When All We Wanted Was A Dream 3/?

Title: When All We Wanted Was A Dream (3/?)

Author: wonderbread9

Rating: PG-13 - R

Character(s)/Pairing(s): Bray/Salene, Lex/Trudy, Ebony/Pride, the cast of the Tribe, maybe other pairings included…we’ll see…

Warning(s): AU, but definitely not OOC, k-ers?

Author’s Note(s): Okay, here’s the third installment in this series. I’m trying to drag it out for suspenseful purposes, but not so long that it becomes boring. I hope I’m doing a good job?

WHEN all the world is young, lad,
And all the trees are green;
And every goose a swan, lad,
And every lass a queen;
Then hey for boot and horse, lad,
And round the world away;
Young blood must have its course, lad,
And every dog his day.
--Charles Kingsley, Water Babies

II.

It had been little Patsy that heard the sirens first, and then her brother, Paul, who’d tapped her urgently on the shoulder, pointing out the window, his eyes wide with panic; he’d felt the rumble from the streets, had felt the fear quaking in his bones. He mouthed: ‘Locos.’ And Patsy nodded, standing and rushing off to find Salene. She ran from the department store space that she shared with her brother down the Mall steps, passed a puzzled Chloe who shouted: “Where’re you off to, Patsy?”

“No time,” Patsy shouted back. “Locos are coming!”

She jumped down the stairs, three at a time, as Chloe gasped and raced after her, catching up in only a few short strides. Both girls raced through the Mall, passed Jack who glared at them and mumbled something about “girls” and “crazy psychopaths” that the two girls had no time to correct him on; they needed to find Salene.

The Mall had been an abandoned megalith of past memories when Salene and the girls had found it only a few short days back, and it had seemed like heaven to the wander-weary children. At the beginning, there had been Salene, some fellow named Dan and four or five little ones that had hung onto to the two older teens as they were the only sense of authority and stability that the little ones knew or could find in this strange new old. The adults had all died, perished by the ravages of the virus, and there was nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and when the Locos came…

Salene had gathered them though. She was timid and quiet, but her motherly presence had soothed the children’s longing for the own parents, if only for a little while, and Dan’s strong hand had kept the small, little group firm and together. They’d been all right for a little while after the virus had done its work, had scavenged the City for supplies while dodging the threats of wilder, more dangerous kids, and for a moment there, they’d believed that they would continuously be all right, that they’d survive and that they could have some normalcy to their hectic, uncertain lives.

But then came the Locos…

And then came the death of Dan…

And the other little ones, aside from Patsy, Paul and Chloe, had run off, leaving Salene all alone to mourn the loss of their little makeshift family. If it hadn’t been the needs of Chloe, Paul and Patsy, then Salene might’ve slipped into a deeper depression than she was already in, but Patsy didn’t know anything about that. All she knew was that Salene had been sad for a while and then something had snapped and she had pulled herself together, scouting out the Mall and getting them inside. And, despite the protests of Jack, who’d been living there since the start of the virus, she’d managed to make them a makeshift home in the few days that they’d occupied it.

But that still didn’t make it entirely safe…

“Salene!” Patsy shouted, her eyes wide, searching for the older girl in the abandoned, dark department stores and around the marooned kiosks. Chloe trailed swiftly behind her, shouting the older girl’s name as well, the panic in her voice palpable and real.

“Salene!”

“Salene, where are you? The Locos are coming!”

“Well, now, if you’d stop yelling then maybe they won’t find us,” came the familiar voice of the older girl from behind. Both young girls whirled in surprise and alarm, finding the magenta-haired teen coming up behind them like a ghost on quiet feet.

“Oh, Salene,” Patsy cried, forgetting her momentary shock in the face of her relief of seeing the older girl. She ran to Salene, burying her face in the older girl’s bosom. Chloe followed suit and Salene wrapped them tightly in her arms, saying reassuringly, “Don’t worry. Don’t panic, Pasty, Chloe. The Locos won’t get us here. They can’t find us. Now,” she knelt down, making herself level with the two young ones, soothing back their fears with the gentle motions of her hands through their hair, “where’s Paul and Jack?”

“Paul’s upstairs,” Patsy started.

“And we just passed Jack trying to find you,” Chloe finished. Salene nodded and stood up to her full height, gathering the girls to her and walking them away from the darker, unoccupied parts of the Mall.

“Let’s go find them, okay?” she suggested, wanting to take their minds off of the threat looming outside of the walls of the Mall. She didn’t want them worrying about things that they didn’t have to. It was her responsibility, her burden to bear and not theirs. They were just children, innocent and naïve, and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as she could beat back the world from their small refuge in the big, bad City.

