A NOIR glitch

Monsters, psychopaths, villains and sycophants dwell within this multi-muse blog.

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrovvs​:

—

There was part of Charles that didn’t want to go back, either. He longed for simpler times… for times when he could easily please Douglas and Douglas was eager to please him, times where Doug looked at Charles as if he had hung the stars in the sky and unquestioningly trusted the man. He wondered if they would ever get that back.

This trip was going to be special. Charles had it all planned out. They were going to have a good time and they were going to bond. For years, almost all of Doug’s life, really, Charles had struggled internally with his connection to the wolf. He perceived Doug as his son and had for quite a while but had never verbalized that to anyone, least of all Doug. This Christmas, he planned on expressing his feelings to Doug and letting him know exactly why things were the way they were – Charles saw himself as Douglas’ father and wanted to do everything to ensure his safety and his future were as bright as they could be.

He was touched when Doug asked if he could try shooting the magnificent gun. Charles nodded, reached up and plucked the second one from the wall. He had two such beautiful pieces that hung crossed over one another as if on display. “We’ll bring them both. One for me, one for you.” He offered with a slight smile in the younger man’s direction before turning back to his last bag that he was packing, just making sure they had everything they needed. The excitement roiled in him like bubbling, boiling water but he appeared as placid as a lake.

“Doug, I would be happy to see you do your best both in your natural talents and in mine. I think you will find you’re proficient with the guns as well.” The compliment didn’t go unnoticed but Charles simply replied with a squeeze to the boy’s shoulder. “We should get going soon. I want to enjoy as much time in the jungle as possible.”

-

Douglas watched Charles with anticipation, holding his breath tightly as he waited for his answer, expecting either a no or a yes equally. It’d never been his place to shoot the gun; he was supposed to track, locate, and physically take down Charles’ targets if the situation called for it. He’d only stare in awe when his hunter braced himself to shoot with precision, taking down creatures bigger than both of them combined with a well-placed shot.

 “Seriously?” Doug said, his eyes lighting up with excitement when Charles moved to retrieve the Falcon’s twin, his answer contrary to his expectations. He blinked, his heart jumping into his throat as his grip tightened around the rifle in his hands as he looked down at it again. He nodded once, his lips curling in between his teeth as he set his mind to be ready for a challenge he’s never had before. There was some instinctual resistance, like the wolf in him was butting heads with the human part of him. Surely, he had been trained to lean more on his animal instincts throughout his early years with the man’s guidance, but he had noticed a shift towards training and refining him as a young man, too, over the last few years. “If you think I can, then I will,” Doug said with another affirming nod, smiling up at him before he finished packing away his bag and slung it over his shoulder. 

The first part of any hunt was always pleasant; they were just setting out, which meant there was wiggle room to talk until he caught a scent or found a trail to follow. His hand rested on the strap of the rifle, overly aware of its presence - whether out of instinctual fear as guns with silver bullets could easily be the death of him, or out of the sheer pressure of living up to Charles’ expectations - he wasn’t fully certain of. He tried to embrace his nervousness as excitement, though. “What was the first creature you ever hunted?” Douglas asked idly as he stepped over a fallen log and looked back at his guardian. “What made you decide this was what you were meant to do?”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

Even after everything, Charles wasn’t going to let the curse ruin another holiday. Especially not the holiday that he and his boys looked forward to most each year. Charles took great care to have professional decorators come in when Doug and the rest were sleeping or away so that it would suddenly be perfect one day when they walked in. Charles liked seeing the reactions on their faces, most of all Douglas’.

This year, he wanted things to be special. Doug had been working so hard to make up for what had happened while he was under that wretched curse -- which Charles hadn’t forgotten about, it was still puzzling him as the man tended to fixate on things until he figured them out -- that Charles thought he deserved a break doing something he enjoyed. A nice little hunting trip for all of Doug’s favorites. They could go back to what really felt like home, he was sure, not the stuffy city but the beautiful jungles Charles had so grown to love.

Things would be less complicated this way.

