A/N: Okay, so...last update of the year! I say it with such aplomb. :)
Right, so...I guess the last day of high school, a boy was arrested outside of my cousin's school with an assault rifle, so I'm a little shaken up. What the hell is the world coming to? Shootings and mass murder used to be out of the ordinary and now they're a weekly thing...I don't know.
Anyhow, thank you to the reviewers! I really wanted to reach 150 on last chapter, I don't why...I like things even...so I'm glad I got there. You guys are saving my sanity, one by one.
Thank you to Greg for beta-ing.
XXIV.
The shopping complex was a forty minute drive from camp, and for Jimmy, those minutes ticked by in a discomforting silence. Kelsey sat rigid, straight-backed in her seat beside him, her eyes locked forward, shimmering like a frightened deer on the coming horizon. She had her frizzy hair pulled back in a thick band, but it looked to be under so much pressure bundled together that way, that Jimmy imagined the band breaking and it all exploding out with a comical 'boing' sound effect. Her cheeks were splotched white and her lips were pressed so firmly together, Jimmy worried the top might permanently adhere to the bottom. She had her hands folded around one another, resting tensely in her lap.
Jimmy understood her apprehension. She was being thrown into the field without adequate training – barely just learned to pull the trigger on a rifle, still trying to figure out how to do it without recoiling in fear from the loud report that followed – and she would be out there without her usual security blanket, Roman, draped in front of her.
"It's going to be okay," Jimmy started, feeling he should say something. As the op 'leader', it was sort of his responsibility to rally the troops, muster up morale in the face of danger. Besides, he and Kelsey were much closer in age than he was to the three in the truck bed, he felt a little more on equal footing when speaking to her, "I remember my first assignment, I was so scared…"
"You really think that's going to work," Kelsey said plaintively.
Jimmy wrinkled his brow.
"I was just trying to…"
"I know what you're trying to do. Sympathize with me," Kelsey interjected, "Trying to connect with me by pretending you've been in my shoes, you understand what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling. Patronize me. I'm curious; did that ever work on you?"
Jimmy faltered, frowning and tightening his grip on the steering wheel. He flashed back momentarily to those first days he spent in the 2nd Mass's custody, plucked up out of the sewers of Dorchester. He could still vaguely recall the first things said to him by the now-deceased but then ranking captain of the group, 'I know that you're scared, boy…' and his own prompt, abiding response of, 'go fuck yourself'.
"No," Jimmy admitted, then quietly, "Sorry."
Kelsey sniffled softly, readjusted herself, turning her cheek to watch the world roll by.
"I'm not stupid. I know what's out there. We all do. We all know better than most. We should, shouldn't we?" she murmured absently.
"I suppose so," Jimmy conceded.
"Then don't treat me like I'm stupid," Kelsey whispered.
Jimmy sighed, let a few heartbeats pass before again attempting, "But listen, I know you guys don't trust Ben, but he really is the best person you can have watching your back. And I trust him. I would…I have, many times, trusted him with my life and he always pulls through. Whatever is between you guys, it won't matter, he's a really good guy and he's very capable-"
"You trust him," Kelsey repeated, in a dull monotone, "Funny. You say that as if it's supposed to mean something to us. We don't trust you."
Jimmy winced and then shrugged half-heartedly. He couldn't exactly argue with her logic. It was true and in a painful way he realized, it was the same wall he was constantly hitting with the entirety of the 2nd Mass. He could praise Ben all he wanted but he was never going to get through, he might as well be singing 'Yankee Doodle' for all the weight his words carried to those four and to everyone back at camp. No one actually trusted his opinion, and why the hell should they? In the end, he was just some worthless, punk kid flapping his gums.
"You know that this whole assignment is pointless," Kelsey continued, turning her bored gaze back on Jimmy, "You realize that we don't want to work with him, he doesn't want to work with us, and you don't have the power, the strength, and the persuasive ability to change that."
