Don't eat us... We really are trying to stay on top of things and I swear at some point things will even back out again!
Warnings: Violence, Angst
As the Bulgarians whipped their heads about to try to figure out where the fire was coming from, the young German girl, Eve, marched right up to the man hurting Arthur with a mischievous look in her eyes, distracting further from the brewing struggle as gilbert tore apart his captors.
"Wait wait wait. You're going to kill them out here? Were you not listening before? Blood brings people earters. Kill them in the trees over there. Those ones. Ja." Eve insisted, pointing towards the forest Elizabeta shot from while a grin slowly formed on her little face.
"Of course... Miss Eliza is over there, and she's going to kick your meanie butt!" She declared with a devious expression.
As soon as the men with Arthur and Antonio looked like they were ready to turn on the poor little girl, Leon surged to his feet with a snarl, the confusion and Eliza's cover fire enough of a distraction to allow him to get over to her, Dexton slung across his back. He scooped her up and ducked behind the truck to get the little ones out of the way, eyes alive with absolute fury. How could he have let this happen!
In irritation, the eldest German boy watched as the boss man groaned in pain, stumbling around drunkenly as blood rushed from his nose. Gilbert had the man tackled to the ground and was punching him repeatedly in the face.
A vehement swear fell from the man's lips as he rolled, one hand clutching his gushing nose while the other grappled with the enraged albino man. He was desperate to live, remembering his life before. It hadn't hardly been much a life... but it had been worth living. As Gilbert bludgeoned his face in something fierce, he slowly stopped struggling, the last feeling registering in his brain was a knife sliding in his throat.
Triumphant, Gilbert got to his feet to tackle another man just as his wife came charging from the trees with her frying pan in her hands and a wicked look in her hazel eyes.
Elizabeta ran forward with a screech loud enough to leave the man between Antonio and Arthur stunned for a split second too long. Her frying pan was whacking against his head with break-neck strength as he was raising his gun. The man dead before he knew what hit him, though the other two holding the men captive were prepared.
The man holding Arthur jumped in surprise when the man had crumpled to the ground at an angle only achievable in death, not having expected the woman's ferocity in her blow. Wrenching the limp Arthur backwards and pressing the gun to his head, he faced Elizabeta with a dark scowl, expecting his remaining companion holding Antonio hostage to help him hold her off.
"Don't you come any closer, bitch! Or I'll blast his damn brains across the grass!" He snarled almost shrilly, desperate to keep alive when he spotted the bodies now scattered across the grass that had once been his companions. His desperation only increased when a Antonio's captor only loosed a gurgle as a reply.
Behind the Spaniard, Jessie had lurched to her feet and dispatched the man holding him with a quick flash of a well sharpened knife, silencing him before he could respond to his companion and freeing Antonio in the process.
Antonio leapt forward with a snarl then, eyes flashing with a light only fabled in his abuelo's stories of conquistadors. The Spaniard, unlike Gilbert, was completely graceful and eloquent in the way he moved and barreled into the man holding Arthur at gun point, his hand lashing out to catch the man's throat in a vice like grip.
"Nadie me duele lo que es mío y vive." He promised in a dark, rumbling voice as he watched the light fade from the man's eyes in satisfaction.
Not far from Antonio, Gilbert held the ring leader of the Bulgarians down, looking not so unlike a crimson eyed demon.
"How dare you touch my family!" The albino man snarled, slamming his fists into the man's face and keeping him pinned firmly to the ground, blood gushing from the man's face as he rammed his blood soaked hands into his skull. Pulling out his gun when the man went limp, he pressed it between his brows and scowled fiercely.
"You'll never hurt anyone again." He promised in a soft, yet terrible voice, pulling back the trigger and blasting him with a final bang that left the clearing all but silent saved Arthur's pained noises as he lay on the ground, writhing in absolute agony.
It was only after the commotion settled that Anna raced from the trees to where her family was behind the trucks, blue eyes wide and scared as she flung at Leon with shaking arms. He hugged her tightly to him, pressing his face in her tangled blonde hair just as Jessie too joined them, her eyes bright with worry as she listened to Arthur.
"Get in. Don't question, just trust me." Leon commanded softly, motioning with his eyes for Jessie to open Gilbert's truck door for the little ones since his hands were occupied with Anna's quaking form.
Jessie regarded the boy with wide eyes, seeming to understand what the boy had planned even without him saying it.
"You want to leave them." She whispered, her eyes concerned and hurt. "Why? They have done nothing but be kind to us... Leon...if you ask me to go I will, I'll always follow you, you saved my life, how could I not? …but they need us I think. Almost as much as we need them." She whispered, glancing over to where Elizabeta was as she stood over Arthur, checking him over as gently as she could with a terrible fear in her eyes.