It had taken more than a little pleading and bribery to get Jack to let them stay here and even now, their place in the Mall was still on rocky terms. Jack was more than a little sore that people had discovered his hideout, especially two rambunctious girls like Chloe and Patsy. She knew Jack didn’t much mind Paul: Paul mostly kept to himself, isolated as he was either way because of his deafness, and possibly by virtue of him being male. For some reason, Jack got real agitated at the presence of females, even around one as unthreatening as Salene; his temper flared, his sarcastic jabs stung just that much more and he was more ill-tempered than usual. He never got like that around Paul, and Salene was sure that with a little more time, Jack might share the same attitude with the rest of them.

But for now, she couldn’t worry about Jack or his ill manners. She had to gather everyone together so that they could all be safe. So that, if the Locos did manage to get inside, they’d be okay. She knew the Mall wasn’t as secure as Patsy and Chloe hoped it was. She knew that there were still areas where it was vulnerable, but she didn’t have the know how to make it safer than it was. Safety had always been Dan’s thing, and now that Dan was gone…Salene felt the familiar pangs of sadness and remembered agony gnawing at her mind when she thought of the other teen and the fact that he wasn’t here with them anymore.

If he were here, Dan would know just what to do, Salene thought as she ushered the girls up the Mall stairs, towards the department store that she’d converted into a makeshift, communal bedroom that she shared with Patsy, Chloe and Paul. He’d have made this place real secure, real tight and nothing and nobody would ever hurt us. Nobody would dare.

But Dan wasn’t here, had fallen under a Locos attack, and Salene was left all alone to make do, to make decisions, to do what needed to be done, and she just…She didn’t know if she had the strength or ability to do it. After all, she was just little ol’Sal, youngest daughter to a family of all-stars and she’d never shown as bright as her sisters had. Even in this strange new world, she didn’t think that she’d ever be able to shine either way.

“Jack!” Chloe shouted, breaking Salene from her thoughts, and she looked up, meeting the young boy’s eyes as the sound of sirens grew closer and closer. The color drained from Jack’s features and Salene quickly ushered the girls into the department store, seating them with Paul who looked just as frightened. She gave him a reassuring smile before standing and moving towards the doorway to talk to Jack.

“Wait! Salene!” Patsy called, her voice laden with fear. Salene turned back as the young girl stood, reaching for her. “You’re leaving us?”

“Only for a moment, Pats,” Salene replied, trying to reassure the girl as best she could. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right back. I have to talk to Jack. I’ve got to make sure…” Her voice trailed off and Patsy nodded, going back to both Paul and Chloe and saying, “Hey, you two…Let’s play a real, quiet game, okay?”

That was all the distraction Salene needed. She slipped out of the room as Patsy drew Chloe’s and Paul’s attention from her leaving. She went to find Jack and found him in his workshop, agitatedly moving from one end of the room to the other.

“Jack,” she called, hearing the sounds of sirens again, this time much, much too close for comfort. “Jack, are listening to me?”

“The Locos are coming!” Jack cried, throwing up his hands. He turned to her and she could see the fear in his eyes. An uncomfortable feeling of fear wound its way into her stomach also, but Salene pushed it back, swallowed it and asked: “That storm drain, to the sewers, is it still open?”

He looked away from her, shrugging. “I-I don’t know, Salene. I can’t remember.”

“Do you think the Locos could find it?” she pressed. She didn’t want to agitate him further, but she needed to know, she needed to make sure…It was something Dan would do, she was sure. “Do you think they could find it and get through?”

“I don’t know, Salene!” Jack cried, glaring at her. “I don’t know! I don’t know!” He advanced on her, jabbing an accusing finger. “If you hadn’t have shown up with those two annoying girls they wouldn’t be snooping around! They know people are here and they’re going to get us! They’re going to get me!”

She knew fear was making Jack irrational, but she couldn’t deal with it. Not right now, anyway. She took his anger, his fear, and then asked in a calm voice, “Don’t worry about that now, Jack. Just tell me. The storm drain?”

Jack’s glare was a heated one and he shook with pent-up emotions. He ground out, “I. Don’t. Know.”

Salene nodded, swallowing and looking back to the darkened Mall that she remembered so well being filled with people, laughter, giggling teenage girls and macho posing boys, parents, families…all gone now. But she had her own family to protect, and she was going to protect them the best way she knew how.

“Okay, Jack,” she said not turning to look at him, a frown formed between her delicate eyebrows. “I’m going to go check on the storm drain. Just…Just look after the girls and Paul for me.”

She didn’t wait for his answer, just bound down the Mall stairs and headed towards the back where there used to be the Mall security guard’s office and the stock room for the retail stores and the store rooms for the old eateries and cafes. She proceeded with caution as she walked down the darkened hallway that lead to Mall’s exit and…to the entrance to the storm drain.

