Fallocaust (The Fallocaust Series) (61 page)

I rubbed his arms and tried to warm up his cold skin, until I heard the tank door creak.

“He’s asleep,” I called to one of the three people it may have been.

Leo popped out of the tunnel, and Greyson wasn’t far behind. Greyson peeked into Reaver’s room as if to confirm Reaver hadn’t put me up to it and they were about to get shot. He closed Reaver’s door and motioned us to the living room.

“Are you in a good enough state to tell us what happened, Killian?” Leo’s voice was gentle. He handed me a bottle full of water (it was cloudy water, I missed clear water already).

I nodded, I wasn’t tired yet just... stunned, shocked, in a daze? I could smell his blood on me, it was everywhere, it was even on my stomach it had soaked through. It was a geyser, with force behind it, it was warm... there was so much of it.

I told them what had happened leading up to Perish finding me. The gas station, the old lady, the night at the house outside of Donnely and the scavenging the next day. Then the terrifying day I woke up and Reaver was gone.

I started feeling nauseous as I told them how the next two days went. Greyson must have sensed it.

“Leo get Reaver’s bag, get something for him,” Greyson said, then asked. “How long has Perish been in Donnely?”

“Eight years he said, and four of those he said he was all alone, just him,” I said, my voice started to wobble. “King Silas treated him like shit, he... he... oh fuck.” I burst into tears, Greyson and Leo never had the patience with my crying so I just buried my face in my hands. “He fell in love with me, we lied to him to keep us alive. He was crazy, fucking crazy and dangerous. But... he... he was so sweet, so gentle... he was so sad. I couldn’t leave him to face the fallout alone. I couldn’t do it.”

I wiped my eyes, trying to backup a bit. “He caught Reaver first, he had Reaver chained, and a slave collar over him. I had to pretend I wanted to date him, or else he’d kill us like how he fed the arians to the abominations.”

“What did he have in there?” Leo asked quickly, surprisingly Greyson told him to be quiet. I had forgotten that Leo was fascinated with science just like me.

“So he held you two captive and he chained Reaver?” Greyson said instead.

“Slave collared him too, he couldn’t leave the lab without it exploding.” Leo passed me a lump of drugs on a piece of mirror and one of Reaver’s little plastic sniffers. I gladly took some.

“They didn’t take Reaver’s blood did they? Perish or Nero?” I shook my head, they both looked relieved.

“Why are you so afraid of him being registered?” I asked, I had always wondered that. They were absolutely neurotic when it came to Reaver’s blood being in the ACL.

“He would be recruited in a second with the enhanced hearing, eye sight and all of that,” Leo said, to my surprise he took some drugs too, then Greyson! Wow, these Merrik boys were all the same.

I was an illegal arian now, I couldn’t have my blood taken ever again or I would be a fugitive, Reaver was lucky he had never been put into the system. So many weren’t, people from the greywastes and beyond who didn’t venture near colonies or towns. Though a lot of them eventually were registered just to get a hold of a geiger chip for their children or if theirs malfunctioned.

I sighed and wiped my nose, the drugs were starting to calm me down.

Leo took my jaw into my hands and tilted it. “He electrocuted you?”
I nodded. “He beat Reaver, he had him in the surveillance room so he could watch Donnely and us in the labs. Reaver never took his eyes off of him. He became extremely violent and mean the longer he was awake.”

“So he escaped and killed Perish?”

“I got the detonator, I got the key and I got the chains off of him,” I said, they seemed to keep forgetting I had got us out of there so I decided to emphasise: “And I killed Perish.”

They still looked at me like they didn’t believe me, but the proof was all over me. Drying onto my chest, my stomach and my groin. Litres and litres of blood.

Fuck he was looking right at me... I just pet his head, I pet his head and talked to him in a loving voice.

“You’re all I have.”

“I know.”

I started to feel myself go numb, I was tired... I wanted them to leave... fuck, his eyes. Those blue eyes, that sweet sweet smile. I knew I couldn’t stay with him like he ached for, I couldn’t leave him alone after everything I had made him feel... I was a monster, I was worst than Reaver. I killed someone who loved me.