Jimmy remained silent. Maybe she was right, maybe he couldn't build an alliance between those five, but he still had to try, didn't he? Because Weaver ordered it, because it was the best option for the 2nd Mass, because…because…Ben didn't think Jimmy was strong enough to hunt Skitters with him, and Jimmy knew he was right.
"Why do you think they want to be fighters?" Kelsey suddenly asked and Jimmy tossed a confused glance her direction.
"What?"
"We talked about why you wanted to train us, why you want us to be fighters, but you never asked why we wanted to be fighters," Kelsey pressed, "Why do you think that is – that we want to fight?"
Jimmy gaped, stammering, "I don't…I…to…I thought it was obvious, right? To kill Skitters, because you hate them…"
"Is that really enough of a reason? Because we hate the aliens," Kelsey retorted, "Is that your reason for fighting; because you hate them? Do you always kill what you hate? I don't. Otherwise, I would've killed you a long time ago."
Jimmy drew himself up, taken aback by her words. He knew she didn't like him, but hate seemed a bit strong. He couldn't think of what he'd done to deserve such a powerful emotion. Maybe he'd embarrassed her on the shooting range because she flinched at every shot? Maybe because of the fight he'd had with Roman, she didn't like that he'd kicked her bodyguard across the face and left that nasty bruise behind? Jimmy scowled, okay, maybe there were a lot of reasons she could have for hating him.
"Fine. Then why don't you tell me why you all want to be fighters?" Jimmy relented, less out of curiosity and more so to get the conversation back on track and off the grisly subject of him being murder. He kind of hoped they would reach the shopping center soon; the atmosphere in the cabin had grown suddenly cold and eerie.
Kelsey smirked, setting her shimmering gaze, no longer bearing resemblance to a frightened rabbit in Jimmy's mind, back on the approaching horizon.
"They want to be fighters because of what they remember when wearing the harness," she answered solemnly. Jimmy perked at that, his heart cinching in his chest.
"Remember when wearing…but wait…I thought you guys didn't remember anything from when you were harnessed?" he questioned.
"Is that what he told you?" Kelsey returned, gesturing with a nod of her head to the road in front of them, indicating Ben though he was far out of sight making sure their path was clear.
"Yeah…well…no," Jimmy mumbled, shifting uncomfortably as he realized, "We don't really talk about it."
"Maybe he doesn't remember," Kelsey allotted, "Maybe you remember less the longer you wear it. Or maybe…maybe you just want to remember less the longer you wear it. We remember though, we all remember. For them," she turned slightly to spy her friends in the truck bed out the corner of her eye, "Becoming a fighter means severing that memory once and for all. To fully realize that they're no longer under Skitter control, that they're able to think, feel, and make decisions for themselves."
"To rebel," Jimmy acknowledged.
"It's different for him, though," Kelsey remarked, again gesturing towards Ben, far in the distance, "He isn't fighting to forget that he was under their control. He's fighting because of those barbs in his back…"
"Well, yeah…"
"…because he's still under their control."
Jimmy clamped his mouth shut. His chest collapsed into itself, he couldn't breathe, and he couldn't think straight, everything hurt too much. He knew the rumors floating around camp about Ben, the typical ignorant fears propagated by those assholes who had condemned Ben the moment he was brought back to camp without so much as speaking one word with him, that Ben was still under the harnesses control, that cutting it away never actually cut away the bond the aliens had with him. However, they'd always been just rumors, no evidence to support them.
"What?" he gasped, it was all he could manage to push round the lump in his throat.
"That's why we can't trust him," Kelsey continued, her focus fixed on Jimmy, "That's why Roman said that you shouldn't trust him. Because you shouldn't, no one should."
"You don't know that," Jimmy argued, forcing his words from a stiff mouth and dead tongue, "He's done nothing but prove himself."
"I should know better than anyone," Kelsey replied, noting cruelly, "Have you ever worn the harness? You're the one that doesn't know. And you expect us to trust you? To take your word for it that he's a 'good guy' and that we can count on him to watch our backs?"
