City of Blood
Waking up the next morning, the air was still frigid, but easier to withstand than it had been earlier in the night. Silence didn't sit up right away, just watched as Jared sat up, rubbing his eyes and sitting there thoughtfully for the longest time. He finally got up and picked his way past the other men to the deck. He unintentionally woke Megik in the process.
Megik let his mismatched eyes follow Jared up the stairs before he took heaved himself up. He paused when he caught sight of Tyler curled up near his feet, making him roll his eyes before he glaned over at Silence, who gazed up at the ceiling sleepily. He smiled very faintly before it faded as he saw Z flopped on the floor, Jericho sleeping uncomfortably under his arm with his legs resting up against a wall. Megik rose to his feet steadily and departed up the stairs, pushing open the small door to get a lungful of cold, thick air.
He shuddered and shut the door behind him as he stood on the rocking deck of the police boat. He watched Jared stand near the wheel, fishing around in the cupboards near it in hopes of probably finding a map. Megik walked over, leaning against the small window to peer outside. Jared cursed, making the other inmate glance over.
"Need help?" He offered, but Jared scowled at him.
"No." He answered sharply. Megik held up his hands in defense before lowering them slowly, folding his arms over his chest.
"Is this about Jericho and Z?" He asked flatly. Jared stopped in mid-motion to pick up a fallen book before violently throwing it into the cupboard. He stood up, then leaned against the nearby wall, running his hands through his hair.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to burn them at the stake for it, but I'm fucking pissed that they'd do that sort of shit around Silence." He snapped, pushing off the wall now and purposely stomping on the deck so as to wake up the men below. Megik frowned, following Jared as he paced the length of the deck.
"Silence is what? Sixteen?"
"Fourteen."
"I learned plenty about fucking when I was ten, Jared. Silence probably already knew as well." Megik admitted, despite the dark memory that loomed in the back of his mind. He shook it away and proceeded to follow the distressed inmate.
"Well, he certainly didn't act like it. I don't care anyway. I'm banning this playing around. We have one goal and that goal is to get to the mainland and find a place to wait out this whole... thing." Jared muttered, then stopped to lean on the railing, staring into the murky water around them. Megik paused and leaned on the railing beside him, studying the inmate's face.
Jared was a good man and he knew the man had no problem with the fact that it was two men, but it was the fact that they had dared to do it near Silence. He didn't quite understand Jared's obsession with the boy. After all, no one else seemed to give a damn whether the boy lived or died, except Jared. It was almost...
"Jared, what's your relationship with Silence?" Megik asked flat out. Jared blinked and looked at him for the longest time, then made a face of disgust.
"Nothing like that. Silence is fourteen. He's still a kid... But that's just it." He muttered, resting his back on the railing and rubbing his temples. Closing his eyes, he could easily imagine his son in his mind. The way he smiled and laughed, the way he cried. The way he always complained.
"Dad, that's not fair! I'm old enough to do what I want!"
"You will be when you're eighteen."
"That's still not fair!"
"Is to, now be quiet and eat, then maybe we'll get some ice cream afterwards."
"You better."
"Jared?" Megik asked again, frowning at Jared's expression. The man was definitely in pain and wasn't about to admit it. Jared just turned his head away and pushed off the railing, storming back over to the cupboards to rip everything out to find a map. Megik sighed and leaned against the railing, gazing out into the fog.
Below desk, Silence was still in the process of waking up when he heard voices hissing.
"Get the fuck away from me, you asshole. You're lucky I don't rip your throat out and feed you to those things." Jericho snarled hatefully. Silence tilted his head in time to see Jericho heave himself to his feet, adjusting his pants and rudely kicking Z in the shoulder. Z snorted, glaring up at him with a wicked smirk as he folded his arms under his head.
"Ain't my fault you were so into it. I wouldn't have gone that far if you weren't so willing." He responded. Jericho looked at him murderously before storming out, almost kicking Tyler in the process and making the smaller man yelp, scrambling to his feet. Z rolled his eyes and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Tyler followed Jericho out, leaving Z and Silence alone below deck. Silence frowned, watching as Z rose to his feet, using the little sink nearby to splash his face as he leaned on the counter. He cocked his head, watching the older inmate stand there in silence before turning to go until he spotted the teenager staring at him. Z narrowed his eyes.