Hearing the question, Charles looked over with a small smile in Doug’s direction. The weapon was a masterpiece in every single way but Doug was right, Charles hadn’t allowed himself to use it in quite a long time. “Perhaps...” Charles replied as he walked over, closing the distance between them to admire the gorgeous VO Falcon in Douglas’ hands. “This seems special enough an occasion that I can bring it out.” He reached down then and let his fingers trail down the cool body of the weapon. “I’ve been treating them too much like collection items and not like the magnificent tools they are.”

-------

Quite frankly, he didn’t want to go back.

He didn’t say it when they’d gotten off the plane, immediately greeted with warm humidity that clung to the skin like a wet blanket, but he felt it in his bones. He smelled the green before the door had even open, and the moment his eyes laid sight on the vast greens, he relaxed for the first time in what felt like months. Plants and flora made him happy, and though he was colorblind, he could still distinguish yellow and blue from green. He could not see any difference at all between red, pink, and orange flowers, but he could place them by their vibrant smells instead. The compilation of smells and color was comforting; Douglas was home.

At least for a little while.

He tried not to think about it too hard, determined and excited to appreciate the moment. It was even more special to be here again, releasing Douglas from the tension and pressure that had been built up in him. He got to forgot all of it for a week and just enjoy doing what he did best in the place he performed best. Spry and eager to show off, Doug was lit with energy and exuberance.

“Really?” Doug grinned from ear to ear, pleased to make this trip a little more memorable and unique. He paused briefly, his thoughts spinning as his fingers. grazed over the intricately carved engravings and smooth wood. “...Do you think I could try shooting with it?” He asked, curious even though he was definitely more comfortable hunting using his physical strength and speed over weapons. He looked at him with a little hesitancy, like he was anticipating a no, but when Charles mentioned that it was Christmas, he relaxed, knowing that his more ambitious asks would have a chance with the good mood he was in. “Not for the whole trip -I’m definitely better suited for what I do best - but maybe just to learn what your side of things is more like. You make it look so easy.”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

Percy cocked his head to the side as he regarded Hades. “You’re confusing me.” He replied flatly, huffing slightly, turning his head away from the man with such dramatic effect that his curls bounced with the force of it. “I don’t want you to compliment me, Hades. I do not even wish for you to look at me, yet here we are.” He ran his tongue over his teeth, shifting his gaze back to the other god before he was touched. Percy stiffened slightly – just to let Hades know that he did not appreciate the contact – and blinked. When his eyes opened again, they were somewhere else.

The sight of it took Percy’s breath away and he started to walk deeper into the verdant garden. “You’ve certainly tried, haven’t you.” He said, looking around. This place was so much more beautiful than what little else of the Underworld that Percy had seen. Percy placed both his hands on a boulder and within an instant it had changed into a small hill flecked with grass and a few blossoming flowers. “It needs a lot of my touch, Hades.” He continued, turning to look at the other god, an inscrutable expression on his beautiful face. “I’ll be here for ages.” He paused, eyes wandering over the other god like he was trying to figure Hades out. “Is this why you’ve brought me here?”

“Too bad,” Hades remarked coldly, rooted firmly in his own selfishness and refusal to be alone in his kingdom any longer -- even if it meant his company loathed him. Despite that fact - he’d never admit it - the way Percy stiffened at his touch made his lips pull together into thin line, but he refused to offer more of a response than that.

Hades was quiet while Percy took in Elysium and spoke, half smiling when he merely touched a barren boulder and turned it into something beautiful. A sigh escaped him at his question, “I didn’t bring you here to interior decorate. You deserved a change in scenery. I wanted to show you that it’s not all darkness and death in my kingdom. I’m kind to good souls who deserve it. This is supposed to be their home in the afterlife, but with your help, surely it’d be a paradise.”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

It annoyed Percy a little that Hades wasn’t being mean and nasty to him – that he hadn’t forced Percy to do anything beyond come here and stay here. He huffed a sigh, arms folded across his chest. He hadn’t even laid eyes on the garden in question. “What do you want my company for? What makes me so special, then?” Percy blinked, he hadn’t left these quarters in… well, since coming. “Show me the garden, then. Maybe it’ll soften me to whatever else you have in store.”

