#top fic

[voldsoys]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Every ten years, Josh Dun finds himself drawn back to the forest, a place thick with thorns, silence, and memory. What he doesn’t know is that something ancient waits beneath the canopy. A spirit older than time itself, watching, waiting. Three times, Josh enters the woods. Three times, he encounters what lives within. Three times, the darkness nearly takes him. And this time, it may not let him go.

[temerity14]

@jupiter-dragonsong and I are collaborating on a fic where Claudia has a daughter by Terry (it's complicated) and Sh*t Goes Down, but one of the side effects of this is that I've started referring to Aaravos solely as the 'Sparkly Grandad' or occasionally 'Sparkly Grandad in the sky', and I cannot stop.

[angels--main]

Covenant Part 8 is officially underway. It should be posted within the next few days. Hopefully!!

Covenant Masterlist

Edit: its OUT

[brushbugs]

I am aware there are very good reasons ao3 doesn't do a wrapped type thing but it would be so funny of they told me what fics I read like 1000 times this year

[cramelot]

Boyfriend Material 2.0-Tuesday

This week is Boyfriend Material Week 2.0 - Quarantine Edition! Each day I’ll put out a one-shot with one of my favorite idols - each day picking someone different. Who will be boyfriend material tomorrow?

Pairing: TOP (BigBang) x YN

Type: LazyDaysAU 

You were a really lucky and grateful person.

Right now you were in a quarantine, but you were able to keep working from home so you still had income. And your partner Seunghyun was the same, so apart from the fact you didn’t leave for work or go outside much, everything was the same.

You had transformed the guest bedroom of your apartment into your office and Seunghyun had moved his stuff to the dining room table.

The living room was pretty much the only place you guys could go just to relax (except for when you would commandeer the bathroom and some candles for a bubble bath, but Seunghyun liked to pleasantly intrude on those moments too...)

And it was just one of those evenings. You know the kind. After a long day of work when you are just covering for everyone and the second you are able to take off your headset and close down your laptop is also the second you feel like you can finally breathe for the day.

You had trudged to the living room and just sat down to a cooking show. Well, you slumped more than sat. Which is probably what cued to Seunghyun you had a bad day.

So he took it upon himself to rustle up some dinner and bring it to the coffee table in front of the couch.

That’s one of the things you really loved about him. You’d been living together for months now and he was a loud personality, but he knew when you needed some quiet time to decompress. 

The two of you ate in silence, making a comment here and there at the tv, and, when you were done, he cleaned up. When he came back from the kitchen though, he had you lay down with your head in his lap.

He pulled a fuzzy blanket off of the back of the couch and pulled it over you before he started playing with your hair.

You rolled to look up at him, but Seunghyun was just watching the tv, so you started playing with his other hand under the blanket, running it through the fuzzy pieces and locking and unlocking your fingers.

And he just keeps watching tv. 

So you reach out of the blanket and flip his bangs out of his face to try and break his focus.

But nope.

Next thing you do is pluck his glasses off his face and wear them yourself.

Try watching tv now.

You can see him trying to fight a smile but still refusing to look at you, so you roll towards him and wrap your arms around his stomach, nuzzling your chin into his abs and looking up at him.

Finally he looks down.

He takes a minute to fix your hair, brushing it out of your face and carefully combing it all back after he had made a mess of it when playing with it.

“How lucky am I,” he started softly, “that I get to spend my quiet hours like this?”

Your heart started absolutely glowing and you were sure your smile matched. Seunghyun leaned down to kiss you, but his glasses were a little oversized on your face and blocked.

“These have got to go,” he whispered above your face before removing them and tossing them to the end of the couch in what can only be described as pure dramatic Seunghyun fashion.

Then, his face dipped lower.

And even lower.

And he blew a raspberry on your neck, making you squirm and laugh.

Another thing you loved about him? The quiet, sweet moments never stayed quiet for too long.

//

Masterlist

[beanfic]

Rebound

Pairing: Tyler joseph x reader, Josh dun x reader

Word count: 3099

Warnings: Angst, fluff, heartbreak, language (i think..?) the usuals

Author’s note: This is probably the longest one shot I have ever written, but I hope you enjoy it!!

“We need to talk,” Tyler rubbed his temple as you walked into his basement. His ukulele laid on his couch so you were forced to stand and stare the tired boy. The bags under his eyes were even bigger than the last time you had seen him.