"And what the fuck are you looking at?" He demanded. Silence growled low in his throat. Z glanced up at the ceiling, then back and Silence. He reached behind him and pulled his gun out of the waist band of his pants. Silence's eyes flashed and he threw himself up into a sitting position far too quickly, causing the world to tilt and spin. Silence growled in frustration, grabbing the side of his head until his vision blurred back to reveal Z practically looming over him, the gun's barrel jammed under his chin and into his throat.
Silence gasped, reaching up and grabbing Z's hands to move the gun away, but Z didn't budge as he leered down at him.
"You're so lucky Jared is keeping you alive, otherwise, I'd of already taken and shot you by now." He seethed past clenched teeth, burying the gun harder against the teenager's throat. Silence choked quietly, pushing back against Z, who slowly smirked.
"You know, for an infected brat, you're not half bad looking. Let's see those pretty eyes of yours." He mused, using the gun to brush the hair from Silence's face. Silence's dark blue eyes shown brighter in the lights, his sharp teeth bared hatefully in a snarl. Z studied the pools of blue before he zoned back in, shoving Silence hard onto the cot before stepping back. Silence winced as his head missed the pillow and struck the counter.
His vision swam and he grasped around for support. Z smirked and grabbed the boy by the back of the neck, heaving him up. Silence snarled instantly, whirling to slash at him, but Z caught his arm and twisted it up behind his back. Silence yelped like a kicked puppy and sank to his knees, whimpering in pain as Z held his arm up at an uncomfortable position.
"Don't even try it," Z sneered, leaning down to press his lips against Silence's ear, "Once we reach the mainland, you better run like fucking hell, bitch, because I'll be on you faster than I was on Jericho." Silence only managed a low whimper, ducking his head down. Z smirked, then let go of Silence's arm. Silence collapsed to the floor, curling up against the wall and glaring daggers past his hair at Z, who cracked his knuckles, then his neck and went above deck.
Silence glared after him, clenching his fists.
Asshole! I wasn't doing anything. I haven't tried to attack him at all. What's his problem? He thought, rubbing his shoulder before steadily getting to his feet. He paused as the world seemed to tilt as well as his stomach. He grabbed at his stomach, shivering at the wave of nausea that struck him. He managed to get up the stairs, wincing at the brightness of daylight.
The fog was thick, but the sky held a white-blue light from the sunlight that was trying to bleed through the clouds. The air smelled like salt water, fish, and death. Even the stench of rotting corpses spread over the bay, making Silence's stomach churn even more. He whimpered quietly, covering his mouth.
"You all right?" Tyler asked, noticing Silence's strange behavior instantly. Silence only managed a nod before he fell against the boat's rails, puking over the side. Tyler grimaced, glancing at the others who were furthest away and hadn't seemed to notice Silence's sea sickness. He walked over, placing a hesitant hand on Silence's back as he heaved again.
He couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing that there was strings of blood hanging past Silence's slips. Was that what zombie vomit looked like, Tyler wondered with a disgusted grimace, but he stayed by Silence's side as he vomited some more. Silence leaned back a little, but his legs wobbled. Tyler carefully steadied him until he was sitting by the rails.
"Are you all right?" Tyler asked again, tilting his head and using the end of his shirt to wipe the blood from Silence's lips. Silence shivered and nodded slowly. His vision was still spinning, but his nausea subsided. Unfortunately, it was replaced with hunger. Silence nibbled his lip carefully as Tyler rose to his feet.
"I'll go tell Jared." Tyler told him, then departed. Silence silently thanked him as he gripped at his now empty stomach. With hunger burning a new hole inside him, he could easily hear the beating hearts of the other men on the boat as they neared him to make sure he was all right. Z stayed furthest away with his hand resting on the pistol in the waistband of his pants.