-

“Don’t act so humble,” Hades replied, stepping closer now to the shorter man, his slate blue eyes looking over his face like he was a precious and rare gem. “If you’d like me to compliment you, Percy, all you need to do is ask. No need to fish for them,” he smirked at him playfully, quickly softening when the other god decided to comply with his wishes to show him the garden. He looked a little surprised, taken off guard, not having expected the turnaround. He resisted saying anything that might indicate his surprise, and simply closed what little distance stood between them, gently setting a hand on Percy’s shoulder like he was made of glass, and the two of them disappeared from the room of his palace. 

In the next instance, they were surrounded by vibrant green and moss replaced the stone beneath their feet. Rolling fields of grass sprinkled with flowers spanned for miles. Pillars and arches littered the landscape, and a temple stood atop a hill nearby. Though they were still deep beneath the Earth’s surface in the underworld, Elysium had no ceiling, mimicking the world above ground perfectly to comfort the heroes and favored amongst the gods. It was an idyllic and calm paradise in the afterlife. “I am only cruel in my judgement to sinners and those who try to escape my kingdom,” he said, breaking the silence after giving Percy a moment to take it in, “but I offer peace to the few that deserve it here in Elyisum. It’s beautiful, but it’s only a fragment of my own making. I’m sure with your touch, it could be truly be a paradise.”

[vivienvalentino]

there are two moods

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

“You don’t simply want to speak to me or you wouldn’t have dragged me down to these depths.” He replied, cold as ice. He was aware of his beauty, of the feelings it struck in mortals and other gods, the effect it had. Apparently, it’d had quite the impact on Hades. Percy ran his tongue over his teeth – the idea of being in a garden was tantalizing, but he was unwilling to relent to Hades even a little. “Permission denied. I don’t want to see your pitiful excuse for a garden.” He had hesitated, however. “I thought you wanted to talk to me? So, speak.”

Hades was silent, his lips drawn back into a thin-lipped smile, annoyed by Percy’s assumptions. “No, I wanted your company,” he said honestly, his features softened but still stoic in his disposition. He didn’t react to  “I’d like you to be more comfortable while we talked. Most of the Underworld is dark, but Elysium is special. If you think it’s so pitiful, then perhaps you can change that about it to suit your tastes.”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

Percy bristles at the implication, “I am delicate. Thank you.” He says, his gaze narrowing as he regards the other man. Hades is quite handsome, always has been, but there’s always been something dark and taboo about him – something beyond the fact that he’s the god of the underworld. “So far, you’ve only proven him correct, Hades.” His tone is flat as he regards the other, arms folded across his chest. “I don’t imagine that you can convince me, but – seeing as you will not leave – go on, I’m listening.” For how long? Well, they would soon find out.

Hades hummed at his retort, looking Percy up and down with an amused half smile. So cute, yet so prickly. In the younger god’s attempt to push him away, he only made himself more endearing. “It was necessary to even have the opportunity to speak to you,” he lamented, all too aware of his banishment from Olympus. He had to strike when the time presented itself, or wait another hundred, maybe a thousand years for another opportunity. “I do have a garden down here, you know. The gardens of Elysium, where great heroes reside in the afterlife. I’d like to take you there - but without the kicking and screaming, please.”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

Percy huffed, folding his arms across his chest. “You can’t just see something beautiful and pluck it so carelessly.” It was true, though, he had never said a word in Hades defense, but who would? “It wasn’t my place do defend you. And why would I?” He scoffed at the other god. “Look at what you’ve done.”

"You’re immortal. Don’t act so delicate,” Hades replied with a shrug of his shoulder, silent for a lingering moment while he listened to him. He grew quiet, and solemn, “Exactly why I had to take you,” he sighed, “you’d never let me convince you that Zeus’ opinion and rumors about me are wrong. I could not have gone about it any other way. Please...I ask for one chance.”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

Percy stood up a little straighter when he felt the distance between them grow smaller, Hades like a shadow on the wall. There was a tingle of something up his spine, his icy blue eyes cast sideways. Every piece of him was as sharp as a knife, and that was Hades’ doing – for bringing him here. “You didn’t give me a chance.” He replies, blinking upward as he turns to look at the god, finally. “You take and you take, don’t you? Without regard for others. Maybe you should’ve been persistent about my attention before you dragged me down here. Maybe then I would’ve chosen this. Instead, you have my scorn.”