The shopping center was in sight now and Jimmy could see Ben already pulled into its lot, dismounting the bike and getting his bearings straight.
"I know Ben…" Jimmy whispered stubbornly. Slowing the truck and turning into the parking lot as well.
"Please. You don't strike me as the type to be so stupid as to think that you can ever really know anyone," Kelsey scoffed, "But let me know how that one works out for you."
Jimmy put the truck into park and Kelsey tossed open the door, slipping out and joining her friends, all of whom were hopping from the truck bed. Jimmy killed the truck engine and removed the keys from the ignition, his eyes studying Ben, the other boy clearly listening for any nearby evidence of the enemy. He wasn't sure how to feel about Kelsey's revelation, we all remember, and vaguely he wondered what Ben might say, were Jimmy to ask about what the boy remembered from wearing the harness. Would he admit it, tell Jimmy the true story of what he remembered, or would he lie and say he couldn't recall anything.
Jimmy scowled, shaking his head and angrily slamming his open palm against the bottom of the steering wheel, wincing at the sting it caused to shoot down his wrist, yet perversely satisfied of the pain. Why was he assuming that Kelsey was the one telling the truth and that Ben should remember?
Standing outside, listening intently in the midst of the lot, Ben quickly surmised that initial reports of the area as being mostly void of alien life were true. He couldn't hear the enemy. He shouldered his rifle and turned part way round, having heard the truck pull in moments before. He watched as the other unharnessed teens and Jimmy clambered out of the vehicle.
The four others grouped together, keeping Roman in their center, and whispering amongst themselves while Roman eyed Ben darkly across the lot. For the most part, Ben ignored the older boy, the behavior was childish at best, and regardless, Ben had a bit of experience from before the invasion dealing with such bullying tactics to ever let something so minor get to him. He set his focus instead on his approaching lover, feeling a pleasant relief in knowing they'd settled most of their afore tensions before driving out there because he would need the other boy's support in that mixed crowd, and finding himself suddenly concerned by the uneasy expression Jimmy wore.
"You okay?" Ben greeted, as soon as Jimmy was close enough to hear the quiet words.
Jimmy nodded stiffly, and returned, "Anything?"
"No. Far as I can tell, area's empty," Ben answered.
"Good. Maybe this trip'll go smooth," Jimmy muttered grumpily, easing his rifle against his shoulder and checking its barrel then gazing down its sight. He clicked a banana clip into place, and motioned towards the complex, "Well…?"
"You know, you never gave me an answer," Ben commented, as Jimmy called to the rookies to fall in line.
"Answer…?" Jimmy repeated, confused. Ben smirked.
"About later, when we get back to camp," he clarified. A bit of color touched Jimmy's cheeks and Ben ducked his head to hide his triumphant grin, knowing it would only piss the other boy off. It was always a victory bringing a blush to that pale complexion.
"Oh…that…" Jimmy murmured.
"Yeah, that," Ben confirmed.
"I'm…uh…thinking about it," Jimmy responded cheekily.
Both boys gracefully shouldered their rifles, stalking up towards the complex. Ben glanced once back at the other four, all of whom were given rifles of their own, though they had no clips. It seemed they'd learned something from Jimmy, having shouldered their own rifles, if not a bit clumsily, and were awkwardly mimicking the movements of the more experienced boys leading them across the lot.
"What's there to think about?" Ben teased in a low murmur, "You mean, you're not willing to sacrifice your body for the good of your cause to protect me from myself?"
"I'm thinking about it," Jimmy repeated, tossing Ben a mocking smile, before they split their separate ways. Roman and Douglas followed after Jimmy.
