Licensed Apocalypse

*twenty-one* I will burn this place to the ground

Lucis noticed that Clara had been watching him a lot more than usual. She would discreetly follow him wherever he went and always had an alibi. 'Bathroom' or 'weapons room' or 'I'm checking in on my cadet'. But Lucis didn't believe her. The only place he could get away from his friends' watch was at night. Which, coincidentally, was the best time to visit Oliver. Oliver was faring well and was in no need for Lucis to sneak their friend stuff. Everytime Lucis came to visit, Oliver's mood seemed to brighten. But this time it was different.

"What's going on?" Lucis asked his friend.

"Someone saw me." Oliver said. Lucis blanched. "Don't worry, they didn't get a good glimpse of me." Oliver reassured Lucis. "I got away before they could investigate."

"Who was it?" Lucis asked.

"It was a girl with red hair." Oliver said, searching through the memory. "She was about ¾ a head smaller than you." Lucis' face paled even more. Clara. They heard footsteps nearby.

"We have to go." Lucis said, eyes darting through the darkness. He dragged Oliver out into the darkness. The figure held a flashlight. "Run." Lucis told his friend. "I'll handle this." Oliver nodded and disappeared. Lucis walked towards the figure who didn't seem to know he was there. "What are you doing?" Lucis asked loudly, announcing his presence. The person jumped back clearly startled. "I have night patrol tonight." Lucis said clearly, stopping near the person. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking in." The person said. It was Clara.

"Seriously Clara." Lucis said, his voice falling plain and serious. "I'm starting to think that you're following me."

"I-I'm n-not following you!"

Lucis leaned forward, face inches from Clara's.

"I've been doing this long enough to know when someone's lying." He said.

"W-what have you been doing?" Clara's shaky voice asked.

"Living." Lucis pulled away. "Go back inside." He ordered. Clara nodded and hurried back inside. Lucis turned around and walked back to the cave where Oliver was waiting.

"Who was that?" Oliver asked.

"The person who almost saw you." Lucis said. "I've had some suspicions that she's been following me and now they've been confirmed."

**

The next day Lucis spoke to neither Eric nor Clara. Clara keeped trying to talk to him but Lucis keeped brushing her away.

"I'll start talking to you when I get an explanation for why you were following me!" Lucis finally told her one day after lunch. Clara let him walk off.

Nothing really happened lately. Since the people here dropped the survivor subject like hot bread Lucis and Eric didn't have to watch what they did. Well, they still had to but not as much. Some people were still looking for them though. Lucis and Eric still had to be careful. Lucis cornered Eric in a hallway one day.

"I found Oliver." Lucis told his old friend. Eric didn't force a smile.

"I already knew." Eric said. "I've been to the cave. I was just going to turn him in."

"You're going to turn him in?" Lucis said, enraged. "He let you stay in his house! He helped train you!"

"But he still attacked me!" Eric hissed.

"He said he didn't mean it!" Lucis almost yelled. "All those weeks you spent with him and you didn't believe him when he said he didn't mean to hurt you! I can't believe you Eric!" Eric looked almost as mad as Lucis.

"I need to hear it from him." He said angrily. Lucis took a deep breath through his nose, his lips pursed.

"Fine." He said. "Follow me."

**

When Lucis and Eric arrived at the cave they came across Clara who was walking towards the cave.

"Clara!" Eric yelled. Clara's head whipped around. "What are you doing?"

"I'm on patrol." She said. Liar.

"No," Eric said. "Me and Lucis are on patrol. Our superior officers told us to tell you we're switching." Eric played along with her bluff with ease. He was no longer the boy who couldn't even hold a gun. He was a survivor now. Clara nodded and hurried past them.

"She kept following me." Lucis told Eric as they watched her run off. "She stopped when I told her off but she's suspicious of this area. Oliver told me she almost saw Oliver." Eric looked at his friend with wide eyes. "Don't worry, she didn't see Oliver's face." Lucis reassured him. "Come on. You can get Oliver's alibi now." Eric nodded and followed Lucis down the rocks of the mountain to the cave. Oliver was inside, waiting. Oliver tensed when Eric entered the cave. "It's fine." Lucis reassured his friend. "Eric just has a question." Eric stepped forward.

"Did you really mean to hurt me at the house?" Eric asked. Oliver shook his head immediately.

"No." He said. "I didn't even know I hurt you." Eric nodded.

"Thank you for telling me that." He said silently. Oliver nodded.

"You're welcome." He said. Eric nodded. Lucis smiled.

"Can we all be friends again?" Lucis asked.

"Yes." Oliver and Eric said at the same time.

"I knew it."

All three boys whirled around to see Clara standing in the cave entrance. Her hand lifted up to the walkie-talkie all officers had on their shoulder. Lucis pounced. He pushed Clara up against the rock wall of the cave, forcing her hand away from her walkie-talkie.

"You will not call them." Lucis hissed. Eric's hand was still hovering over his gun and Oliver's double-bladed ax was back in the air, ready to swing.

"Why are you here?" Clara hissed. "I thought you hated survivors!"

"I'm not everyone else." Lucis hissed. "Now get out. And if you tell anyone, I'll personally kill you." Clara nodded and scurried off. Lucis watched her go.

"Well, that's going to get annoying." Eric said.