“Don’t lie to me. As if you’d give me the time of day if I had been diplomatic in my approach,” Hades replied, bitterness in his tone as he looked over the scorn painting Percy’s features. “You - like everyone else on Olympus - have always been silent in Zeus’s open ridicule and mockery of me. If I had been polite about it, you would have run from me and I’d never catch you.”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

Percy heard him coming before he arrived, and he turned his back to the god as Hades entered the room where he was keeping his prize. It was beautiful, thanks to the both of them, but it wasn’t home. And nothing could thrive here, try as Percy might.

He folded his hands behind his back, head turned upward and away. “I already explained to you that I do not wish to speak to you, yet you persist.” His eyes flickered toward Hades for a millisecond before he looked away again. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“I have eternity to be persistent for your attention,” Hades resisted frowning and pursed his lips briefly instead as he turned over the younger god’s words like a smooth stone in his hand. “I know you’re unhappy,” he said, quiet in his tone as he walked closer, shrinking the distance between the two of them. “But I could make you happy if you gave me a chance.”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

@themonstrous​

“Are you ready to talk to me yet?”

“Eternity is a long time to be silent and alone,” Hades sighed casually as he walked into the elegant room. It was dimly lit - not even his illusions and magic could fully mask the darkness of his Underworld - but he used his tricks to make it more comfortable and hide the horrors of it from his new guest. “I’m patient. I can wait. I have plenty of souls to judge to pass the time until the day comes. Even when you frown, you still brighten up my palace.”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

@gravitysrainbow​

Eivor had only been back in New York for a few short weeks, but he’d heard enough to dishearten him. There weren’t many vampires left his age – or even quite close to it, and all the new blood (as he called them) had warped world views and senses of self. He frequented their clubs if only to be around other immortals and sate his curiosity. He was crestfallen when he heard of an intended massacre of a local pack of werewolves. He could remember vividly the first werewolf he had met and how well she had treated him – and the ones he had loved and lost. If only these foolish, pale-skinned fiends could see the possibility. After hearing the plan, Eivor finished his drink and left, sniffing around for the targeted pack.

It didn’t take long to find them – werewolves had a distinctive scent, and Eivor’s senses had been fine-tuned over the centuries. He watched and waited, watched and waited – listening – before devising his plot. He would approach the young alpha when he was alone and confess the New York coven’s plan.

He found the young wolf outside the place he took residence, smoking a cigarette in the cool night air. Eivor approached on silent footsteps, leaving a considerable distance between them so he could flee if the need arose. He was illuminated by a single street lamp that stood desolate and sagging in the alley. “Someone intends to hurt you – and your pack.” He said, his voice carrying over the distance, tinged with an implacable accent. “They prepare to hit you the day after the moon, when you’re weakest. You should prepare yourselves – they’re younglings, so not very strong. A serious fire could do away with them, or an explosion, but nothing less than that.”

He wasn’t prepared for this.

Seth was struggling in his new position as alpha. He’d been a better beta to his father; second-in-command to back up his strength and authority in the decision making in with pack. But his and his mate’s untimely death at the hands of hunters had left the beta with no choice but to stand up to take care of his younger siblings and the few others that sought safety in their numbers. 

The new alpha smoked cigarettes like a chimney when he was stressed; it was rarer to find him without a cig in his hand than not. He didn’t drink anymore, not wanting his wits to be crippled for decision making - as much as he missed having a drink to relax his nerves after a long day. But with the bickering and in-fighting that was beginning to happen over whether or not they should stay in New York or leave, he couldn’t afford it.

He’d stolen a moment for himself, a cigarette glued to his fingers as he inhaled the smoke like life support. Seth had just begun to relax when a voice interrupted the silence, making him look up from the vacant spot on the ground he’d settled on. Immediately, the man’s words startled him, not anticipating the bluntness and the revealing of their status. Every muscle in his body seized in reflex, the cigarette dropping from his hand as he backed up a step. Had he been so irresponsible that people knew of them? Doubt spun wild webs in his head. 

He was vastly unprepared for this.