Leon shook his head slowly as Dexton opened the truck door instead and crawled in, Eve not far behind. He appreciated Jessie's concern, and valued her opinion… but they all had almost died being around Gilbert and the others, and that wasn't something he could ignore.
As he placed Anna in the car his eyes flicked over to the adults, meeting Gilbert's for a moment. He knew his blue ones had to be full of both dislike and pain, so he very quickly looked away.
Staggering to his feet at Leon's glance, Gilbert shuddered his eyes wide with realization of what he had just done. When the boy looked away, he began to stagger towards him, intent on making sure he was ok.
"Leon...I..." But, he cut off when he realized what the boy was doing, loading up the kids into one car...was he...leaving them? The thought wounded him, he was already blaming himself for what was happening. Now, just like that, they were going to leave. The world was dangerous, and though Leon was brave and smart, he wasn't sure how far they would get. Not only that... but he had actually grown fond of having the children around.
Jessie watched as slowly the albino man turned away, her eyes full of sympathy. She hated leaving them! Taking a deep breath, she confronted Leon as he shut the door and met his gaze respectfully but firmly. "Leon… Think for a minute, bitte?" She begged quietly, urging for him to listen, though he shook his head again, dead set against staying.
"Nein, Jess. Think, will you? We never came that close to dying on our own. Never. They promised they'd keep us safe, but they can't even keep themselves safe!" Leon protested, his blue eyes pleading for his friend… His sister really, to listen to his side as well.
"Look... I... I like them too. I really do... but I have never been more afraid for my bruder's life in my entire life... and not only him! I thought I was going to get Eve, Anna and you killed too! All because I agreed to go with Gil and Eliza!" His tone was thick with distress, as he grew tense with indecision, relaxing oly slightly when he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder from the girl.
"Nein...I'm sorry Leon...but nein. Don't think you made the wrong decision just because we almost got hurt." Jessie whispered shaking her head and backing up, though she looked at the boy sympathetically, not envying the role he had taken on.
"We would have died Leon. You know that as well as I do. Ja, this was a close call, but it's better than slowly starving to death or being mauled by that massive horde of zombies we had living above us." She explained firmly glancing over at the grief stricken Gilbert who was staring back at them with wide, hopeless eyes. She smiled faintly as Leon looked contemplative.
"Between you and me, we have no chance in hell, keeping these kids fed and protected on our own. We just don't have it in us Leon! You can try all you want, but you've already worked yourself into passing out once since this started, and that was with supplies and a relatively safe place. What would we have on our own?" She urged, her blue-grey eyes sparking with compassion and understanding as she moved forward and hugged him tightly.
"They care about us, Leon. They gave us their food, their medicine... and more importantly they're people that Eve, Anna... Dexton... can look up to. They're adults Leon, we're just kids... I know you love as all, your brother more than anything... These people want to help us." She promised as she released him.
Leon hated being called a kid and being told he wasn't good enough to keep the others alive, he hated having to depend on people he didn't know for help that, as resent events proved, couldn't give any better than he could, he hated not being able to give the others what they needed... and if he was honest enough with himself, he was afraid of losing the respect and affection of the others because the adults could care for them better. Even though he knew Jessie was probably right, he shook his head again, sorrow in his eyes.
"Nein... Jessie this is what we are going to do. We know how to survive, we've already had to before. We can keep the kids safe... I will not stick with people who can't even keep themselves safe and expect them to protect us." He whispered, holding the girl's eyes firmly.
"Nein Leon. This is what you're going to do." Jessie whispered back, her eyes flashing with hurt at his decision.
"I refuse to abandon them like this!" She said a little louder stomping her foot in exasperation. "Just running off after they almost died to try and get us out?! Arthur hid us and created a distraction so that we could get away! He's the reason that Elizabeta got to the trees and could shoot those men off you! Gilbert killed people for you! Did you see him when he realized you were in trouble?! He didn't care if he died! He wanted you to survive, Leon!" She desperately begged for him to understand, eyes wide with distress. He couldn't seriously believe that leaving was truly the right decision!
Leon's heart shattered as Jessie said she was leaving him. "If it wasn't for them in the first place, we wouldn't have had to worry about this at all!" He snapped back, eyes flashing in challenge. "I never said I didn't like them and am not grateful for them, but they don't even listen to each other! That's going to get us all killed!"
"I'm not leaving, Leon. Es tut mir lied... They may be dysfunctional, but what family isn't? We don't always listen to each other either! Doesn't mean we don't try to work through it and stay together. I trust them Leon, and they are a part of our family whether you want to admit it or not. You want to go, then I won't stop you... but I am staying here." Jessie asserted firmly, praying he'd realize he had even less a chance in keeping the kids alive without what little help she had given when they were alone.