Ben sidled up next to the back wall of the shopping center and waited patiently, watching as Gia and Kelsey joined him, following his suit and pressing their own backs against the wall and looking to him expectantly. Both girls wore mirror expressions, pale and shaken. He smirked, not because he was enjoying their anxiety by any means, but because he recognized the feeling overwhelming them and knew that learning to rise above it would be their ultimate tests in the journey to become fighters. There was nothing he could say or do to help them pass that test, he could prep them with all the battle knowledge he or anyone had, and never be able to give them a single piece of information that could make it easier.
They wouldn't face this test during that mission, of course, perhaps they would on a later mission like that one, or maybe it would be on a special op or maybe it would be on patrol with a veteran partner walking beside them or maybe it would happen on an unsuspecting day back at camp with the enemy launching a surprise attack, Ben couldn't know. It happened at different times for everyone, and not everyone passed it and passing was regardless of whether one lived or died during the test. But it was a test every fighter would have to take at some point, because it was this test that determined the true fighters from the civilians in soldier's clothing.
Ben had been with Hal when he'd passed his own test, months upon months ago, managing to take down his first Skitter in the process. True to form, Jimmy had believed he'd failed his test on a routine night watch that saw him running for his life from a Skitter and mech, an event Ben had only heard about second hand from his father, but perhaps marking the first of many, many times he fell and fell hard for the other boy without ever realizing.
Ben signaled with his hand for the girls to sparse themselves evenly behind him and slowly started forward. The shopping complex stretched about a quarter mile long. There were seven inlets in the complex, including a Gamer's Station, Bart's Used Books, a store that doubled as a convenience and smoke shop, a liquor store, and a grocery mart that looked to have been family owned and was marked with a black and green calligraphic sign: 'Krueger and Son'.
Having already established that the area was clear of the enemy, Ben kept his attentions divided between the movements of Jimmy's team and the sounds of the girls following behind him.
Noisy.
All four of the other unharnessed teenagers were making far too much noise. They were clumsy, awkward, paid no heed to their heavy footfalls, or the scraping of their shoes across the pavement, they carelessly dragged their bodies across the wall, loudly rustling the fabric of their clothes along the way. They couldn't even keep their breathing calm and steady, the bushy haired girl trailing after Ben kept drawing her breath in sharply as though constantly being startled, and the behemoth that mouthed off about Jimmy earlier at camp was apparently a nervous mouth-breather. They might as well have brought a marching band with them to parade through the shopping complex with their bull-in-china-shop movements.
Ben could hear Jimmy – it took super ears to hear that deathly silent boy in motion – pausing infrequently, hissing commands or advice to the two boys trailing him, and Ben could hear clearly the snide responses they gave or the ones they muttered under their breath so that Jimmy couldn't hear, and Ben's blood boiled. Couldn't those assholes understand that, were this a real mission and danger was actually present, they would've given their location away long ago and gotten themselves and Jimmy attacked and possibly killed?
It was going to take all of Ben's willpower not to slug one or both of those boys when they reunited on the other end of the complex for not only stupidly endangering Jimmy's life but also having the audacity to be so nonchalant about it.
Ben paused against the back wall, halfway across the complex and waited for the girls to catch up. He glanced back to them.
"Pick up your feet," he whispered to the darker featured girl. Her hard expression relaxed momentarily as she processed his comment, then she nodded understanding when he explained, "You're making too much noise."
As for the other girl, Ben simply remained frozen and alert until her breathing staggered to a normal pace, and then he picked up their trek again. They made it several more meters before a clamorous noise on Jimmy's side brought Ben to a sudden halt. He strained to hear, holding his gun at the ready and running through different courses of action in his mind, fearful that if Jimmy were in real trouble at that moment he would never reach the boy in time.
"I'm fine," Ben heard Jimmy mutter and sighed relief until the other boy went on to say, "…now could you maybe….let me go?"
"Don't you think there ought to be a 'thank you' somewhere in there?" the older boy, Roman coolly remarked in return, and Ben subconsciously tightened his grip on his rifle. Why exactly did that asshole have his hands on Jimmy?