“Ty, bubs, what is wrong?”

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Your heart sunk to your stomach and you gnawed on your bottom lip until you tasted blood. “Do what?”

“This,” he spoke between gritted teeth. He pointed to you two and you knew exactly what he was talking about.

“I don’t understand.”

“I have been telling you for the past year that I don’t feel like being in a relationship right now, and all you seem to be doing is pushing it more and more.”

“I thought you loved me, Tyler.” Your vision became clouded with the tears that began to form. The room was spinning, and you wanted to sit down.

“This is why I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep on hurting you like this.”

“You’re not hurting me,” you tried to convince him but he just shook his head.

“Don’t lie to me, Y/N. I know that I’ve made you stay up and cry yourself to sleep. I know that I made you get rid of friendships because of how messed up my brain is.”

“Bubs, your brain is perfectly imperfect and you can’t hate yourself because of that.”

“You’re not listening to me, Y/N.”

“I’m trying too,” you whispered. You could feel a tear slither down your cheek but you didn’t want to wipe it away and make it more obvious how much he was hurting you.

“I’m not happy, and it’s not your fault, it’s my brain's fault,” he explained as he paced around the bottom of his basement. “Life is too short to be unhappy, and it is definitely too short to be making other people unhappy. It’s not fair to you.”

“Only I get to decide what is fair to me and what isn’t, Tyler. You are so much more than your mental health, and you need to realize that.”

“I don’t love you anymore,” he stated. His chocolate eyes burned into yours and you took a step back processing what Tyler had just said.

“This is more than just your mental health isn’t it,” you whimpered.

“The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but I can’t keep on lying to you. You deserve the world and you deserve happiness.”

“You were my happiness, you were my everything.” You didn’t even try to stop the tears, and you watched as they fell down onto your shoes. “My forever promise.”

“Sometimes promises get broken. I need to focus on myself, and my job.”

You wiped your nose and looked up at Tyler. You looked for a hint of regret but his face showed that he meant everything he had said. “Okay.” You started to turn around and walk up to his basement stairs before you felt an arm on your shoulder.

“Maybe we can try again when I figure myself out.”

“Screw off,” you shrugged his hand away and stormed upstairs. You grabbed your car keys and slammed the front door. You didn’t really know where to go because you had moved in with Tyler about eight months ago, but the last thing you wanted was to be on the same premise as him.

Josh.

You pulled out your phone after you got settled into your car, and you dialed Josh’s number. You waited patiently until he finally answered the call.

“Y/N?”

“Hey Josh, could I come over?”

“Uh, sure. What’s going on?”

“I’d rather explain in person.”

“Okay, see you soon.” and the call ended with a click. You took a deep breath and tried to recollect your thoughts before starting to drive to Josh’s house which was only about a twenty-minute drive.

The moment you turned on your car the song Tear in my Heart started to play and you were crying once again. You remembered when Tyler wrote you that song, and you remembered how secretive he was. You also vividly remember the first time he showed you the song. It was on your fifth anniversary of him asking you to be his girlfriend, and he blindfolded you and took you to a small stage in Ohio. When you took off the blindfold you were welcomed with Tyler alone on a stage singing you this song acoustically.

You tried to blink your tears away to make your driving easier, but you couldn’t stop thinking about every good memory you had with Tyler. You remember the whole Europe trip you went on with him for his Blurryface tour, and you remember him kissing you under the tower. You thought about how he promised to love you forever and always, and how he promised to always take care of you, but just like he said, promises get broken.

You arrived at Josh’s house and you could hear the sound of Jim’s barking through his door. Josh already was standing at the entrance before you even had a chance to open your car door. You wiped your tears knowing that it wouldn’t do anything since your face was probably all red and blotchy.

“Y/N, what happened?” Josh asked as he guided you into his living room. You took a seat on his couch and petted Jim as he rested his head on your knee.

“He doesn’t love me anymore,” you whispered. The couch dipped as Josh sat next to you.

“Tyler?”

You nodded and you started to sob loudly, “He told me that he didn’t to be in a relationship anymore because of his mental health and because he didn’t want to hurt me anymore, but then he told me he doesn’t love me anymore.”

“Hey now, it’s going to be okay,” Josh rubbed your back as you tried to regain a   rhythm of breathing.

“It might be okay soon, but right now I am not okay.”

“Just talk to me,” Josh whispered.