Leon could hardly believe Jessie was being so stubborn. Betrayal welled up in his eyes and he quickly looked away, feeling the pressure of tears coming on.
"Fine... Stay. Stay I don't care." He grumbled, more hurt and angry than he remembered ever being at any person ever in his life. He picked up his bat and shoved passed Jessie, ignoring the pressure building behind his eyes and the soft protests of the smaller children from inside the car.
She didn't have to go with him then, none of them did! Yet, he couldn't bring himself to go very far. The whole point of leaving was to keep his family safe, and he wasn't about to just leave them. Instead, he sat down where he was, miserably, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his forehead on top.
"Oh God...oh God..." Arthur was stammering, clutching at his arm while he lay crumbled upon the grass. His arm felt as though it had been mutilated by some giant beast. Barely hearing Elizabeta when she spoke to him and tried to sooth him, he shuddered and writhed, terrified that he would never be able to use his arm again. It felt so numb...useless hanging at his side. What had that bastard done to him?!
Elizabeta looked over at Antonio where he sat on the ground, staring at the man he had killed with conflicted eyes. Though she sympathized for the poor Spaniard who had startled her in his ferocity, the Englishman beside her desperately needed him to keep a little calmer.
"Antonio, dear... Arthur?" She reminded gently, rousing the Spaniard from his daze.
Antonio moved to Arthur's side instantly, feeling wretched at his failure to keep him safe, as well as feeling horrified at his own brutality.
"Lo siento... Lo siento! I couldn't help you... I'm so sorry Arthur... What do we do, Eliza?" He questioned, looking at the woman, praying she had some idea, only to look crushed when she uncertainly shook her head, looking as lost as he felt.
Arthur glanced up at Antonio through pain glazed eyes and shook his head. Antonio did everything he could. This wasn't his fault. Placing his head onto Antonio's lap, he clenched his eyes shut, feeling bile in his throat just from the pain his shoulder was in.
"We have to set it." Gilbert whispered approaching the group after grudgingly leaving Leon and Jessie to sort things out on their own. He couldn't force the boy to stay...he just couldn't.
"If we let it stay like that, it's going to heal wrong, or not at all. I've broken a few bones in my time, and had to set them myself. He's going to be in a hell of a lot of pain for a few seconds, but it's his only shot right now." He instructed, glancing warily at Antonio when he leaned down and pulled back the binding around Arthur's shoulder, revealing the purple and black swollen appendage. He smiled faintly when the Spaniard didn't so much as look irate by the action.
Antonio, instead, ran his fingers through Arthur's hair gently, wishing he could take away the man's pain. "Lo siento..." He whispered again, nodding at Gilbert to continue with terribly concerned, verdant eyes. He trusted Gilbert knew what he was doing.
"I'm not going to lie...Arthur this is going to feel like I'm trying to rip off your arm." Gilbert sighed, glancing down at the Englishman who nodded slowly, his eyes wide with fear and pain.
"J...just get it over with." Arthur rasped, his good hand reaching out to grab onto Antonio's, already clenching his fingers around the Spaniard's painfully tight.
To Antonio's credit, he didn't flinch from the grip.
Gilbert nodded grimly and sighed, trying to remember exactly what way he was going to need to pull to set it as close to correct as he could get it. "Antonio...Eliza...I need you to hold him down, because despite how tough he might be...he isn't going to like this." He muttered, glancing over at his wife.
"Also...bite down onto this when I tell you to. We've made so much noise already, and I don't want to add to it." He said to Arthur, extending a strip of leather from his knife holster for the blonde to clamp between his already grit teeth.
Elizabeta nodded and held down Arthur's legs while Antonio restrained his upper half, her eyes scanning for the infected she knew had to be drawing closer to the front of the base. "Come on dear, we have to get going soon..."
Gilbert bit back the irritated comment that bubbled up inside his throat when his wife spoke, and simply nodded, leaning down and grabbing onto Arthur's arm. He planted his foot next to the Englishman's chest.
"If I do this too fast...or wrong...I could damage his arm permanently. I realize we're in a hurry, but this is not something I can just rush." He explained patiently, gripping onto Arthur's arm and shoulder.
Arthur's eyes widened slightly over at the comment, and a shudder rolled through his body. Clenching his eyes shut, he sent a prayer up towards the heavens and steeled himself, clenching his teeth around the leather strip so hard it made his jaw hurt.
"On the count of five..." Gilbert announced, leaning forward and bracing himself. "Eins... Zwei!" Pulling back with a sickening crunch before Arthur had time to tense, Gilbert grimaced as the bone popped back into place, and despite the gag, Arthur let out a horrible pained shriek, his vision going white before slumping to the ground unconscious.