"Just keep moving," Jimmy stammered quiet reply.
"Right, you're the boss, brat."
Ben tensed, surging with a sudden burst of white hot adrenaline. Yes, he would definitely need all his willpower not to beat that older boy to a bloody pulp, and even then, it might not be enough.
"Are we going to keep moving?" the dark-featured girl silently wondered and Ben returned his focus to his team, nodding and starting forward again. They reached the other end of the complex first, waiting and watching round the corner for Jimmy and his two lagging rookies to arrive.
The moment Roman stepped into view, Ben averted his gaze to the surrounding area in an effort to also avert his furious rush of rage, scanning the roads and listening for any signs of the enemy. Jimmy strode towards him, rifle slung easy over his shoulder.
"How'd it go?" he wondered.
"Fine, they're loud but alert," Ben answered tersely, bubbling with barely contained ire as he skimmed over Roman and then Douglas, both of whom joined with the girls and were exchanging commentary on the behaviors and instructions of the more experienced boys, "How'd things go on your end?"
"Okay," Jimmy responded, shrugging, and Ben felt a strange tug on his heart, desperately wanting to ask about the incident he overheard but knowing it wasn't the time nor place and chances were likely Jimmy wouldn't share either way, "I figure we can raid the convenience store and grocery mart, there might be a pharmacy inside, and nonperishables left on the shelves. Fill the truck with as many necessities we can find, then if there's room left, we can check out the liquor and book store for luxuries."
"Good plan," Ben returned. He jerked his head towards the four and wondered, "You think they'll be able to figure out the difference between a necessity and a luxury item, or should we give them lists and break them into search parties?"
Jimmy smirked, "How many months has it been since the apocalypse? I think if they haven't figured it out by now, their doomed."
Ben laughed shortly and nodded.
"Groceries first," Jimmy announced to the group, "You guys head in with Ben, start looting. I'm going to get the truck, pull it in closer."
"Careful," Ben murmured, watching for a few heartbeats as Jimmy slunk back the direction of their vehicles with gun at ready. Then Ben shouldered his own rifle and led the way to the grocery mart.
The doors were locked which, Ben assumed, was why the initial scouts to the area believed it would still have resources available. He used the butt of his rifle to bust the window and knock the broken shards aside, then he ducked in, the other four following tentatively behind.
"Okay, you two…" Ben started, but Roman cut in, booming instruction to his comrades.
"Kelsey, you and me'll take that end. Gee, Doug, you two head over there," Roman said, and the others quickly began the directions indicated.
"Whoa, wait," Ben called, and Roman turned a harsh glare back to him, the other three pausing to watch their exchange interestedly.
"What?" the older boy challenged, a fiery glint in his eye. Ben had to bite back the sharp retort on his tongue, had to struggle to pull in his simmering rage, and had to fight every urge in his body to wring that older boy's neck.
"We need to stay within a ten foot radius of one another. We'll comb the aisles in…" Ben stated, his words teetering with anger.
"This'll be quicker," Roman argued, "They'll take that side, we'll take that side and meet in the middle. You can stay here."
"Faster isn't always the best way. This is protocol. We stay within range of one another that way if the enemy attacks, we can easily regroup, fall into battle formation and retaliate," Ben seethed.
"Except we all know the enemy isn't going to attack, because there's none nearby" Roman sneered, and Ben startled at that admission, his brow shooting up in surprise, "You're not the only one that can hear them coming, you know, you're not as special as you think you are."
"I never said…" Ben gaped.
"You're less than, actually, because we can do everything you can, without the spikes and without the worry that any moment we'll turn back into mindless drones," Roman hissed.
Ben tilted his chin down, let the rage burn through him. Shakily, he bit out, "We always have to follow protocol."
"It's ironic, isn't it, that you should be the one to say that?" Roman replied.