“What?” Seth questioned immediately, processing the information that had been suddenly thrust upon him while simultaneously feeling defensive about his werewolf status being drawn out to the light so abruptly. Did he play stupid or feed into it? This was not the right job for him. “You’re either off your rocker, or you’ve got the wrong person. And right now I think it’s a combination of the latter.”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

There was a clock on the wall behind where Wyatt was laying, and Jesse found his gaze passing from the man to the ugly time piece, back and forth like a pendulum. As the time ticked away, Jesse grew to hate the aquatic inspired clock which used the nose and tail fins of a whale to mark the passing of the minutes and hours. Jesse grew more and more concerned that Wyatt would never wake. He’d chewed at his fingers and cuticles until they were bleeding. He’d thought, more than once, about his hidden vial and the syringe – the boys were entertained by themselves, and Jesse was going crazy. He contemplated it for the relief, but he somehow kept talking himself out of it.

He was staring at the atrocious clock, Wyatt’s hand in his own, when he caught the other man stirring through his peripherals. He watched as Wyatt jerked to consciousness rather than slowly rising, his last memories pulling him to the top like a diver breaking the surface of water with seconds to spare. “Shh, you’re okay. They’re okay. Better off than you are…” He reached up, hand on the top of Wyatt’s head now – an instinctive gesture which he used to try and cement Wyatt to the spot so he wouldn’t move and further exacerbate his situation.

Jesse heaved a sigh of relief when Wyatt smiled up at him with those dimples in his cheeks. “Yeah, you did… pretty bad. But you’re a lot tougher than you look, aren’t ya, Dimples?” He teased, withholding the fact that he had believed Wyatt was going to die only a short while before. He squeezed Wyatt’s hand in place of hugging him and looked down at Wyatt with a morose expression. “I’m sorry it went down like that. That was dangerous.” With his free hand, Jesse grabbed a hydroflask filled with water and helped Wyatt to drink. “I don’t know how to thank you for what you did for Rory.” He paused, staring at Wyatt for a moment as if he couldn’t find the words he was looking for. “I’d be devastated if we lost you, Wyatt.” Another pause and a sigh. “How are you feeling? Is there anything I can do for you?”

Wyatt resisted calming down at first, his heart racing in his chest as he felt the impulse to get up and run. Jesse’s voice didn’t come in clearly until his hand pressed down on his chest to try to stop him from moving. The quick movement caused his head to spin, however, forcing the wounded military man back down as quickly as he’d tried to get up. He laid there for a second, breathing exasperatedly as his eyes tried to make sense of his surroundings. 

“I don’t feel so tough right now,” Wyatt replied to Jesse after a momentary pause, the smile fading from his face. It took him a second to register that the man was holding his hand, and a soft exhale escaped him as he squeezed it in return, closing his eyes. “That fire escape looked shotty to begin with, but it was my only way down to them. I shouldn’t have...” He trailed off, sighing. The kids were safe. They might not have been if he hadn’t taken the risk, but the way his head throbbed felt like it would explode in his skull any second. He smiled again briefly at Jesse’s thanks for protecting Rory. “I’d do the same for you and Myles, too. I know you’d do the same,” he said, opening his eyes again to try to focus on Jesse’s face, but he couldn’t look at the amalgamation of blurs for long before he had to shut his eyes again. “Got anything stronger than aspirin in our loot?” He tried to joke, a nervous laughter escaping him, but a shooting pain through his head shut him up and made the man’s attempts to lighten the situation impossible. “My head is screaming at me and I can’t... I can’t see very well right now. So, given that we’re still in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, I’d say I’m not doing too well. Not dead, sure, but I...” He trailed off, not wanting to admit that one dumb mistake had made him immediately dead weight.

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

The high of hitting so many scores was getting to Jesse’s head. His willingness to take risks rose exponentially with the realization that everyone was a damn good survivor. He began to think of the group of them as special – somehow unstoppable. Each new street they hit meant new scores – new ways to stay alive. He knew, deep down, that their luck could only go so far, that they’d run into infected or a rival group eventually, but he was steady chasing the high of the win. He’d all but begged Wyatt to let them scope out one more street because he knew that street had a pharmacy and an electronics shop – there was bound to be something good. They raided the electronics shop first, putting most of the goods into Wyatt’s pack. On the way to the pharmacy, they found some food, then they quickly moved on. Inside the pharmacy, Jesse split from Wyatt. The store was quiet and still enough that he didn’t think they’d have anything to worry about.

