

"I think you're beautiful," He said as he brushed an errant lock up behind her ear.

The sincerity and frankness with which he said it surprised her.

"But you didn't see my…"

"Shh… I did see, while you were sleeping," He put a finger to her lips, "But that's not what makes you beautiful."

"Then what does?" Holly asked.

"Here," Daze handed her the larger Kryll and leaned back in a corner of the room with her head resting on his chest, "Why don't you tell me?"

Holly draped the tank top over herself and told Daze about her childhood, about her family and their resistance in the woods around Lethia Imulsion mine. She told him about Carson and how hard it had been to live in their old base and how that was the reason they had traveled to Jacinto in the first place.

Holly didn't realize when she fell asleep. She only new that when she did it was in the arms of someone who had listened to her every word and had probably even cared just as much.

Well…

She wondered. But there was no wondering about how safe she felt.

Daze woke up to the sound of soft breathing. He started to move and then remembered that Holly's head was still resting on his chest.

He looked around.

Dio was sitting in the far corner from him. She was spinning her pistol around her finger, watching the door of the safe. The room was dark except for the small amount of light that streamed in through the opening they had left open in the door.

She looked up and caught Daze's glance. She smiled at him then winked. Daze smiled back. He looked around. Clara, Justin and the others were sprawled out all over the room.

"What happened?" Daze asked Dio quietly.

"You did." She whispered back. "My dad thought that you all might as well sleep in here as long as nobody "screwed around" as my dad put it."

"Well that works."

"Yeah…"

The light from the door flickered a couple times.

Daze caught his breath.

They heard a gunshot.

"Locust!" Someone shouted from the outside.

The lights went out.

Holly sat up as Daze jumped to where he had set his Carbine. He grabbed it and moved to the door.

"Shut the door!" Kurt shouted from somewhere out side.

They heard an primal scream ring out from somewhere far away. "Get the off me! Get them off me! AHHHHHHHHH!" The scream ended in a gurgled moan as the flapping of wings and the reports from guns drowned out the sounds.

Daze ran to the door and began pulling it. It was so heavy that he couldn't close it. Dio ran to help and they pulled at it till it started to move slowly, very slowly.

There was a thud on the outside of the door and then its started to move in quickly.

"Aim for their lights!" Kurt roared as he pushed the door into place, "You'll take em all out with one shot!"

"Dad! Get inside!" Dio shouted.

"Its okay baby!"

"At least get to the fire!"

"The fire is out and the closest lantern is too far away." Dio heard the pain in his voice and noticed the shrieks of the Kryll.

"No!" She screamed. "No you can't die! Open the door and we'll let you in!"

"Its just as dark in there as it is out here baby girl." Kurt gave a final heave and the door slammed shut.

"No!" Dio was crying as she beat her fists on the door. "Why? Just light your own lantern!"

Kurt let out a painful roar of anger and beat his own fist on the door. "I love you Diomache! Don't ever forget it!"

"I love you daddy!" She continued to cry as she pressed her face against the door. "Say hi to mom for me!"

"I will."

The sounds of battle stopped or had receded far enough away that they couldn't be heard.

"No!" Dio collapsed to the ground and sobbed uncontrollably while the others sat back in stunned silence.

Daze listened to her in the darkness as they waited for morning.