Ben stepped forward without thinking, his hands balling into fists, not bothering to wonder what the other boy was trying to imply. Roman had already confessed to having hearing on par with Ben's, which meant he could also hear just about everything going on around camp, taking that into consideration with his off-handed comment, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the asshole had been eavesdropping on Ben's private conversations. Ben didn't even want to think about what Roman had 'overheard' from Jimmy's day-to-day.
Roman readied himself for Ben's advance, puffing himself up and tensing his muscles, his own hands curling into tight little balls but at the sound of a car door slamming shut and the crunch of glass under foot at the entrance, both boys bit back their next verbal and possibly physical jabs, turning as Jimmy entered. Jimmy paused near the door, looking wide-eyed between them all.
"What're you guys doing?" he demanded, confused by the standstill. Ben opened his mouth to explicate that he intended to bash Roman's face in but, once again, the asshole spoke up first.
"Mason here was just explaining protocol to us," he said, "Ten foot range, right? Stay together? 'Course, there aren't any enemy troops in the area and there's no danger of a surprise attack hitting us, not with your razorback keeping watch, right, brat? So I figured, why don't we break up and take the aisles in pairs, meet back here. It'll be quicker and, that way, we can get through more scenario drills and then, maybe, get home sooner. Which is what we all want, right?"
"I guess," Jimmy shrugged, "Sure, okay."
"No, not okay," Ben snapped, wincing when Jimmy flinched, and saying in a gentler tone, "We need to follow protocol. Weaver wants them properly trained."
"Yeah, okay. Sure, protocol. Sorry," Jimmy murmured.
"Except you're not the one calling shots, Mason," Roman interjected, glaring daggers at Ben, then turning to Jimmy a look of intent, "You're the one in charge, brat, so what do you think?"
"I…" Jimmy took a small step back and glanced uncertainly between Ben and Roman. Roman had his intense gaze set on Jimmy and Ben wore a threatening glare that he shot Roman's direction, "I…think we're wasting time arguing about something stupid."
"He's the one arguing," Roman returned easily, with a shrugged gesture towards Ben.
"You're the one being an asshole," Ben bit out.
"You're both giving me a headache," Jimmy muttered, "Fine. Protocol is whatever's safest. Safest, right now, is fastest. We know there's no enemy in the area, at least within a mile radius, therefore, no threat of surprise attack, so everyone take an aisle and start scavenging."
The other three started towards separate ends of the store, but Roman sent an almost triumphant grin Ben's direction before turning as well and Ben remained frozen to the spot, fury burning through him. He barely acknowledged Jimmy wandering up beside him, gently, casually brushing a hand against his arm to gain his attention.
"I know he's an asshole, but you just have to ignore him," Jimmy carefully whispered.
"That asshole has heightened hearing from the harness," Ben exclaimed, not even bothering to keep his voice low, after all, what difference did it make?
"Oh yeah…that…" Jimmy murmured. He didn't sound the least surprised and something about that soured in Ben.
"You knew," Ben surmised, spinning on the other boy, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Uh…why…would I?" Jimmy returned, stumbling back a step and shoving his hands in his pockets, a defensive posture that bothered Ben to no end. Jimmy wrinkled his brow in confusion, "I didn't think it was important."
Ben's expression twisted incredulous. He opened his mouth, no sound came out, and so he closed it again, shaking his head in disbelief: why was it that Jimmy always decided everything going on in his life was not something Ben needed to know? Was it that the information itself wasn't important, or that Ben himself wasn't important enough to share with?
"They never actually told me anything," Jimmy continued softly, almost apologetically, "They just hinted, so I didn't exactly have any concrete evidence. I haven't even told Weaver yet."
Ben glared hard at the ground. Of course, telling Weaver would come first. Weaver's desires always came first. Everyone else's wants, needs, desires always seemed to come first.
"Why is it such a big deal?" Jimmy questioned.
"It's not," Ben muttered, shrugging and starting for the exit, "Come on. We have a perimeter to maintain."
"Right," Jimmy agreed, trudging after.