Antonio flinched at the pained shriek that exploded from Arthur's lips, and he hugged him a little tighter. When the man fell unconscious, he couldn't but be thankful... At least Arthur couldn't feel the pain he was in anymore.
Gilbert grimaced as he stood again and placed Arthur's arm gently across his chest. "Careful when you move him. We'll bind it later... Hopefully he stays out while we drive, because he's going to be... irritable when he wakes up."
"Let's hope... But you won't have to be with him... You are riding with Elizabeta I thought? *Antonio said, looking confused as he gently rocked his unconscious Englishman.
Gilbert didn't answer, glancing over at the children he frowned. Why hadn't they left yet?
"They...they're thinking about leaving. At least I thought they were… I was going to let them take the truck. I don't think we have the right to stop them." He explained in an almost defeated tone, his eyes growing concerned when he realized he didn't see Leon.
The boy in question sat under a tree, lost in tormented thought. He could still see the others if he looked, but he wasn't all too sure that they could see him, surrounded by overgrown grass as it was. He felt dead inside... Already having lost so much and gaining so many things to worry about, Jessie refusing to follow him, crushed him. "I'm trying my best, verdammt!" He snapped to the air, blinking back stubborn tears. "What more do you want from me?!"
"They what? No... No they can't leave Gilbert! They'll die out there!" Elizabeta said, eyes frantic as she glanced over at the children. "Why would they want to leave? I was starting to think they liked us!"
Jessie sighed, lifted Eve into her arms and slowly made her way over to the adults, leading Dexton and Anna. Hearing what Elizabeta said, she frowned apologetically.
"We do like you Miss Elizabeta... We're not leaving." She assured, though her eyes looked distraught. "What about Leon? Where is he?" Gilbert demanded, looking around in concern when the oldest boy still didn't make a reappearance.
"He just needs a moment..." Jessie whispered, meeting Gilbert's eyes calmly, though maybe a little uncertainly. She only broke the eye contact when Eve wriggled in her arms and she set the young girl down, watching as she immediately went over to Antonio and Arthur's side.
"Mr. Tonio... Is Iggy ok?" Eve asked, looking mortified as she spotted Arthur lying limp in the Spaniard's arms.
Antonio smiled down at Eve, looking tired and worried, though he slowly extended one of his arms from around Arthur and allowed her to crawl up onto his lap.
"Well... His shoulder is still hurt, but Gilbert put it back where it's supposed to be. He'll be ok, and better before you know it, don't cry mija. It's ok. It's ok." He promised quietly with a warm smile*
"I tried to get him to stop hurting him...but he wouldn't!" She whimpered, tears forming in her eyes as he gently patted Arthur's head for a moment, before she threw her arms around Antonio's neck and cried softly. It had been a long day for the poor little one… For all of them
"I know mija. I know... But it is ll over now, and will be ok. I promise." Antonio assured soothingly, hugging her tightly to him with one hand while still holding Arthur with the other.
"Ok..." Eve whispered, her tiny form shuddering with fear when she realized just how close she may have been to being hurt or killed. I don't like them! They're bad guys! *She whined sobbing into Antonio's blood splattered shirt.
Antonio hugged Eve tightly, a soft smile on his face despite the fact the small girl cried. "They are bad guys, but you're safe now, mija. We have you to thank for that. Had you not thought to be so clever like that, I don't know that Mr. Iggy or I would have made it much longer." He praised softly, impressed by her cunning. She had even had them fooled.
"But...but he didn't listen to me!" The child whimpered, her face buried into Antonio's neck. "He hurt Iggy more when I came out!" She whispered, shivering violently and glancing down at Arthur whose face had scrunched in pain ever so slightly, even in his sleep. "I don't want you to be hurt anymore! I don't like it!"
"He listened to you for long enough for Elizabeta to help before he killed Arthur." Antonio disagreed calmly, trying to get the girl to see how brilliant she had been, even if it had been dangerous.
"I don't want him to be hurt either... I hate it... But he'll get better. I promise." He reassured, rubbing her back and rocking back and forth slowly.
"They made Arthur's arm broken!" Eve protested, blue eyes flashing both angrily and fearfully as she leaned back to stare at the Spaniard in protest. "What if it doesn't fix! We don't have a doctor! When my vati hurt his hand, they had to take him to the doctor to fix it!" She rambled frantically.
Antonio sighed and looked a little skeptical himself. She had a point... Arthur's shoulder was beyond broken, and even with it being set there was no guarantee that it would heal properly. They didn't have anyone even close to a doctor with them. He owned a coffee shop, Gil was police and he just assumed Eliza stayed home.