Silence just clenched his teeth as Jared knelt beside him, his murmurs only muffled sounds to his ears. He could make out Megik's voice, but it was hard to focus on their voices. The sound of their hearts pounding and blood rushing was driving him insane. His world tilted and swirled until his face met the deck.
"Shit!" Jared cursed, pulling Silence up off the deck and into his lap. He had passed out, his eyes shut as he breathed gently. Jared cradled the teenager in his arms, brushing Silence's hair away from the cut caused from his run in with one of those monsters below deck. It was still bleeding, a bad sign.
"He's passed out from blood loss." Megik announced, making Jericho and Tyler share uneasy looks.
"Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that one of those creatures is scared of people dying and passes out from normal human things?" Z demanded in aggravation, folding his arms over his chest. Tyler nibbled his lower lip, glancing at Megik and Jared, who were glaring at Z.
"He's sort of right, you know," He put in, making everyone glare at him now, "Isn't it weird that Silence is just.... Well, I might as well put it bluntly. Isn't it weird that Silence is pretty much becoming more and more human as time goes on? Once upon a time, in this situation, Silence would have torn us apart as soon as possible before taking off on his own."
"What are you saying?" Jared asked cautiously, holding Silence a bit closer now as Tyler frowned and Z moved in closer out of curiosity.
"I think Silence's body is producing anti-bodies against the virus, which means Silence's body is basically creating an antidote against the virus." He concluded uneasily. Jared blinked and looked down at the teenager in his arms. Megik blinked and did the same before looking up. Jericho stared at Tyler.
"When did you get smart?" He asked. Tyler glared.
"I was in prison for a reason."
"I thought you were just jailbait."
"Pot calling the kettle black." Tyler dared to respond. Jericho's eyes darkened and he looked away before heading below deck, shutting the door rudely behind him. Z smirked, then flashed Tyler a warning glare, making the smaller man immediately back down.
"I think he's right, though," Megik said at last, "The infection hit him a long time ago. We've seen it happen with everyone else. The infection took a long time to actually overcome someone. Silence's body must be building up an immunity to the virus. Who knows? Maybe by the time we find shelter, he'll be normal again for the most part."
Jared felt relieved by the spark of hope that ignited. Megik was right. If Silence went on the way he was, he'd surely fight the virus off. Silence wasn't succumbing to it like the other victims. He was desperately fighting it to avoid attacking them and in doing so, his body was throwing up defenses.
Jared brushed Silence's hair from his face, smearing the blood away from his face and flicking off the dried blood and mud. Megik took charge of the boat, taking it by the wheel and steering it toward what was hopefully the mainland judging from the towering buildings.
The ride continued in silence as Jared tended to the teenager in his arms, changing bandages and providing what little water they had left. It felt like only a few minutes passed as Megik slowed the boat down.
"Z, lean over the edge and use the rope to tie us down." Megik commanded. Z obeyed and leaned over the edge with the rope, tossing it over one of the posts of the dock. By now, Jericho emerged from below as Tyler approached the railing to peer onto the deck. Jared looked down at Silence, who had woken up moments ago, but seemed very slow and weak.
"Can you stand?" Jared asked, holding Silence under the arms. Silence blinked away the blurriness of sleep and nodded slowly, steadying himself on the balls of his feet. Jared sighed in relief, smiling wearily as he followed behind Silence, who carefully picked his way to the break in the railings that Megik opened. Z hopped down first, scanning the deck as he withdrew his pistol, aiming it into the fog.
Tyler came next, Jericho, Megik, Silence, then finally Jared as they all crowded on the dock. The sound of a seagull shrieking came before silence. Only the sound of water lapping at the sides of the boats and docks. Z scanned the fog, only seeing dim signs of light and boats bobbing in the water before he carefully led the group down the dock.
The group moved cautiously, eyes scanning alertly into the thick layer of fog as they stepped on solid concrete. Everyone relaxed.
"That was pretty easy." Tyler offered in relief, rubbing his arms at the cold. Jared frowned.
"I suppose."
"Too easy." Z declared.
