Fallocaust (The Fallocaust Series) (33 page)

I grabbed a few sacks of candy out of the satchel I had been carrying and stole a few bags of peach rings from Reno’s pantry. I threw them onto the coffee table and started opening the crinkly plastic.
Reno picked up a sour key and started to chew on it, I watched as his eyes began to close as the pills kicked in. “You know, everyone thinks life is so horrible now. But would we be able to do shit loads of drugs and eat candy all day back before the Fallocaust? I think not.”
“Probably not, but I bet we wouldn’t be getting shot at nearly as much,” I said, I opened my mouth as Reno aimed and tossed a sour key at me, I caught it without hesitation. We had perfected that move years ago. I could bounce a M&M off of the couch and into his mouth too.
Reno scratched his prickly facial hair and pressed play on the VCR. “They got fucking shot at all the time man, haven’t you seen Robocop?”
“He knows movies aren’t real, right?” Killian asked beside me. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“He’s pretty stupid, probably not,” I teased, I leaned back against my friend’s musty couch and took a breath.

I hearing my friend scoff beside me. “Some of it is based on truth, not all of it is fake,” he said defensively. “They probably have Robocops in Skyfall. They gotta keep those bastards in there some how.”

“They’re called thiens,” Killian suddenly piped up. I held up my head, and saw Reno giving him the same look. Killian looked at the both of us chewing quietly on a peach ring.
“How do you know?” Reno asked.
The boy gave a small shrug. “We lived near Skyfall, a few miles away from the island. We had them in our town.”
Reno nodded, he knew even less about Skyfall than me. “Right, your father was in a factory town wasn’t he?”
“Tamerlan,” Killian nodded. “Tamerlan Factory, on the mainland.”

The factory towns were a shit deal for the workers, you got paid in Dek’ko tokens only so you could only buy from the Dek’ko stores and rent from their Dek’ko houses. They were pretty much trapped. Big fucking scam from the sounds of it and hard to get out of even if you wanted to. We were free in Aras, and the other blocks we had around were as well. We paid their taxes and gave them some blood and we were left alone. The only thing close to an industry we had in Aras were the deacdog breeding.

“Well are they all metal plated and bad ass?” Reno asked, he inhaled some more drugs and passed the sniffer to me. I obliged.
The boy shook his head, I couldn’t read him enough to know if he was comfortable talking about that stuff; but he seemed alright. “No, they are dressed in combat armor, different than the legionnaires. They’re normal, I think I have a cousin who is one, I don’t remember.”

“Dude,” Reno looked at him in awe. “What’s it like there?”
“Safe,” Killian said, his voice was lowered. I saw the first sign of discomfort. “It was very quiet. We didn’t go to Skyfall much, we mostly stayed in town. That had everything we needed. I had never been into the greywastes before we left.”
Imagine not even knowing what a shit hole was waiting for them outside their boarders. Being brought up in a cozy little factory town. If he was raised in one he wouldn’t even know what the outside world was like. No wonder he was well, who he was. He had been sheltered from the greywastes since he was born. Lucky in a way, extremely unlucky in another way, since he left.

“Can you do drugs and all that?” Reno asked. I took my last hit and handed the sniffer to Killian as he gave a small nod.

“Drugs are a big thing there, especially in the lower districts like Moros or Nyx. Dek’ko sells them though, it’s illegal to make them yourselves. Rumor is King Silas and his chimeras are one of the biggest users of them.”

I leaned back in my chair to stair at the ceiling. “Dek’ko makes drugs? I didn’t know that.”

There was a pause and I heard Killian take some drugs, then a moment later, him lean back beside me. “They don’t sell them out of Skyfall and the surrounding communities. The last merchant I saw sell them was fifty miles from the boarder.”
“Why waste them on the blocks he can’t control I guess.” I shrugged, closing my eyes as the high swept over me. It was such a nice feeling. “We can get better drugs from the ruins, and what we can’t scavenge we can make. Fuck Dek’ko.”

“I’d love to fuck that Dek’ko prez, have you seen a picture of Artemis Dekker? Daaamn!” Reno’s voice had that disconnected tone to it, telling me the drugs were hitting him as well. “Silver shiny hair, fucking purple eyes man. Now that is some funky chimera engineering, those colours ain’t natural.”