"Well, we have Gilbert. He isn't a doctor, I know..." He said when Eve shot him a skeptical look. "but he says he's broken bones before... It was him who said to set it... Hopefully he knows enough? Or maybe we just need to drive all across Europe to find a doctor! What do you think?" He asked, smiling brilliantly when the small child nodded, completely enthused.
"Ja! We need a doctor." Eve decided, hiccupping slightly as she clung to the Spaniard like a life line. "Then he'll be all better...do doctors live in the hospitals? Should we look for them there?" She asked curiously, determined to find her Mr. Iggy help.
"No they don't live in hospitals!" Antonio laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners. "We'll go find a doctor. The best doctor ever mija." He continued with a smile, glad the little girl was cheering back up.
"For now though, we should get Arthur in the truck where he can rest a little easier than on the ground." He said, glancing over at the others with a sigh when he saw they still were talking amongst themselves and glancing around the trees.
"Ja...the best doctor ever!" Eve chirped squirming out of his hold when he suggested they move Arthur to the truck. "You gotta pick him up! You can't carry us both."
Antonio laughed again and nodded as he gently picked up Arthur in his arms, being as careful as he could to avoid the poor Englishman's shoulder. He headed to their truck with Eve in tow, a small frown on his face as he realized the others were still discussing the absence of Leon.
"Leon wants to leave because this scared him. He doesn't like feeling out of control and this situation sort of... well put him on edge to say the least." Jessie was explaining as she hug Elizabeta tightly, almost as if hugging her own mother after going through a scary situation.
"He's just scared... And a little unsure of himself? I think he gets afraid that you all will replace him in all of our hearts. He'll be back soon. He won't leave us behind." She assured sniffling softly when the Hungarian woman she pressed against rubbed her back soothingly.
"I suppose you are right…" Gilbert sighed, looking back away from the trees with extremely worried eyes. He had been about to go hunt down Leon, but Jessie was probably right... He needed his space to gather his thoughts. Instead, he scooped up the wide eyed Anna and pat her back gently, sighing when she wrapped her skinny arms around his neck with a small, terrified shudder.
"You are sure he'll come back? I don't want him to get hurt trying to run off by himself! Poor dear…" Elizabeta fretted, scanning the trees for the oldest boy. She quickly regretted her words as Dexton burst into tears at her side, a heartbroken wail falling from his lips.
"Nein! Nein d-don't say th-that! He'll come back! He said he'd never leave! He has t-to..." He wailed with a stutter, holding onto Elizabeta with a death tight grip.
"If he's not back in five minutes, I'm going after him." Gilbert decided, calmly glancing down at Dexton with a comforting look on his face.
"He'll be fine. He's just...stubborn and afraid for you. He'll come back, and when he does we'll get out of here alright?" He promised, rubbing Anna's back gently as his crimson eyes locked onto the tree line cautiously. He wasn't sure if any of those creatures had heard all their commotion or not, but he was damned sure that if they did, he and his family had very little time to get moving.
Leon could see Gilbert scanning the trees from where he sat, shelter behind vegetation as he was. He still held back from returning to them, though he knew he wasn't leaving them. The way he truly didn't look needed was unsettling and upsetting. Was that the real reason he wanted to leave? He wasn't sure... This entire thing had scared him more so than he had been since the start of the apocalypse, but... leaving Gilbert and the others wasn't right.
He was being childish.
With a sigh he stood up and pushed back into the clearing with what he hoped to be a calm expression on his face and in his eyes.
"Leon!" Dexton cried when he spotted his brother approaching. Scrambling away from Elizabeta, he rushed to his brother's side and nearly knocked him over with his hug. Blubbering nonsensically, he clung to the older boy and wailed about him being scared that he was going to leave, and that he was sorry, and begging for him to stay with Jessie because he didn't want the family to split apart.
Gilbert watched the scene from the side, his eyes unreadable as he waited for Leon to respond. He dared to hope that maybe the boy had changed his mind about leaving while he had disappeared.
Leon wrapped his arms around Dexton instantly, pulling him to his chest in a tight hug. "Didn't I say I'd never leave you? Don't cry bruder. It's ok. Don't be afraid. I'm not leaving you. You didn't do anything wrong. Breathe, ja? It's ok. I'm not going to leave you." He repeated softly over and over. "I'm not leaving.'
Dexton clung to his brother, his eyes still streaming with tears but his flustered sobs ceasing almost instantly, remembering being loud wasn't a good idea.
"Ja... ok..." He whimpered, clenching his eyes shut.
Sighing as he caught sight of movement in the trees, Gilbert approached the reunited boys.
"I really hate to break this up, but we need to get out of here." He explained, shifting Anna to his hip and meeting Leon's eyes, praying he didn't choose to leave. "If you're ready." He added after a moment, giving Leon the opportunity to say he would stay or go, but not pressuring him either way. All he wanted was for the boy to trust him...