"You can say that again." A voice snorted from the fog. Everyone tensed and Silence growled low in his throat, snapping his head to stare into the fog. First, it seemed to be just a shadow, then two more followed the first.
A woman appeared first. Her thick dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, her matching eyes flashing behind goggles that she pushed up onto her head. In one hand was a loaded crossbow, with a canister of arrows strapped to her back. She wore a skintight leather cat suit with a loose blue vest hanging over her torso, her Harleys splashing into a puddle.
The next figure appeared, a man, with features almost similiar to the woman's. Only his dark hair was cut shorter and brushed over his forehead, smudges of dirt and grime on his cheeks, under a pair of dark eyes lined in black. His entire left ear was pierced in silver hoops, a diamond sparkling in one nostril. He wore Harleys, skin tight black jeans and skintight sleeveless turtleneck. A couple ammo strips hung over his shoulders as well as a couple holsters on his thighs. A pistol and hunting knife at his hip and a submachine gun finished his attire.
The last figure was larger. Another man with white-blonde hair and eyes the color of jade. He was taller than the woman and other man. He wore a leather jacket that was cut off halfway down his torso, no shirt underneath and black pants adorned with bulging pockets, a shotgun slung over his shoulder and an AK47 in his hands.
"Shit." Jericho cursed. The woman smirked, gripping her crossbow tightly.
"Damn right, shit. Put your weapon down or we'll kill you all right here." She ordered. Z smirked, aiming the pistol at her.
"I don't think so, bitch." He responded. Megik glared at him.
"Z, you don't stand a chance with one pistol." He snapped in aggravation. Z scowled, not lowering his weapon at the trio.
"Fuck you, I went to prison for a reason." Z sneered. The woman frowned, putting a hand on her hip as she cocked her head curiously.
"Prison? You're survivors of the Alastair Blaire Prison?" She asked for confirmation. Jared blinked, stepping forward.
"You know about it?" He asked. The woman paused for a while, glancing at her partners before lowering her crossbow.
"We got the message that it was attacked over the radio the other day. Are you the only ones who made it out alive?" She questioned, studying the group and taking a step closer. The brunette man grabbed her arm.
"Are you an idiot? They're prison inmates, Kitty." He scolded. Kitty shrugged him off, glancing back at the men. Z frowned, but didn't lower his gun as the woman took a couple steps closer until she caught sight of the teenager in back. She immediately stepped away.
"You! Come forward!" She ordered, gesturing with her crossbow. Jared glanced over his shoulder to where Kitty was pointing and gasped as Silence blinked in surprise.
"No! Don't kill him! He's one of us!" He protested, stepping in front of Silence as the others stepped aside. Kitty glared daggers at him, holding her crossbow up, her arrow aimed right at Jared's head.
"He's one of those things! I know what they look like, trust me! This is New York Fucking City, asshole, now move or I'll kill you both!" She ordered forcefully. Jared ground his teeth, refusing to move as Silence stared up at him in surprise.
Jared was protecting him-- again. Only this time, it looked like either he or Jared would die. The thought made Silence grimace. Why should Jared die? He wasn't infected. He wasn't doomed to become a cannibalistic monster. It was only fair that he, Silence, should die. Not Jared.
Silence tugged on Jared's sleeve.
"Op." He stated. Jared blinked and looked down at him, surprised at first before shaking his head.
"I'm not letting you die. You've come this far," He looked up, locking eyes with the woman named Kitty, "I refuse to let the only person with the antidote die." Kitty blinked, staring at him.
"Antidote?" She asked.
"He's lying," The brunette man snapped, "He's just trying to save his kid. We've had this problem before, Kitty, and we let the guy go and he turned around and killed Russ. If you do this, the kid might end up killing us all." Kitty didn't answer, just stared at Jared, who glared back at her fiercely. Silence tugged at Jared's sleeve pleadingly.
"Op, op, op!" He whined, but Jared ignored him.
"Son of a bitch! Nero, do something!" The brunette man demanded, whirling to glare at the blonde man, who frowned.