Jesse was still inside when he heard the commotion afflicting the other members of his group. He shoved medical supplies into his pack quickly – each item invaluable. Right as he turned to leave, however, he spotted a bottle of liquid morphine, illuminated by a beam of light with dust motes dancing through it. He stared at the bottle, entranced, until he heard the gunshot. There was no more time to waste. Jesse grabbed the vial and shoved it into his pocket, then he bolted out th eback of the shop just in time to see Rory and Myles making a break for it while Wyatt covered them. He ran down the alley, shooting as many infected as he could, his heart racing as he witnessed Wyatt saving his son’s life.

Finally, he was able to breathe, but they had to move fast. The screeching was getting louder. Jesse watched Wyatt and the street, waiting. When the military man fell, it was as if it were playing in slow motion. Jesse couldn’t move fast enough to help him, try as he might. Wyatt’s head hit the pavement with a sickening sound, and Jesse skidded over to him right as Wyatt lost consciousness. “Fuck, fuck!” He muttered, cradling Wyatt’s head. Behind him, Rory and Myles were screaming at him to hurry, and – in front of him – a swarm was quickly making its way toward him and Wyatt. Jesse had no choice. He hoisted Wyatt up and climbed onto a dumpster, handing the man to the two boys until he could cross. He had to kick in a particularly fast runner’s face to get to safety. Myles was picking the fastest ones off with his cross bow so they could at least get a head start.

It must have been adrenaline that fueled him because Jesse carried Wyatt all the way to the abandoned aquarium they had found and sought refuge in. Myles and Rory buzzed around – curious – but Jesse forced them to leave him alone with the injured man. He went through his pack and their various other supplies in order to help Wyatt. With the gentlest of touches, he cleaned the small wound caused by the impact and wrapped Wyatt’s head up, giving the other man all the extra blankets to ensure Wyatt was comfortable. Then he just sat there – staring at Wyatt – waiting for him to wake up, feeling both terrified and extremely guilty.

The impact his head made with the ground set off every alarm in his body. When everything went black, he ceased to exist. His brain shut down as a defense mechanism, trying to protect itself from more damage despite how counterintuitive it was in the moment. With more runners coming at them, he was nothing but dead weight.

Briefly, Wyatt’s brain tried to kick on, just enough to register that he was being carried and not being eaten. He tried to speak, to open his eyes, to move - but nothing happened. Then, blackness came again and swept him away into nothingness once more.

A few fingers twitched first. His eyes clenching tighter shut, eyebrows furrowing together when his senses came together enough for him to register the throbbing that radiated throughout his skull. He tried to recollect what had happened, hardly remembering anything before - wait, hadn’t infected been running at them? Where was he now? Wyatt’s eyes shot open in fear and concern, and too quickly, he tried to sit up, panicked as he tried to process what had happened, still trapped in the feeling of an imminent threat. “Where are they? Myles and Rory -- we gotta-”

The quick movement disoriented him, and he found himself pressed back down to the floor, his eyes closed again, confused as to why he couldn’t seem to see straight. After a few panicked seconds, Wyatt registered that there was no threat - that they were safe for the moment - and marginally relaxed. He raised his hand to his head when it throbbed again, but he was afraid to touch it. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes once more, trying to focus on the man he now saw sitting beside him. He cracked a dimpled smile at Jesse when it registered to him that it was him. “Hey boss,” he said, his voice weak, but he still tried to laugh, “I hit my head bad, didn’t I?”

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

Jackpot. 

It’d been risky, but the group had struck gold in the middle of an apocalypse. After skirting the outside of city, they’d decided it was worth scavenging what they could from the buildings. There were a few infected, but nothing they couldn’t handle as they cautiously moved through the buildings. Each location they scouted out, they left with a score which kept them there for a full week after setting up shelter south of the city. Wyatt carried an o2 tent with him - just in case - but so far, so good. They’d come out with food, supplies, and even some weapons and ammo. They were all survivors, and therefore thought like survivors - ‘where would I hide my shit if I didn’t want anyone to find it to steal?’ was the question that lead to some of the their best loot. 