Leon sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, the idea of running fluttering in his mind with Gilbert's crimson eyes on him. Where would they go if they ran away from these people? There was nowhere safe for them. Nowhere... He told himself that over and over in his head as he opened his eyes again and nodded.
"Why are you asking my opinion or consent on leaving?" He muttered, not so much annoyed as he was discouraged and a little confused. It wasn't like his opinion would change anything the albino man decided to do.
Gilbert shook his head at the look in Leon's eyes. "I want your opinion Leon." The man insisted, his crimson eyes locking with Leon's soft blue ones with an understanding gaze. The boy could blame him all he wanted for what happened, but he needed to understand that the children needed and respected him, loved him like the older brother he had become to all of them, not just Dexton.
"We need to find somewhere safe to stay tonight...we all need sleep and Arthur is a mess. Do you have any ideas?" He asked calmly, a faint smile on his lips.
Leon sighed and looked down, finding it hard to feel any animosity towards the older German man when he was being exceedingly patient and kind. "My ideas haven't been popular as of late... In all honesty, it is probably a good idea to move into the base and stay overnight. There couldn't have been many of them, and it is already getting dark. The only issue with that is we made an awful lot of noise and it is really big..." He shook his head even as he finished his idea. The base wouldn't work.
"The other choice would be just sleeping in the cars until we find a better place? But then Arthur won't be able to rest his shoulder..." The boy sighed and frowned contemplatively. "I don't really know, Gil."
I think you are right... I don't think staying here is in the cards. This base is too big, and the forest around it is too thick... There's no way we could hold it if something happened, and if these bastards... Es tut mir lied Anna... If these men had friends, I don't particularly want to tangle with them tonight." Gilbert pointed out, chuckling when Anna smacked his shoulder lightly for cursing.
"I like the idea of us moving on and sleeping in the trucks if necessary. I want to put some distance between us and this God forsaken place first though... But you are right, it'll be hard on Arthur." He sighed before a mischievous light crept into his crimson irises. He extended the keys to his truck towards Leon and looked at him with a small, encouraging grin. "You want to drive? I'm tired, and Elizabeta was up all night."
Leon looked absolutely shocked as Gilbert held the keys out to him, absolutely disbelieving that the albino trusted him enough to drive the massive vehicle. He was so shocked, he didn't feel Eve's hand pat his hip to draw his attention.
"Can I drive with Mr. Tonio? I wanna keep an eye on Iggy till we find a doctor!" She announced rather loudly with her hands on her hips, annoyed Leon was still not paying attention.
Hesitantly, a smile spread across Leon's face. "You sure?" He asked, slowly reaching out to accept the keys, half expecting Gilbert to pull them away. "Even after I was planning on stealing from you and leaving you?" He asked warily, wanting Gilbert to understand who he was entrusting his truck and other people's lives with.
It took Eve pulling on his sleeve to realize she was talking to him. "Oh! Es tut mir liebe, liebling. You want to ride with Antonio? Mmm... I don't care, but make sure it's ok with him." He looked away from the keys in his hand to the Spaniard, eyes questioning.
Antonio smiled and nodded. "I don't mind, amigo. She wants to ride with us, she can." He assured, smiling from where he was standing beside his and Arthur's truck, keeping an eye on the unconscious blonde.
Leon waved Eve off then and turned his attention back to Gilbert, still looking terribly uncertain.
"Ja, I'm sure." Gilbert chuckled, placing his hands in his pockets with a shrug.
"I could trust worst people I'm sure... In fact, I have trusted worse people. You're a good kid Leon, I know you aren't going to run off with my truck... Especially when I got this little midget as a hostage." He grinned squeezing Anna to him with a chuckle when she giggled. He looked up in alarm for a moment when someone followed after Eve back towards Antonio, but relaxed again when he realized it was only Jessie.
Leon smiled a little more, allowing Elizabeta to take Dexton to get him in the car when she held her arms out for him.
"Es tut mir leid..." He said to Gilbert with a sigh, looking a little ashamed of himself as well as rather sheepish. "I... Was worried about childish things... I really do like you... All of you. You're the closest thing to a real Vati I think I've ever had, and I shouldn't have reacted so... extremely. I... I trust you, Gil... I don't know how much that means to you, but that's huge coming from me... Danke."
Gilbert couldn't believe his ears when Leon declared his trust, completely surprised. He placed Anna on the ground, gesturing for her to go get in the car, and when she obeyed, he reached out and tugged the boy into a near spine crunching hug. Chuckling, he ruffled the boy's hair and shook his head, his eyes sparkling with some unreadable emotion.