"Shut up, Kit. She's the one calling the shots here." He responded firmly. Kit groaned in frustration, whirling around to glare at Kitty, who still stood there, watching the group intently. All that followed now was silence, save for the gentle lapping waves and Silence's repeated pleadings. The silence stretched for moments, until there was a loud screech that echoed through the streets, filling the air with a heavy sense of dread.
"Shit, Kitty! It's a C4!" Kit barked, rushing forward and grabbing her elbow. Kitty blinked, then winced.
"Crap. All of you, follow us! We'll give you shelter until it's passed!" She ordered. Jared frowned, but Megik didn't waste a moment.
"Come on!" He yelled over his shoulder as the shriek grew louder. Silence whimpered, clasping his hands over his ears tightly, his knees giving out. Jared barely caught him in time as the others rushed forward. He winced, gritting his teeth and about to drag Silence when the man named Nero stepped forward.
"Here, I'll carry him for you." He assured. Jared studied him for a moment until the shriek came again, closer this time. He groaned and nodded, letting Nero lift Silence into his arms. Silence quivered, ignoring the strange man that was carrying him as he struggled to block out the high pitched sounds around him.
The group flooded away from the docks along a street lined with cars. Over turned, burnt, or burning shells of cars lined the cracked pavement. Clothes were scattered, suitcases left behind, even a bus was sticking halfway out of a liquor store.
Kitty led the group through an alleyway, splashing through a puddle before calling out behind her.
"Someone push the dumpster in the opening!" She yelled. Jared bolted in last, then whirled around to see a filthy green dumpster against the wall. He grabbed a hold of it and pushed, gritting his teeth as it wheeled steadily in front of the opening of the alley. He whirled back around in time to see Kitty facing a sheer wall.
"Yo!" Her voice echoed off the walls and was shortly drowned out by the shrieking as it seemed to travel down the street and multiple. Kit snapped a look over his shoulder, wincing as he looked back up at the wall.
"Let us in!" He shouted impatiently. Seconds later, a rope ladder fell down in front of the group. Kitty went up first, hooking her crossbow onto her back as she scrambled up as quickly as possible. One by one, the group traveled upwards as quickly as possible, disappearing into a dark tall window above where a tarp fluttered in the cool wind. Another shriek followed as Nero approached the ladder.
"Can you carry him up there?" Jared asked uneasily, scanning the wall and the height. Nero opened his mouth to make a suggestion, but Silence seethed past clenched teeth, writhing in the man's arms.
"Wait, set him down for a second." Jared commanded. Nero frowned curiously, but obeyed as he set the boy down on his knees. Silence leaned against the wall, digging his nails into his ears as he screamed at the same time a shriek echoed down the hallway. Jared jerked his head up, staring past the dumpster to see a creature crawling out of a window from across the street. Another one followed as they leapt down, all crying out eagerly.
"Damn it!" Jared cursed.
"We don't have time," Nero ordered, "Get up the ladder."
"We're not leaving him behind!"
"He'll climb up himself when he's ready!" Nero snapped and grabbed Jared by the shoulders, shoving him at the ladder. Jared writhed to escape, but Nero was shoving him up the ladder and climbing up behind him. Jared climbed halfway up when he heard Silence scream again and he stopped to look down.
Silence was writhing on the ground, clawing at it as he arched his back. Pain made Jared's chest feel tight as he watched the teenager squirm in agony.
"I thought you said he was carrying the antidote." Nero snapped in irritation as he watched Silence scramble in the dirt and grime of the alley. Silence snarled, tossing his head from side to side before squirming around until he was on the balls of his feet, glaring up at them hungrily. Bood oozed past his lips and teeth, his eyes darkening as he screamed up at them.
Nero grabbed what was left of the hanging ladder and tore it up just before Silence could grab it. He coiled it up under one arm, looking up at Jared, who gazed down in pain as Silence snarled and clawed at the wall after them, but not making it very far before he slid back down.
"He is," Jared insisted, "I know he is--"
"We'll talk about it later, just move!" Nero commanded. Jared took one last painful look down at Silence before he scrambled up the ladder.
We'll be back, Silence! Jared vowed.