Those eyes, before they dimmed... confusion, shock, pain, sadness.

“Does this card key open every part of his lab?” Leo asked.

I nodded.

“As far as I know, I was only on the first and second level. The second level has his labs... you’re going back there? Why?”

“Lots of reasons, son, don’t worry about it now,” Greyson said.

“I’m giving Doc the key to Reaver’s, he’s going to be prodding at him while he sleeps so make sure he doesn’t have weapons nearby. He’ll let himself out.” Leo helped me take my lab coat off, he immediately went to the bruises on my shoulders and the nail gouges. The bruises were in the shape of hand prints.

“What a prick, I guess the honeymoon didn’t last long?” Leo muttered.

I slunk down a bit. “Reaver did that.”

Leo said a few words under his breath.

“He... he was really tired. He had to watch some... awful things.”

“Did you have to...?”

I shook my head. “I had to dodge him a lot, and he.. I... I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Yeah, we know... sorry kiddo, just as long as he didn’t hurt you.”

“Physically no...” I muttered, I got up and at the same time Leo and Greyson did too.

“Are... you and Reaver okay?” Leo asked heading towards the door.

I think we were, but who knows how he would feel about things once he woke up. They didn’t need to know that though.

“We’re perfect, he just... he turns into a total asshole when he hasn’t slept, but he’ll be fine when he wakes up.”

Leo nodded and turned towards the door. “We’ll come check on you tomorrow, tell Doc if he has any more episodes and put some antiseptic on those gashes on your cheek.” Leo looked at them and let out a tense breath. “Reaver clawed your face too?”
I felt my hand raise and touch my cheek. “He... he was looking up at me when I did it.”

Leo and Greyson both stared at me.

“You... you did the right thing,” Greyson said finally, Leo turned and went up the tunnel without another word.

“You wouldn’t say that if you met him.”

That garnered me a strange look from Greyson.

“You liked him, son?”

I couldn’t look at him, my eyes fell to my own feet. “I was everything to him, he treated me like a god. He was so nice, insane... fuck, insane but... I can’t...” I let out a sob, and to my surprise Greyson put his arm on my shoulder. “I can’t explain it. I’ve never felt so sorry for someone.” I leaned up against the tank lid. I closed my eyes and saw him in my head. Those eyes burning a hole in me. “I killed him, I just... I killed him.”
“Son...” Greyson said silently, he squeezed his hand on my shoulder. “You did the right thing. I can’t understand who he was personally, all I know is he hurt Reaver and he hurt you and that’s enough justification for him to die. So when you doubt what you did, just remember the basic truth.”

“Thanks, Greyson.” I gave him a small smile, he was a nice guy.

“You did good, boy,” he said as he climbed into the tunnel. “When you’re feeling better, we’ll talk it over with a beer.”

“I’d like that.”

There was a clang, and then another from the shed, and now I was alone.

With my eyes heavy, I opened a can of bosen for Biff and refilled his water dish. His dish was streaked with blood. I knew Reno had been taking good care of him. He seemed happy to see me, I hoped he would join me and Reaver in bed.

I drank some water myself and took some tylenol, then another lump of powder to help me sleep. Then I put on my own under clothes, turned the generator off and laid down beside Reaver.

I put my hand on his chest, and listened to his heart. I couldn’t hear them like he could but I could still feel it. It was slow and steady, it sounded strong. I wanted to treat his wounds but I knew the sting would wake him up. Another few hours wont make a difference, right now I just wanted him to sleep.

Since he wasn’t around to say no, I shuffled towards him until I was right beside him. I curled up on his side, he was on his back kind of splayed, and put my arm around his chest, and my head in the crook of his arm.

A few moments later a weight on the bed and then purring. I fell asleep to Reaver snoring, and Biff purring. And for that moment, everything was okay.

Chapter 27

Killian

We slept beside each other for the remainder of the evening and all throughout the night. I woke up a  few times to make sure Reaver was still okay and he was. He moved around a lot in his sleep, but I always managed to worm myself into his arms some how. Once he was even sleeping with his back to me so I got to spoon him, he would never let me do that normally. It was the best feeling ever. Though the next time I woke up I was at the far end of the bed, so I think he might have woken up at some point and banished me.