"I knew you wouldn't leave, Leon." He grinned in his characteristically strange fashion and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, leading him to the car. "And it means a lot to me... I wish I could really be your father Leon, I can't think of a higher honor than that right now."
Leon was startled by the strong reaction at first, but he laughed softly as Gilbert draped an arm over his shoulders, finding the albino humorous and strangely comforting. "Well... In my eyes you are... That's all that counts, ja? And about this whole driving thing, you'll have to tell me where to go, unless Antonio is leading." He said as they both got into the car.
"Gut... Then I shall remember to do everything in my power to make you proud to give me such an honor." Gilbert grinned, getting into the passenger seat with a sigh and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Pulling out the map, he scanned it over slowly and nodded.
"Head down this road, turn right when you reach the interstate. We're going to head north towards the coast for a bit and see what we can find." He suggested, glancing back at Elizabeta with a smile. "How's that sound liebe?"
Leon listened carefully and nodded. Sounded easy enough. Briefly he wondered if there was a point to heading north, or if it was just the direction Gilbert wanted to take.
"Mmm... Sounds as good a plan as any, dear. Though if we do see a safe place to stop, I wouldn't mind resting some place other than the truck." Elizabeta commented mildly as both Anna and Dexton rested their heads against her, both looking exhausted after the events of the day.
"Keep an eye out for places to stay while you're at it...and don't go too fast. There's a lot of cars and other debris on the road I don't want to be stuck changing a tire in the middle of the night." Gilbert instructed as Leon pulled out onto the road, nodding at his wife in recognition of her opinion.
While they drove down the road, Gilbert continued with his friendly reminders, and calm corrections to Leon's driving, having a feeling he was fairly new to the whole idea of driving a car, and a monster of one at that. "If you keep your hands here instead of here the truck won't jerk so much. See that up ahead? That's a car...give it a wide berth there might be glass on the ground around it."
Leon avidly listened to Gilbert's comments, never questioning him or growing annoyed. The car he went around held the top half of one an infected, it's legs attached to it's body by a few worthless strands of muscle. The sight made him shiver.
"What is it I am looking for exactly? What counts as a good place to stop?" He asked quietly in an attempt to distract himself from the scene.
Gilbert sighed and rubbed the back of his head, not knowing how to answer specifically. "Somewhere out in the open, or tall enough to see for a ways. I don't want anything sneaking up on us if we can help it. Your hotel was perfect for keeping an eye out, but it was too big to control for very long." He explained, scanning through the trees and spotting several houses but nothing usuable.
"Elizabeta are you keeping an eye out? You're pretty good at spotting these things." He asked, glancing back at her only to laugh when he found that she had crashed along with both Dexton and Anna.
"Well then... No help there. We're on our own kiddo." He chuckled, shaking his head as he faced forward again.
"She's tired... It's ok, we can find what we're looking for, ja?" Leon said, looking determined as they drove on.
"It would help if we got away from these trees..." He mumbled with a slight frown. Trees made it hard to see far away, and the towering plants were everywhere.
"Keep going... These trees will end at some point. If you get tired let me know, I'll take over." Gilbert instructed, his eyes locked onto the road ahead of them.
"Hey... Up there, do you see that sign? It leads to the interstate... If we get on that, it'll take us out of this area faster and we could probably find somewhere a bit more open to stay." He suggested, leaning back in his seat with a groan.
"Gott… I'm sore in places I didn't know existed." He laughed, rubbing at his shoulders. He hurt just about everywhere.
"I'm not tired, but I'll let you know if I am." Leon promised, turning onto an onramp and flashing on the truck's headlights at the same time as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky.
"With all the grunts and groans you're making, people might mistake you as old instead of sore." He teased with a small smile on his face, blue eyes shining with amusement.
"I'm not all that old." Gilbert huffed, rolling his eyes and sticking his tongue out at the boy childishly. When Leon only laughed, he rolled his eyes good naturedly and looked out the window at the mirror, wondering how Antonio was getting on with Jessie and Eve.
Jessie glanced at Antonio and let out a small sigh, having stayed silent since she had gotten in the car. "Hey Antonio... Have you ever had to...kill someone like that before?" She demanded suddenly, her eyes flickering to her own blood soaked blade at her side. "And is it bad that it feels so much different than killing one of those...things?
Antonio sighed heavily and glanced over at her sympathetically. "So that is what's bugging you, mija... I killed a man back there too... It is normal, I think, to feel upset about killing another human, even if it was someone bent on harming you... I'm sorry you had to do that, but I am very grateful you did."
"I feel...terrible. Like I'm going to be sick, but I know I'm not." Jessie muttered, leaning up against Antonio with a small quiver, concentrating on Eve's soft breathing as the child dozed in the backseat and ignoring the soft groans and occasional whimper coming from Arthur. "I just want everything to be ok again...like it was before this all went to hell."