The closer they got to the city, the more Wyatt started to suggest moving on soon, getting a little nervous the more infected he began to see. As a group, they handled them well as they worked together as a team, beautifully executing the already dead with a combination of stealth, distraction, and surprise. Wyatt even taught them all common hand signs for silent communication that the military used; he couldn’t help but be pleased at how well they worked together. There was safety and security in having a squad -- no, a family -- that they all could rely on. 

But their cooperation, fortune, and scores made Jesse want to push further into the city. Just one more street tomorrow. Wyatt was hesitant, but agreed after he’d repeated it and pushed for it again and again, as if the next street would have the score to end all scores. To silence the man’s fantasies, he finally agreed, and they took off for it in the morning, skating by the empty buildings and deeper into the abandoned metropolis for one last score. 

After clearing out a few buildings, and determining that the area was again low risk, Rory and Myles stuck together to explore while Wyatt and Jesse cleared out a building of their own to save some time. The sun was starting to get low in the horizon, and they needed to clear out soon before the risk level skyrocketed exponentially with the dark. Wyatt ended his looting on the roof, pausing for a moment to appreciate the view of the sky and the fluffy, cotton candy-like clouds, half smiling as he took a second to enjoy it.

The silence was quickly forced to an end as a crash shot his attention to the alley beneath him. The screech of multiple infected pierced his ears first, then he heard Rory and Myles both called out. Immediately he ran to the edge the building, looking over the side to see the boys running down the alley with a pack of unhindered infected sprinter at their heels. 

Wyatt didn’t hesitate to act, jumping onto the fire escape and ran down it as quickly as he could to make it into the alley, but it would take him a minute before he got down to ground level. Myles managed to kick off of the wall and make his way over the barricade by jumping over the trash bins, but the grip on the bottom of Rory’s worn out shoes made him slip when he tried to do the same. As Wyatt came to the second to last level, the boy fell face forward on the ground as the infected came within feet of him. The military scout stopped on the last tier, needing to act now before Rory was grabbed and bitten. He whipped out his pistol in a flash, and just as quick as he’d drawn it, the head of the infected convulsed as bullet pierced it’s skull. It fell flat to the ground like a limp doll, it’s limbs dead and gone. 

Wyatt dropped down to the ground, putting himself between Rory and the infected with his weapon drawn. “Go, go, get over the barrier!” He ordered him, taking another shot at a second infected, but missed. “I said go!” Rory didn’t hesitate, scrambling back up on his feet and taking off against the wall, this time successful in his leap as he catapulted himself over the barrier. The ex-military man shot again, dropping a second one closing in on him. He spotted Jesse on the other side of the ally street side sprinting towards him with his weapon up. They both managed to thin the pack by taking down two more, until finally they had neutralized the threat. 

“Shit, we made way too much noise,” he said, hearing the howls and groans of infected stirring in the distance with an eerie echo that was so chilling it made his arm hair rise. He glanced back up the fire escape, seeing his backpack on the second level where he’d shed it to react faster to save Jesse’s son. “We can’t leave that bag,” the ex-scientist said as he jumped up the ladder - not noticing a bolt loosening in the rusty antique - and pulled himself up to grab it. He skipped a few steps on his way back down, rushing to get out of there as a few curious crawlers inched their way into view at the opposite end of the street. Wyatt cursed under his breath, jumping down onto the ladder - immediately, he felt his mistake. The bolts of the ladder came loose, rusty metal snapping and cracking as the piece he held onto collapsed from the fire escape and fell through the air. His attempts to recover failed as the disproportionate weight fo the ladder caused him to hit the ground, head impacting the ground with enough force to cause his skull to bounce with the heavy metal ladder landing on top of him.

Everything went black. His brain shut off. Wyatt was unconscious.

[gravitysrainbow-1x1]

themonstrous​:

@gravitysrainbow​

Roman Reznik had been a member of the Organization for some thirty-odd years, working his way up from apprentice, to assassin, to handler, and then he was offered a choice: promotion to managerial status in which he would help make decisions on contracts with a group of others, or cleaner. He chose the latter both out of distaste for working with others and out of the sheer pleasure he derived when taking the life of another human.