I was only partially awake when Doc came in the first time. He woke Reaver up for a moment to check his pupils, and give him some pills to take. Reaver said a few swear words but he didn’t get agitated. After Doc gave him an injection to make sure he stayed asleep. Mentioned that with Reaver’s brain he would be up in six hours pretending to be fine, which would be bad for his concussion and everyone else around him. The injection would keep him sleeping for now.

After he was drugged up, Doc cleaned his infected wounds and bound them. Reaver didn’t even flinch when he scrubbed all the infected flesh off. I was glad he was passed out for that. I fell back asleep while Doc was finishing up his ankle wounds.

I decided to not go back to sleep sometime the next morning. I had to pee extremely bad and my stomach was eating its self alive. Not to mention the cat had had enough of our bullshit and kept rubbing my face with his, since my face was all oily from being filthy and sleeping for the last day his fur kept sticking to it. I would have to try and find a brush for him. Reaver would not tolerate a basement full of cat hair. I was already pressing it bringing home a cat.

I woke up and watched Reaver sleep. His hair was all tussled, sticking up in all directions. He was laying on his bad ear, so I got to marvel at how cute his little ear was. I debated whether he would look hotter if it was pierced or not. I had always wanted to but my mom would kill me. I guess it would also be a hive for infection too... Reno had two though and he seemed to be okay.

I watched him sleep for about a half an hour before it started to be more boring than cute. I kissed his lips and got up.

I turned on the generator and I started warning up some bath water while rummaging through my satchel. I was a bit sad to see that Leo and Greyson had never returned my peach, but I had two more packed away. I had the tetanus bottles, seeds, scalpels, video cassettes, Twinkies, fruit snacks and some other things. I wanted to make some good food for Reaver when he woke but I wasn’t sure if giving him food from Perish’s lab would be appropriate. Then I remembered how little Reaver cares about things and decided I would anyways.

I bathed and scrubbed myself good, making use of the ivory soap and my own personal collection of shampoo and conditioners and body wash. I left the water in the tub for Reaver, and put another pot of hot water on to top it up. We might get our water from the little river but we still didn’t waste it and we were both relatively clean from bathing at Perish’s.

I cleaned for a bit to busy myself and decided to quickly venture out to get some fresh meat for tonight since he should be waking up. I was so thankful that I didn’t see anyone on foot to the Slaught House but I did get
whooped
at by Matt on the wall. He shouted at me asking how Reaver was doing and I said he was doing great and sleeping.

“I’m glad he’s sleeping man. He’s a prick on the little sleep he gets now, I bet he’s a total fuck with eight days of no sleep!”
“You have no idea!” I shouted back and he laughed. I guess everyone had been pretty quiet about Reaver pulling his M16 on his welcoming party.

I wondered what Greyson and Leo had told them about us disappearing. The sentries of course knew and that had probably spread to the rest of the block.

Gary punched my ration card and gave me a nice rat roast, from the backside where all the good fatty meat was. I also got some organ meat for Biff as well. Most of the organ meat went to the stray cats and the deacdogs anyways so I didn’t have to give up any punches for it. Greyson and Leo encouraged feeding the cats or adopting them. The less deaths reported to the mercer the less of a chance they would have to pay a penalty to King Silas.

I wished Aras wasn’t a block, just a settlement or a colony like some of the other surrounding towns. But we did live easier this way. It was a small price to pay by just giving some blood and some money or deacdogs each year. In return we got Dek’ko caravans, and some loose Legion protection, but mostly Greyson just paid that to make the Legion leave Aras alone. He seemed to have things under control without their help.

I picked some garlic, potatoes and onion from Reaver’s garden. I was disappointed in myself with how put out I was regarding the size and quality of Reaver’s vegetables. After seeing Perish’s these just looked well... sad. But they were good enough, I had to get rid of my memories of the great food Perish had grown, I would never have it again.

That stung a bit... not because I missed the food but rather because... I had killed the man who had been able to do so much. If he had just been left to do what he wanted to do, instead of making killing machines for Silas, he could have fed the entire greywaste.

Which King Silas would have never let him do...