"I know the feeling... It might be easier for you if you realize if it wasn't him it would have been Arthur. I know that isn't really helpful though... Lo siento." Antonio said softly, draping an arm around the girl's shoulders as he continued to follow behind the other truck.
"I think we all wish life was as it had been before... I know I do... But..." He trailed off, glancing in the rear view mirror. "In a way, I would rather be here, fighting for my life each day. If this hadn't happened, I never would have met the love of my life, nor Gilbert or Eliza, or a head strong boy bent on keeping his brother and three kids he hardly knew alive, or a little girl who can make just about anyone like her, or you, mija. So... though life is terrifying now... I wouldn't necessarily change it."
"Ja...I suppose it's nice to have met so many different people, but...if this hadn't happened...We would still have our parents...Gilbert would have a brother...and Arthur wouldn't be hurt. I think that If I had a choice to live in this world or not know everyone I know now… I would go back just so that they wouldn't have to be in pain." Jessie whispered, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I miss my parents, too…" She admitted, wiping at her eyes desperately. I want them back so much." She whimpered, feeling a soft hiccup fill her chest as she leaned into Antonio's hold with a shudder.
"Oh don't cry mija... Missing your parents is hard... I know. Trust me, both of mine are dead too... At least I am guessing mi Mamá is dead… Losing them is still hard... It'll be alright... You will always miss them, but hopefully you let us all fill a tiny space of your loneliness as you miss them..." Antonio soothed softly, rubbing her shoulder with his thumb as he drove with one hand on the wheel.
"You do... You all do. You're like a big extended family to me now." Jessie assured through a sob, her eyes glancing up at him sadly and looking over at the two in the backseat.
"Do you think that...he'll be ok? Really?" She demanded with a sad sigh, worry for the man eating at her the longer he stayed unconscious. "Eve...really likes him. More so than most people." She muttered, frowning slightly and looking away, afraid she would upset the Spaniard. "I don't want her to have to lose someone... Not right after she lost her parents."
Antonio nodded confidently. "I think he'll be just fine... He won't die from this injury, though I am a little concerned about his arm healing properly... I have noticed that she shows favoritism to my Arthur though..." The Spaniard said, putting just a little too much emphasis on the word.
"She's four...I doubt you'll have much competition." Jessie reminded him, grinning in amusement at his possessive comment. Was the Spaniard really concerned about having to compete for Arthur with a child? "I hope he heals alright..." She added, returning her gaze back to the street.
"Why don't you tell me about how you two met?" Her eyes were hopeful for a story as she asked, curious to know the Spaniard and the Englishman's story
"Antonio blushed slightly at her comment, feeling a little childish for being so quick to claim his love. "How did we meet? Let's see... I was sitting in my house on the couch, not really doing much of anything… Playing my guitar I think? When furious pounding came knocking at my door... I went to open it, only to find a rather out of breath Englishman I had never seen before come bursting into my house and begging for me to shut and lock the door. Of course, I didn't want to be rude. I allowed him to stay and asked him what was the matter. He told me all about how his neighbor had tried to bite him, and how he had been running for a good two hours before finally seeing my light on in my house. I'll admit... I thought he had gone muy loco... but for some reason I trusted him... and we've been together ever since... Of course, we didn't realize we had feelings for each other until a couple days later..." He said, giving a rather brief description of the way he had met Arthur.
"He loves you a lot...you can tell just by the way he looks at you when you turn away." Jessie giggled slightly her grief forgotten momentarily. "You two act like a married couple most of the time... If this was all over, do you think you two would get married for real?" She asked curiously.
Antonio's eyes were glued to the road, weaving around the infected much more easily than monster of a truck in front of him, though he figured it had something to do with who was driving. Would he ever marry Arthur? Quite honestly he would love to… but it wasn't likely to ever happen.
"If he and I are still alive at the end of this, I will ask him to marry me. Might take me a while to find the courage to ask, but someday, I hope. I love him very much as well..." He said with a soft sigh, his heart in his throat and eyes just talking about the injured man occupying the majority of the back seat.
"I'm sure that you'll both make it out of here just fine." Jessie smiled encouragingly, her gaze following his into the rearview mirror and her smile faltering slightly when she took in the man's pale, strained face. No wonder he hadn't woken up yet, the pain was intense enough to bother him in his sleep. She didn't want to know what it be like when he was awake. "He'll just have to make sure he doesn't move his arm...then he'll be fine."
As the drive continued though, and the blond remained unconscious, both Antonio and Jessie grew restless. Arthur needed a doctor, but there was no way finding one while trying to survive the mass of zombies that overtook the world's population.
Let us know how you like it even though it is terribly late!