“I just don’t know what I did wrong. I know that he blames himself but I gave up so much for him so that he could be happy. I gave up friendships, and I gave up my job to go on tour with him. I never made him feel bad about his mental health.”

“You were so good to him and he knows that.”

“I guess I wasn’t good enough,” you whispered softly to yourself. Jim licked your hand and it made you crack the tiniest smile.

“At least Jim is good at making you smile that beautiful smile,” Josh laughed softly. You looked up at him and inspected his eyes. You both just stared into the eyes of each other.

“I should have realized that he didn’t love me anymore when he stopped kissing me good morning and goodnight, and when he would stop writing songs for me.”

“I wish he talked to me about it,” Josh mumbled and you just shrugged.

“The past six years of my life is just gone. I feel so broken, and I feel so empty. He has hurt me before, but nothing as bad as this.”

“You deserve to be happy, Y/N,” Josh said as he brushed a hair out of your face and to behind your ear.

“That’s what he told me too.”

“But I mean it, Y/N. Tyler might be my best friend, but I would never lie to you as he did.”

“He lied to me because he didn’t want to hurt me,” you argued. Josh was talking about the time when you found deleted messages from a girl on Tyler’s phone and he had lied to you about who they were, but it turned out that it was just a friend from high school and he lied because he didn’t want to hurt you.

“He lied and deleted them because he knew it was going to hurt you, and he did it anyway.”

“Have I feel blinded by love this entire relationship?”

“I don’t know, Y/N. You’ve put up with a lot, and maybe you guys aren’t just meant to be together like that.”

“It hurts so bad, Josh. I feel like I will never be good enough for anything. I tried so hard to make him happy.”

“And that was the issue. You were so focused on making him that happy that you were giving up your own happiness. I know it hurts but maybe this is better for both of your guy's mental health,” Josh said. He studied your face, and you kept your eyes down and focused on Jim.

You wanted to be defensive and argue but you knew that Josh was right. “I don’t know what to do now, or where to go. I moved to Ohio like a year ago but that year was spent in Europe. I don’t have family or friends here, and I don’t want to go back home. Not with him there. I don’t want to see him for a long time.”

“I’m not a friend? Hell, I consider you to be one of my best friends, Y/N.”

“You’re also Tyler’s best friend. I can’t just stay here.”

“Why not? You can take my bed, and I can sleep down here on the couch. I care about you too, Y/N. Like I said earlier, you deserve to be happy and I want to help you.”

“Thank you, Josh,” you whispered and you smiled back up at him. You pulled your phone out of your back pocket to check what time it was and your screen saver made your stomach twist. “I need a new screen saver, also how did it get to be midnight already?”

“I’m not sure, and here change the picture to a picture of Jim. He always seems to make you feel better,” Josh said as he pulled out his phone to airdrop you some photos of Jim he had. He sent about six, and they were all very cute and you decided on a picture of Jim wearing a birthday hat in front of a ‘pupcake’.

“I’m so tired,” you yawned and Josh nodded in agreement.

“You should get some sleep. You know where my bedroom is right? You can use one of my t-shirts if you want to sleep in, and I’ll stay down here and watch TV if you need anything.”

“Okay, thank you Josh.” You smiled at him before heading up the stairs and taking a right to his bedroom. It was very modern and there were two different electric drum kits in the corner. There was also a framed picture of you, Tyler and him standing on stage at the very last concert from the Blurry face tour.

You remembered that show vividly. It was a hometown show, and Tyler had brought you up on stage and played Can’t Help Falling In Love. You didn’t want to start crying again so you flipped the picture over.

You weren’t sure exactly which drawer Josh kept his t-shirts in but after looking through four different ones you finally found his stash. You decided on an oversized In-n-Out shirt that ended right before your knees. You stripped down so you were wearing just your underwear and the shirt. It felt like a dress and you giggled to yourself as you stared at yourself in Josh’s mirror.

You braided your hair so it was out of the way, and you washed your face in his bathroom. You were starting to feel better, but you definitely looked like you had been crying all night because your eyes were almost swollen shut and your cheeks were flushed.

You crawled into Josh’s bed which was surprisingly more uncomfortable than you were expecting. With all the money he had, you thought he would spend it on a supportive mattress. You tossed and turned until you finally found a comfortable spot, and you closed your eyes and counted until you drifted to sleep.