“Elish Dekker had purple eyes too, though his hair was blond. His cicaro had yellow eyes, but I don’t think he was a chimera since he’s a slave,” Killian said in his own dreamy disconnected tone, sure enough I felt his head rest against my shoulder. I glanced over. The kid had his eyes closed and his mouth slacked. If he dare drool on me I was going to use his face to wipe it up.

“Sure, any one is handsome when you get three meals a day, health care and all that,” I muttered trying to adjust my shoulder away from Killian’s mouth. “You can fuck Artemis, I’m going to fuck the shit out of King Silas if I ever see him.”

Killian’s eyes snapped open, he immediately looked at me. His face paled. “You can’t!”
My brow furrowed. I was going to have to teach this kid that no one told me I couldn’t do anything. Even though the thought of fucking Silas was so farfetched it was ridiculous. He was giving me a look like it was a distinct possibility that I would have the chance.

Before I could answer him Reno snickered.

“Already showing a jealous streak, eh?” My friend chuckled. Killian sat up and looked at him, I could see from Reno’s dirt stained mirror that the look was seething.

“King Silas is dangerous, his chimera body guards are too. If you see him you should be running in the opposite direction.”
“I could kill him,” I said with a scoffed, “and I will. His shit legionnaires are the reason you almost died. If he ever ventures near here I’ll have his head on a stake and the imperial asshole Kessler.”
It amused me how much this seemed to bother the little blond kid. Myself and Reno always bullshitted about this type of thing. It was drug talk. None of us ever expected to get near Silas, or Artemis or Kessler or any of King Silas’s handsome little bitches. The kid didn’t seem to get that though. There was going to be a learning curb, as much as I liked my new little pet, I wasn’t about to change my life for him. He was going to have to adjust, but I’m sure he was a fast learner.

The kid let out a tense breath but didn’t say anything more.

I rolled my eyes, I didn’t feel like wasting my energy calming him down. So I looked over at Reno, I had a quick and easy way to cheer him up.

“Reno, fetch his little present,” I said, I watched the kid’s expression go from stormy to surprised and curious. He gave me a suspicious glance as Reno got to his feet and disappeared into his room.

“What is it?” I tried not to laugh at how cautious he seemed. Though perhaps it was a smart move on his part. Who knows what his mom told him about me, or the rest of the block. He was wise to be apprehensive.

When Reno came out holding the guitar Killian had almost killed himself trying to get, his face lit up like a 100 watt bulb. He jumped to his feet and made an odd squealing noise as Reno handed it to him. I thought he might explode from joy.

“Thank you!” Surprisingly he dived into Reno’s arms and gave him a hug. Reno gave me the most shit eater smug grin as slowly and deliberately hugged him tightly to his chest.

“You little fuck face, I was the one that got that for you!” I said unimpressed.

Killian let go and turned to me, his eyes were all misty. He looked at me in disbelief.

“You... did?”
I shrugged, feeling uncomfortable and put on the spot. “I had overheard that guy saying he was sad he couldn’t sell it to you... so I chased em down. Reno fronted me the money. I got it when I got the Magnum.”

He walked over to me and gave me a hug as well. “Thank you, Reaver. I never thought I would see another one in my lifetime.”

Well, no because several days ago your life span was as much time as it took for your liver to swell...

“Whatever...” I said trying to sound casual, but inside I was enjoying his happiness. “I knew you would like it and you like making that racket so... you know, it doesn’t sound that bad... the residents liked it.”

He gave me a big smile, he looked like he was about to kiss me but he decided against it. I could appreciate that, Reno was here after all. He wouldn’t let it go, and the last thing I wanted my friend to see was me well, being affectionate.

“You’ll play something for us later?” I asked, I picked up the guitar and strummed it. He made it look easier to play, but I’ve made better sounds come out of accidently stepping on cat tails.

“Whatever you like,” Killian said, he sounded happy it was nice to see him relaxing a bit more. He walked over and set the guitar down gently beside the couch, so carefully it was like he thought it was made of glass. Well better than him just dropping it wherever, fucking thing did cost me twenty five bucks.

“And now everyone’s happy! Let’s all celebrate with some Mario Kart!” Reno the mood breaker announced. He held up the Nintendo controller and waved it around. I rolled my eyes but Killian looked excited to play three player. Perhaps he thought Reno might be more competition to him than I was.

If he was he was going to be disappointed. Reno came in last, every single time except for a few choice opportunities when he blue shelled the fuck out of Killian. I howled with laughter every time, I took pleasure in seeing his little smug face fall when he got in last. Revenge for all the times he beat me back in my basement.