As a cleaner, things were a little messier. Typically, his contracts would spot him and run – recognizing him as a member of the Organization and assuming (rightly) that he was there to terminate their employment (and their lives). But he was good at what he did and, again, he enjoyed it.

He had been waiting for someone to slip up, to irritate the higher-ups within the Organization enough to necessitate his influence. It had been weeks since his phone had rung, and Roman was beginning to get a little antsy. Then came the call that he hadn’t really realized he’d been waiting on for almost fifteen years.

The voice on the other end was familiar and spoke French.

“Did you hear about the mess they made?”

“Who?”

“The prince and his lover.”

The phone call ended and Roman’s lips curved into a smile. So, the little prince has slipped up at last. He thought, waiting patiently for the rest of the information to come through. A few weeks passed and he was set – two names had been given to him and his partner and, out of them, Roman chose the lover – Dominic Sullivan, a weapons dealer who had gotten far too close to one of their assassins for the Organization’s liking.

Roman wanted to do it right, so he naturally followed the man – easily blending into his surroundings after years and years of practice at his art. He stayed far enough away to not arouse suspicion, but he got a pretty good handle on their routine. He spent the entire night parked outside of the luxury apartment Rian had gifted himself and watched as the beautiful assassin crept out of the building without the other man. It was almost as if Rian were helping Roman in his little adventure.

Roman left the car and charmed his way into the building with a passing tenant. He got to Rian’s floor and was not surprised at all to find that Rian was bold and confident enough to use nothing more than the apartment door’s lock to keep out unwanted visitors. He smiled to himself and let himself in as quietly as a spider crawling through a crack. He heard the motions of the other man in the apartment and followed them, always enjoying a little game with his victims. He stopped behind the man who was standing in front of the open refrigerator looking in no shape to leave the apartment. Roman had a switchblade concealed in his hand, ready to bring out the moment it was necessary.

He stood there for a moment, completely silent as Dominic contemplated his breakfast options, then he stepped closer, hardly a foot behind the other man and watched as his body tensed slightly – the way one’s body does when one senses something that wasn’t previously there. He breathed onto the other man’s neck as he spoke as if he belonged there, “Hello, Dominic, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Sebastian was starting to get comfortable, used to the routine between he and Dominic now, even if it only meant he got a fraction of the week. It was strange, being a tenant in his own body and having to pay rent in the form of time. But unless he or Rian had a better idea than to give into the person, spirit, demon - whatever Dominic was - inhabiting his body, he had to take make due. It was this, or the alternative. At least, for now. Quietly he still prayed for a solution out of this to appear, but until that happened, he would make the best of it and appreciate the time he had.

 Spending it with Rian made it brighter than if he were alone. Days when the man couldn’t be around were sometimes challenging, but it was getting easier. Dominic had gotten less mouthy in the mirror when he woke up. He wasn’t silent, but he was less cruel than before. That could have been because Sebastian had just gotten used to his cruelty, too. Regardless, it phased him less.

It was always bittersweet when Rian left. Sebastian was grateful he was okay with him staying at his apartment, still recovering from the trauma he’d endured. Loneliness got to him at times, and sleeping alone sometimes put him quickly into a dark place. Rian’s presence gave him comfort and safety; without him, he had nothing.

Sebastian had teasingly begged the man to skip work that day and stay home with him so they could stay in bed and snuggle, but in the end, he knew he had to go. He kissed him goodbye at the door and locked it shut behind him before he went to the kitchen to start some coffee with himself and find something to eat before he started painting for the day. 

Sebastian yawned, distracted by his sleepiness when he heard an unexpected, unfamiliar voice speak close behind him. He flinched, jumping out of his skin as he turned around and backed away from the intruder, bumping into the counter top. “What the fuck --” He spouted off in his shock, his fists gripping into fists defensively. 

“Who are you and what the fuck are you doing in here? Get out before I call the cops!” He yelled at him, hesitating only when he realized the stranger had called him Dominic. Mentally, he cursed, tired of this situation being an issue for him. “I think you’ve got the wrong guy.”