“Tyler!” you screamed as you sat up drenched in sweat. You looked around and it took you a couple of minutes to realize where you were. You rubbed your eyes as you tried to get the thought of the night terror you just had out of your brain. You hadn’t had a night terror for about four months now, and you were so used to Tyler holding you close and whispering to you how you were going to be okay but instead you were alone in an unfamiliar dark room and you couldn’t stop shaking.

The clock on the nightstand next to you read 2:34 am and you groaned. You didn’t want to go back to sleep, and you didn’t want to stay awake alone in the room. You decided that you were going to go down and see if Josh was awake because you needed someone to talk to to help ground yourself again.

You walked slowly down the stairs and you saw Josh sitting on his couch watching an episode of the X-Files with Jim laying on his lap. You didn’t want to scare him so you made sure to make your last footstep a little bit harder so he would turn around.

“Y/N, what are you doing awake? Are you okay?” His eyes looked you up and down, and he smiled softly at the t-shirt you were wearing.

“I had a night terror, and I can’t sleep,” you mumbled.

“Oh Y/N, I’m sorry.” Josh paused the TV and stood up. You walked over to him and wrapped your arm around his body. He was warm and smelled like Jim but you didn’t mind.

“I know this sounds so stupid but can you please sleep with me. I won’t be able to sleep if I’m alone.”

“Of course,” Josh whispered. He pulled away from you and placed a strand of hair behind your ear once again. “I like your shirt.”

You blushed, “It was the biggest one I could find.” You followed Josh up to his room and Jim pranced along behind you.

“Jim is going to be upset that you took my place,” Josh teased and you rolled your eyes as you slid under the covers. Josh walked into the bathroom and brushed his teeth.

“Sorry Jim,” you petted the golden retriever head as he whined.

“Uh, Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to make this awkward but I can’t sleep in a shirt, so are you comfortable if I sleep in just basketball shorts?”

“Oh, um, yeah it’s fine.” Your heart started to race and you didn’t really know why. You turned over and faced the wall as you could feel Josh slide into the bed next to you. You tried to control your breathing and count again so you could fall asleep but the memories of the night terror kept on flashing in your head.

“Are you okay?” Josh asked. He must have heard your breathing get heavier.

“I can’t stop seeing the night terror,” you whispered. You felt an arm wrap around your waist and soon you felt Josh’s bare chest against your back.

“Is this okay?” he asked and you nodded. His arm was creating a sense of security and almost instantly oxytocin began to run through your veins making you calm down. You reached down and intertwined your hand with Josh’s and he held it tight.

“Thank you,” you whispered.

“Of course.” Josh’s breath was hot on your neck as he held you tight. You missed being held like this because it must have been months since the last time you fell asleep next to Tyler. He was always up late writing music, and he slept far away from you. The more you thought about it, the more you realized how much you and Tyler had grown apart the past year.

You eventually got uncomfortable from being stuck in the same position and you released Josh’s hand and flipped over so that you were facing him. His eyes opened and stared into yours and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Hi,” you whispered.

“Hi,” he whispered back. You both layed their, gazing at each other for what seemed like the longest time before you broke eye contact and looked down at Josh’s lips. He must have noticed because his head inched a little bit closer towards yours.

“Can I?” you asked softly and he nodded before he touched his lips to yours. It was a soft kiss, but you didn’t want to pull away.

“Y/N, we shouldn’t” Josh whispered as he pulled away. You bit your lip and looked down.

“Why?”

“Tyler is my best friend, and you’re my best friend, and we just shouldn’t.”

“Then why does it feel so right?” you asked. You looked back up at Josh who was already looking down at you. “You said I deserve to be happy, and what if you make me happy?”

“You make me happy too, Y/N but it’s too soon.”

“Tyler doesn’t love me anymore, and I don’t want to love him anymore either. Please just kiss me,” you stated leaning in and planting another kiss on his lips. This time you wrapped your arms around Josh’s neck and his hands danced around your back.

“This does feel so right,” Josh spoke as he took a breath. His lips came planting down back down on yours as he pulled you up onto his lap. You moved your kisses from his lips towards his neck and Josh moaned. You pushed your hips into him and you could feel him become excited.

“Josh,” you murmured as you could feel his hands make their way under the t-shirt you were wearing. “Stop.”

“What’s wrong?” Josh removed his hands from your shirt and you sat back down next to him.

“Can we just kiss? Like, take it slow?” You were glad it was dark in the room because you could feel your cheeks were hot with embarrassment.