Any anxiety he had with leaving the block was gone by the sixth round and after a good couple hours into playing he was swearing up a storm and threatening to disembowel us in our sleeps whenever we took his lead. It was cute. I was glad to see him relaxed and enjoying being out of Aras. I haven’t seen him this loosened up since well, never.

“I will rape your fucking shit!” Reno yelled. I had just barrelled through him with a shiny star thing. He not only flew up in the air, but he also landed off the edge. Killing his second place finish. I gave a triumphant yell and finished the race. Reno for the fifth time slammed down the controller. Condemning us both as little cock suckers.

It was in that moment that Reno’s radio crackled to life.

“Rock Hawk... Rock Hawk.”

Reno looked at the radio, at that time Killian dropped his controller, his face turning from happy to horrified in a fraction of a second. It wasn’t Greyson, or Leo but I recognised the voice. It was Sheila from the Greenbase. A reinforced building a couple miles from here. Our look out for the south west.

Reno got up quickly and grabbed the radio. Myself and Killian watched him, the music from the forgotten video game still playing.

“Rock Hawk here.”

The room fell into a deafening and tense silence. I could feel the fear and anxiety emanating off of Killian beside me. I eyed my M16 leaning up against Reno’s junk strewn coffee tables. It was loaded and ready.

“I have a line on the men you were looking for. We just spotted four legionnaires out by Grandview. They’re on the earlier heading west, they’re not on the usual schedule. Chances are they’ll be making camp soon.”

“NO!” Killian said in a strangled cry, he grabbed my arm. I tensed up, trying to ignore him as Reno talked back into the radio.

I didn’t catch what he said, thanks to Killian, but the expression on Reno’s face said enough.

“Let’s go.” I nodded getting up. I turned to Killian who already had tears welling up in his eyes.

“You’ll be safe here,” I said to him in the gentlest tone I could muster through blood on the verge of boiling. “We wont be long.”

“Please, Reaver no...” Killian held onto my arm with a tight grip. He looked terrified.

I steeled myself, I didn’t have time to console him or argue with him. We had to get to them and quickly. The scum suckers out there were the same ones who kidnapped my boy, stripped him, humiliated him and sold him for meat. I couldn’t rest properly until they were dead. And if that meant Killian screaming and hating me for a few days, so be it. I didn’t take orders from anyone, not even my new boyfriend. The sooner he learned that the better.

“You’ll be safe here,” I said again, putting on my bullet proof vest. “Do you want me to drop you off in Aras first?”

“We don’t have time f-” I held up my hand for Reno to shut up.

“Reaver you don’t have to do this...” Killian whimpered, he dropped his hand away from my arm and slunk his head down, his shoulders trembled. “Please.”

“I killed dozens when I came to find you,” I reminded him, slinging my M16 over my back and belting the holder into place. Reno was already arming himself. “We can handle several more. You trust me don’t you?”

Killian didn’t look up, Reno was already unlatching the door.

“We’ll play Mario some more... we’ll do drugs,” Killian suddenly started pleading, he grabbed back onto my arm as I headed for the door. “I’ll let you win... please, forget about them. I’m safe! I’m safe...”
“I’ll be home soon.” I stepped out the door, and that triggered the first sob. I turned from him but he grabbed onto me harder, sinking his fingers into my shoulder in a death grip.

My blood lust was starting to take me. The thought of killing the legionnaires was arousing my mind. The cold night air hitting my face amplified that, I always felt more alive in the dark.

I grabbed his hand and pushed him away and quickly closed the door behind me. I heard a muffled wail.

I didn’t let myself feel bad for him, even though he sounded terrified. I knew deep down I should have taken him to Aras but he was slow as fuck getting up the rocks he would be slower still getting down in the dark, and I knew Reno’s was safe. No one uninvited had ever found the place, and we wouldn’t be long. It wouldn’t take me long to gut and skin the doomed fucks who had kidnapped my boyfriend. We could get it done, go back to the house and carry on with our evening.

I nodded at Reno to go, the kid crying in the house. He looked shocked, probably at how cold and callous I had acted towards Killian, but there really wasn’t any choice. I couldn’t sit him down and pet his head until he understood I had work to do. I would deal with it later. The bottom line is he was safe, and I had to do this. Why bullshit around with the details? Especially with a time restraint. I’d make it up to him later.