Ben slipped through the door, barely acknowledging as his hand caught on a shard of glass in passing, feeling it slice effortlessly through the flesh, feeling baubles of blood rise quickly to the fresh opening. He didn't know why it mattered so much to him that Jimmy hadn't told him about Roman and the others having heightened hearing.
Ben grimaced, wiping the quickly pooling blood off on his pant leg, holding it against the fabric, pressed hard into his outer thigh, to stopper the bleeding. Maybe because it felt as though Jimmy were protecting Roman and the others.
Protecting them from Ben.
The blood clotted quickly and Ben straightened, hiking his rifle higher up on his shoulder and marching up along the complex, aware that Jimmy had wandered the opposite direction, though neither would travel too far from the grocery store exit. Ben thought back to that moment in the store, that smug look on Roman's face and how he had desperately wanted to break it into a thousand bloody pieces.
You're not the hero of this story.
Maybe Jimmy was right, and Roman and the others needed to be protected from him.
At least, not mankind's.
Maybe everyone did.
.
.
.
A/N: Alright, so we kind of get a little more of Kelsey in this chapter...her character should prove interesting. Hopefully. Her and Roman have an interesting dynamic. I hope to slowly reveal all of the unharnessed children's (including Rick and, especially, Ben, of course) backgrounds very slowly over the course of this story so that it makes sense the role they get slipped into in the end. Also, Ben is starting to realize that something is happening to him, something dark and sinister might be taking over, something he might not be able to control.
What to look forward to in the new year: Tom's return and reaction to new developments, Roman and Ben in a no-holds-barred fist fight, Jimmy's mysterious illness has interesting side-effects, a character that disappeared in the first episode of season 2 gains a starring role, those two months in Dorchester, someone called the Tinkerer, a mad scientist, the reality of Ben's surreal life, Earth's altering landscape, and a few ultimate acts of love.
Right? Right. Let me know what you think.
So, totally irrelevant to anything, just found it funny. I received a new review for a story I post under a different penname (I have like five pennames on this site...each with their own personality, fandoms, and style of writing...because I'm slightly schitzo), and I haven't updated this other story in a year...so I guess the fans are starting to worry that I died. I may have to finish that story one day. It's just sooooo long and there are five main characters with their own main plots and fifteen peripheral characters with their own subplots, the main overarching plot...and it's one of the stories I've written that I actually put hardcore research into so...sigh. I was pretty proud of one of my reviewers that posted another review...she reread the whole story and came very darn close to figuring out some of the biggest mysteries in the story. Oh well, I'm boring you people.
Reviewers: Ah, SassySavanna190, I'm glad you caught on to Roman and Doug's nonchalance about the war and everything, they'll learn very soon the seriousness of it all. I guess this chapter didn't really end on a cliffhanger...did it? I guess that was cliffhanger-ish...we stay at the compound for a few chapters so...something better happen in those chapters. I guess I'll give you a cliffhanger then, to drive you crazy...a line from a couple chapters down the line "A single, deafening gunshot sounded off at the other end of the store and caused Ben to hesitate, straining his ears for sounds of Jimmy..." There you go. There's your cliffhanger! Thank you for the holiday wishes, also! JDMlvr1, well, I am glad you approved of the interaction...Ben really wants to punch one of those boys, preferably Roman. IcicleLilly, oh hey, I guess it was an ominous ending...lol. Interesting predictions...you'll just have to wait...for two weeks because I'm a cruel, cruel person, read, and see.
Right-o. I wish to you and yours all a very happy holiday season! Hopefully, I will see all your bright, shiny screen names in the New Year! Perk up people, we survived the apocalypse! Next update will be on January 3rd, don't miss it! :) Also, I do recommend checking the fandom on Christmas of sometime after, I think Santa (or the flying Spaghetti monster...always confuse those two) might have a special gift for you guys popping up under my screen name...possibly something fluffy and sweet, and all about Ben and Jimmy!