“Of course, Y/N. I want you to be happy, and feel safe,” he planted a soft kiss on your forehead and you sighed. You hadn’t felt this safe in a long time, and you felt so comfortable and happy being wrapped up in Josh’s arms.

“We should sleep,” you whispered. Josh nodded and you both laid back under the covers and Josh’s arms were around you once again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Josh purred into the back of your hair and the last thing you remember is falling asleep smiling.

[twentyonepilotsficlibrary]

any new Stockholm syndrome fics

just these i think (also please remember to check the tags for trigger warnings!) -Madi

Season 2 Episode 3 by cherryblur (1/1 | 5652 | Mature)

“You’re so lucky I didn’t put a bullet through that pretty little head of yours,” Josh hums.

Tyler just giggles and shoves another spoonful of mayonnaise in his mouth because oh, how he has his own bitter plans.

//rape/non-con //major character death //mutilation //murder

Gooey (Stripped) by cherryblur (1/1 | 1013 | Explicit)

He’s pulling away with blood and spit connecting their lips.

“I just,” His fingers bumble over ripped and weeping flesh. “I just adore you.”

//blood and gore

[adversaryproject-blog]

Flightless Birds - Chapter Five

Summary: There was a man in the Trench today. His presence has stirred up confusion in the whole camp, including inside Clancy and his partner, Porter. Will they be able to discover the true nature behind the purpose of Dema and the Trench? Do they want to? East is up.

Warnings: This story will contain content of a serious nature. Including the following: deep personal fears, torture, and heavy emotions.

Want More? Try here: @yviegordon @marieporter @lillylincoln

Read previous parts: Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

Word Count: 1403

Enjoy!

Chapter Five - The Ground Taunts My Wings

Gordon froze as her eyes locked with Tyler’s, the man from Trench. There was a sudden tearing feeling in her head that caused her to drop the firewood she had been carrying. Her mind was flooded with overwhelming memories.

The first time they met, collecting their food rations for the day. He had bumped her, causing her to drop her bread all over the ground.

The first time he gained the courage to ask her if she ever thought about the future.

The first time she admitted out loud that she had.

The secret whispered meetings. They would dream about leaving Dema, about being free.

The time she had been caught trying to look beyond the wall, and he had taken her lashings from the priest for her.

The first time she realized he had a light in his eyes, and that she had one in hers to match.

The night they made plans to leave Dema. To escape the dreamless world of muted light.

The night they made their way through the underground tunnel. Her hand tucked in his.

That was it. That was where her memories stopped. The next thing she remembered was waking up in Trench.

Tyler stood from where he had been crouched on the ground, “Yvie.”

Tears began to fill her eyes. “Tyler,” she breathed taking a step forward.

“Yvie!” he called, his voice breaking.

“Tyler!” she held her arms out towards him.

“Yvie!” he broke into a run, colliding with her as his arms wrapped around her small frame.

Tears continued to fall down his cheeks, “I thought I’d lost you!”

“I forgot…” she was gasping, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I forgot. I forgot. I forgot.” She was beginning to tremble. “I forgot you,” she pulled back and looked up at him, “how could I forget you?”

“Your head,” he looked at the healing wound, “you hit it so hard, and I...” his voice caught in this throat, “I couldn’t carry you and get away from the Bishop.”

Yvie’s brow furrowed.

“If I carried you, he would catch us both,” Tyler sighed shakily, “but if I managed to hide you, then maybe - just maybe he would only find me.”

“Tyler,” Yvie breathed and wrapped her arms around him again. “You sacrificed yourself for me.”

“I did,” his grip on her tightened, “and I was punished for it.” His voice was low, weighted with guilt. “The woman in Trench,” keeping his arms around Yvie he turned to look at Sheridan, “who was she?”

“What woman?” Lincoln frowned.

Josh’s breathing was ragged as his hands fisted around her blanket and pulled it from under the broken frame of her cot.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, pressing the blanket to his cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

I don’t want to lose the light in my eyes.

Her words echoed in his mind. And the anger inside him shifted.

I don’t want to go back to how it was.

He had promised her. He promised that he wouldn’t leave her alone. And he wouldn’t. He slowly stood and gently folded her blanket before resting it on his cot.

“I’m coming, Marie,” he whispered to the emptiness of their tent. “I will bring you home.”

Sheridan sighed and stepped forward, “Porter.”