The storm drain itself wasn’t the problem, or at least not the biggest problem. The sewers were. The sewers were what needed to be sealed off to make the Mall an effective fortress. Sal was sure Dan would’ve thought of that, but so too would he have figured out a way to rig it so that they’d still have a way to escape if need be. Dan had always been much smarter than her when it came to those kinds of things and it made Salene miss him more than ever. She didn’t want to do this on her own, she couldn’t. She didn’t know how, she didn’t have the skills.

She crept further down until she hit the Mall’s exit. She paused, breathed, steeling herself for any possible threat that could spring out at her from the darkness the lurked beyond. Salene pushed the Mall door open and stepped outside into the cool night air. The sound of the sirens was muted here, but she could still here them, like a reminder of everything that everyone had lost. They used to be a sound of comfort to those that needed the help that they signified and even an annoyance sometimes when the sirens whirred past houses, disrupting the quiet of peaceful neighborhoods. But now they were a sound of terror, and Salene could curse the Locos for that. She could only imagine how many children had flocked to the sound of sirens in the beginning, just after the virus had done its worse, hoping for relief and thinking that they had found it, only to be captured or killed. She shuddered in both fear and sadness.

Salene proceeded through the darkness of the back hallway that led to the entrance to the storm drain, and from there, the sewers and the only way out or into the Mall from outside. She certainly hoped no one would find it, especially not the Locos. She wanted to keep herself, the little ones…and even Jack…safe from the outside world, safe from all the dangers that could possibly harm them or worse. She walked quietly, trying not to make a sound, breathing deep and shallow, just trying to listen to anything in the darkness up ahead.

There was nothing and she made it to the storm drain without much incident. She pushed it open, undoing the latches and opened the lid. The rank, disgusting smell of rotting things rose up to her unprepared nostrils and made it sting to breath. Salene coughed, wrinkled her nose in disgust and swung her leg over, placing her foot on the ladder that lead down into the sewers. When her other leg was secure, she climbed down into the even deeper darkness, hoping against all hope that the entrance to the sewers from the street level was as inconspicuous as possible so that no one could get in.

She walked the sewer tunnel, eyes combing the darkness for any threats and when she made it to the other entrance, she climbed up the ladder quietly, hearing the sounds of sirens. She put her hands against the sewer lid and pushed with all her might. It made a grating sound that set her teeth on edge and she hoped no one outside heard it. She pushed until there was enough room to stick her head out and when she did, she gasped in both fear and surprise, trying to pull herself back down into the comforting darkness to escape.

“No! Wait! Please!” came the panicked shout from outside and Salene paused, her breathing suddenly very hard and shallow. Everything in her was screaming to close the sewer lid and run back to the safe and comforting bosom of the Mall, but then a small part of her didn’t want to refuse people if they needed help. She was torn and before she could even make a decision, a girl’s face appeared above her, a relieved smile on her face.

“Thank you,” the girl said, attempting to climb in. Salene was too stunned to do anything other than move out of her way. “Thank you for helping us. C’mon, Dal.”

Us? Salene thought, feeling slightly confused and, even a might bit sick. Jack was not going to like this. She leapt down from the sewer as a younger boy followed the girl down. And then another shadow loomed above the sewer entrance and the young boy shouted in alarm for the girl.

“Amber!”

“Oi, you can’t just leave us out here with the Locos coming!” came a young male’s voice from up above and the girl, Amber, shouted back in anger, “You were going to attack us! It seems like you’d fit right at home with those psychos!”

“Wait, please!” came yet another shout from above, this one belonging to another girl, who pushed the shouting, dark-haired boy aside. “Please, we were only trying to survive. We haven’t eaten for days and the Locos have been chasing us too! Please don’t leave us out here!”

“Tough!” growled Amber, and that was when Salene spoke up, spurred to action by the sirens that were drawing closer, circling around like a vulture looking for its prey. She’d been watching the exchange with a dazed sort of confusion, not understanding how a simple recon to check to see if the storm drain and sewers were secure, could go so horribly wrong so quickly. She hadn’t meant to help anyone except herself, the little ones and Jack. Now, there were more people and she couldn’t just let some girl that she didn’t even know bo-guard her way into Salene’s pseudo-home and make the rules. Dan wouldn’t have stood for it. Then again, Dan probably wouldn’t have let things get this far.

“Now, hold on a minute,” Salene began loudly. The girl, Amber, and her friend, Dal, whirled on her in surprise. “This is my home, not yours, and I get to decide who stays and who goes, and I say they get to stay.”

Amber started to protest, but Salene shook her head, glaring at the girl.

“If you let them in, you’ll regret it,” Amber said coldly. Salene shrugged.

“I’ll deal with that when the time comes,” Salene replied just as cold.

“Oi, move!” the dark-haired boy shouted from above and the boy Dal did just that. Three more teens piled noisily into the sewer and the last one, a boy much larger than his friend who’d first spoken, pulled back the sewer securely and leapt down from the height with a loud thump as his boots hit the concrete floor. Amber glared at the dark-haired boy and the boy sneered back, while the other girl in the small group of three rushed to Salene and hugged her gratefully.

“Thank you so much,” the girl said, her eyes watering.

Salene nodded and smiled at her reassuringly. “C’mon, let’s get going before the Locos hear us and discover where we are.”

“Exactly,” the dark-haired boy said darkly to Amber, stepping around Salene with a smirk and continuing down the sewer tunnel. The bigger boy followed him and after a gentle smile, the girl followed after the other two. Amber and Dal were next and Salene brought up the rear. She shook her head.

Jack was not going to like this at all.


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When they finally arrived in the City, everything was quiet, deceptively so. Bray didn’t like it and he could tell that Ebony didn’t either. She had the same watchful silence cloaking her as he did, and even Trudy seemed a little agitated with the lack of activity. No one was outside, no one walking the City streets or chaos on every corner. He had not expected to come back to a City at peace, or at a relative peace because he had not found a secure enough place to put Trudy and Ebony so that he could scout around and be sure. He swallowed and proceeded forward. Ebony followed on silent feet, and Trudy trailed quietly after.

Bray’s eyes watched the darkness, combing shadows that were not chased away by the glow of street lamps. He studied the hulking shapes of abandoned cars, the buildings that crowded around the small trio like a concrete tunnel, where nothing moved save the wind. All of the stillness was making Bray nervous; it felt like the calm before a very tumultuous storm. He just hoped that he and the others could find shelter before the storm broke.

It was just weird. He expected to come back to a city in chaos, but there was not sound of Locos sirens or children running away scared and hiding wherever they could. Had someone defeated Martin, was that it? Had the Demon Dogs and the Locos finally killed each other? That gave Bray pause, caused a slight stab of pain to jab his gut. He didn’t want to think of Martin as dead, no matter how unhinged his brother had become. He didn’t want the only link he had left to anything normal—no matter how messed up that link was—taken away from him. He needed Martin to be alive and well, even if his brother were part of the source of the troubles in the City. It gave Bray hope that maybe, one day…

“Bray,” Ebony called quietly, and he turned back to see her stopped in the middle of the road, her head inclined to sky. Listening.

“What is it?” Trudy asked, a tremor in her voice. She turned from Bray to Ebony and back again. “What’s going on?” She clutched her stomach protectively, her breathing haggard and fear laced.

“Locos,” Bray replied in dread, finally hearing the sirens. They were far enough away for them to be able to find a decent hiding spot, and—even though Bray was loathed to admit it—he was glad that he heard them; Martin had not fallen after all.

“What’ll we do?” Trudy asked, her voice rising in pitch. “What’ll we do? Bray? Ebony?”

“We get outta here,” Ebony replied, turning to the other girl, but there was no malice in her voice, just a touch of fear. Ebony had good reason to be afraid. She’d taken a great risk leaving Martin behind for Bray, and that betrayal wouldn’t go over well with the Locos leader. He felt a stab of guilt; after all, it was his fault. He’d wanted to her to with them, had figured that life away from Martin, away from the City, was better for her. He just hoped he could keep her, and Trudy, safe.

“C’mon,” Bray said, shouldering his backpack and taking both of their hands in his. Ebony’s hand was warm and soft despite the hard work that she’d had to endure living in the wilderness outside of the City and she clutched his with a fear that she’d never admit in any other circumstance. Trudy’s hand slipped into his other hand also, and he could feel the tremors that were quaking her body as he pulled them along, combing the darkness, trying to find a suitable and secure place to hide. They didn’t have to look for long.

It was abandoned, and didn’t look as if anyone had ransacked it in a long time. The windows were broken through sure, but how would the Locos know that anyone were hiding in a place that they’d probably already looted for supplies anyway. He took the girls to it, pushing aside shopping carts and other obstructions, clearing an easy path for Trudy. When they were done—the sirens all that much closer—Bray ushered them inside, pulling the broken glass door shut behind him. He ushered them to the back, where he was sure there was a store room or an office, and when they reached it, they hid behind toppled file cabinets and a ruined, fungus eaten desk.

“We’ll stay here until first light,” Bray told them. Ebony nodded, her green eyes—even in the darkness—shining with an unnatural light. Trudy sniffed and held her belly and Bray went to the office door, staying in the shadows, but still wanting to see outside. Just in case.

He settled his back against the door frame, his gaze watchful, preparing for a long night ahead.