“What do you mean Porter was in Trench?” Lincoln’s voice was tight.

Lily’s eyes darted around the camp, “where are they?” Her voice was panicked, “where are Clancy and Porter?”

Movement from their tent drew all eyes towards the yellow-haired man.

“Her name is Marie,” his voice was low, “and I’m going to bring her back.”

“This is crazy,” Sheridan crossed his arms, “I don’t like where this is going.”

“What do you mean you’re going to get her back?” Lincoln frowned at Josh.

“I mean I’m going back into Dema and I’m going to get her back.” His face was set, his jaw tight. “I will go alone if I have to.”

Tyler squeezed Yvie’s hand.

She nodded in reply.

“We’ll go with you,” Tyler stepped forward, “she was taken by Nico, the Bishop of Fears. He will punish her in my place as if it is her third escape. He is cruel and unrelenting. You’ll need help.”

“I’ll help too,” Ruthie stepped forward so she was standing next to Tyler. “If it wasn’t for her, we would be back there now. Besides, I’d love to stick it to Nico one more time.” Her blue eyes danced with a fierceness Josh felt mirrored in his own.

Yvie turned to look at Lincoln. “Will you be okay while I’m gone?”

Lincoln’s eyes were on the ground, her mouth turned down. “I should help.” She shook her head, “no, I have to help.”

“Lincoln?” Yvie reached for her friend.

“My name is Lily,” she pulled away from the touch, “and I…”

“It’s okay,” Josh said, “take your time.”

“I know how to get us in,” she breathed and closed her eyes, “I know how to get us in and back out.”

Yvie’s brow furrowed, “but you were from a different district, wouldn’t Tyler and Ruthie be able to-”

“I was a priest,” Lily’s eyes finally raised and met her partner’s, “I was a priest before I left Andre district. I know how to get in and out of all the districts and how we can get away with it.”

“You were…” Yvie’s voice was quiet, “you were a priest?”

“Yes,” Lily’s gaze returned to the ground. “I know that might…” tears rolled down her cheeks, “I know that might make me not welcome among you anymore, but I can’t just ignore the fact that I could help get Porter-”

“Marie,” Josh interrupted, “use her real name.”

Lily sighed shakily, “if I could help get Marie out.”

“Lily,” Yvie stepped forward, “you will always be my friend.” She took the girl’s hands in her own, “no matter your past.”

Lily fought back tears.

Ruthie made her way to the pair and stared at Lily. Her finger curled under the crying girl’s chin lifting it up so their eyes met. “It doesn’t matter what you were inside Dema,” her voice was soft, comforting, “we were all held under the Bishop’s rule. All that matters now is that light in your eyes and your Bandito heart.”

“Fire,” Lily breathed, her eyes still locked with Ruthie’s, “we have a fire here and they have little to defend against it. We could burn the district and possibly get more people out.”

“That’s it,” Josh turned and walked towards the benches that surrounded the burning frame, “tonight we will plan, tomorrow we will burn the place to the ground.” He placed a foot on the seat of the bench and heaved himself up so he was two feet above everyone else.

“For too long we have hidden in the safety of the forest. For too long we have lived in the ever-growing fear of the Bishops. We let them reach us even here and rule our lives.” He took a deep breath. “I’m done letting them decide my fate for me. My name is Josh and I come from Keon district and I was a metal worker there. I met Marie at the meetings our group had before we left, but I didn’t understand how important she was…” his voice broke, “how much she would mean to me.” He clenched his jaw against the pressing tears, “I will bring her home, and I will try to pull as many out as I can when I do. I know the idea of returning to Dema is terrifying, but we can’t allow the Bishops to continue to hold sway over all we do. So I will ask you only once, who’s with me?”

Banditos who had hidden away in their tents, or were lingering on the outskirts of the camp now stepped forward.

“I will,” a soft voice came from behind Josh.

He turned to see Seneca standing near the frame.

“My name is Jennifer and I’m from Reisdro district,” she pulled in a breath, steeling her confidence, “and I will help you bring back Marie.”

One by one Banditos raised their voices, joining the cause.

“Very good,” Ruthie nodded looking around, “that’s…”

“Twenty-one,” Josh stepped down from the bench, “twenty-one of us.”

“Twenty-one sounds good,” Tyler smiled and held out his hand, “feels right.”

“It does,” Josh smiled and took his hand, “it does feel right.”