Fallocaust (The Fallocaust Series) (89 page)

Asher gave me a puzzled look. “The normal way?” He laughed. “By boat? It’s only in the Nyx, Eos and Skyland district where you need permission. No one keeps track of the Moros district. you can go wherever you like. But quite frankly it’s safer to be in the slums than take your chances in the greywastes.”

“Oh... I forgot about that,” The only person I had met from Moros was an old store keeper back in my factory town. Usually the defectors went off into the greywaste to live in a block or a town. Though in all reality they usually didn’t make it that far. Some mercs just killed them as soon as they got out of sight. More profit and no one questioned dead defectors.  “Is everything there still...?”

“The same? Yeah, it is.”
I nodded, I wasn’t surprised. Nothing changed in Skyfall. The elites stayed in their fancy repaired skyscrapers, and the outer rings made sure they stayed in luxury (or what qualified as luxury pre-Fallocaust). Such was the class system of Skyfall.

I sighed and held the pillow close to my chest. I heard the closet of my bedroom close, then more foot steps. I wished Reaver would hurry up.

I watched as he played a few more notes on my piano. I wanted to push him off and show how to really play.

He stopped and turned around on the piano chair. “So you and Reaver have been dating for a few years now?”
Stop forcing conversation you nosey prick. It’s none of your fucking business. Want me to make that pretty face a little less pretty?

“No, almost a year.” Gosh that was a bald faced lie... but... maybe we could start counting when he first started following me? It had to almost be a year, right? No it was maybe eight months, nine? Dammit, I didn’t know. I was going to have to confess my lie to Reaver and beg him to back me up.

Asher nodded, he glanced up at my ceiling, where we could both hear Reaver above. “You’re lucky to have that beautiful creature as a boyfriend. He’s flawless.”

He’s a chimera and if Leo hadn’t fled with him you would be fucking licking his boots and in turn mine.

I glared at him. Asher laughed not noticing and spun back around on the piano chair. He started playing my piano to the point of perfection.

I recognised this song, I had always liked it. I felt like singing along, if just to myself, but as soon as he started singing I clamped it shut. Like everything else about him, his voice was beautiful. It was smooth, masculine and crystal clear. He hit every somber key, and every lingering note.

“All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places. Worn out faces. Bright and early for the daily races. Going nowhere. Going nowhere...”

I felt myself listening to him, and enjoying the beautiful music I had never heard outside of CD players or Discmans. For someone from the slums he sure knew how to play elegantly. I wondered what else this perfect person could do.

I gritted my teeth together, and hoped his last act wouldn’t be to steal my boyfriend right from under me.

The last note dragged, and when he was finished he gently closed the lid on the piano.

I was surprised to see a bit of sadness in his eyes. He smiled at the dusty lid, looking somber and whimsical.

He traced a hand over the dust, but was silent. I just watched him. I didn’t know why, but I felt like this was a rare look into his soul. Perhaps he wasn’t as out to get me as my mind had convinced me.

Asher rubbed his dusty pointer against his thumb and watched the grey specks float down to the floor. Before wordlessly, he got up.

I saw a flicker of movement, and realized why he was getting up. Reaver was standing in the door frame that separated the living room and the kitchen, he was holding several full bags.

“If the concerts over we can go.” Reaver flashed us both a smile, I could see a streak of dirt across his cheek. “Nice playing though, I recognise the song of course. Where did you learn that?”

Asher smiled and gave him a careless shrug. “Well since it’s no secret I was born in Skyfall. I learned it from an electric piano I traded for a bottle of Crown De Vi stout and half a pound of weed.”

Reaver gave an impressed whistle, I took a bag from him and we started to walk back outside. I looked behind me as Reaver started to board up the door. In my head I said good bye to my old house. I’d be back after winter, to air it out... this wasn’t the end, but for now... it was.

With the somber song still playing in my head, I said good bye to my mom and dad, and I made a promise that next time I returned I would act more like a man, more grown up.

My eyes shifted to Asher, who was helping Reaver with the boards. Asher was an adult, he didn’t cry or have anxiety attacks. He was mature, manly... more suited for Reaver.

The hair on my neck bristled as I watched him hold up the board. Reaver slamming the last nail into it, sealing off the top half of my door. Two beautiful, perfectly formed guys, with so much in common...

The pit formed in my throat again. The blister gave a throb, and more infectious thoughts filled my head. The reality, temporarily hidden by Asher’s fleeting moment of melancholy disappeared. I had to keep an eye on him... not the eyes that Reaver was keeping on him. I had to make sure he didn’t get too close to my boyfriend. I trusted my Reaver but I didn’t trust him not to be taken in by... that, or manipulated.

Reaver wasn’t as socially smart as I was, I did have that on him. If he was, I could trust him to pick up on the subtle ways he tried to get close to Reaver. And he hadn’t, only I had.

My hands wrung again. I watched as he hammered the last nail into my house, before setting his hammer down into his tool box with a clank.

He dusted his hands and gave me a nod as he started home with our bags. Asher followed behind him.

Asher Fallon smiled at me, and I returned a polite smile back. I heard a rattle and looked down to see what he was carrying. In his grip was Reaver’s toolbox. He was carrying it effortlessly with one hand, his bad hand. Reaver had left it for him to carry. I knew it hadn’t been left for me.

Behind him there was nothing but my boarded up door.

Nothing had been left for me.

Chapter 37

Killian

Though I had accepted Reaver’s origins and had been able to sort through those feelings. I found my resolve didn’t come so easily when dealing with Asher. I had been increasingly difficult to hide my true feelings for the raticater.

In all respects... I fucking hated him.

I don’t know if it was an old wound regarding my hatred for the elite of Skyfall that had opened up or a fresh sensitivity because of what I had found out about Reaver; but I had to bite my tongue... a lot.

I kept having to convince myself it was was just my insecurity and my own jealousy. I was uncomfortable with how much he and Reaver had in common. I hated their late night patrols and I hated when Reaver came home late from shooting the shit with him.

Just like when he had come over when we were boarding up my windows I always felt on edge around that Morosian. I felt like I was waiting for him to rip his mask off. Everything about him had me watching his moves more than Reaver did. Graceful and flawless movements now, since his leg and arm were fully healed. He walked with elegance now, with an aura around him that made your eyes wander to him even when you didn’t want them to.

I hated it, and I hated every time my vision framed him. I could see that swaggery cocksure walk from a mile away.

That was the big difference between Skylanders and chimeras. Skylanders were cocky spoiled fucks bred to be pretty and to flaunt their sexuality and wealth. Chimeras, though also beautiful, had been born for a purpose and worked every day in their lives to fulfil it for their king. They didn’t walk around like self assured little bitches, they were hardened, trained and focused.

It took two more weeks to finish our work on Asher’s bungalow and our green house. By that time Mr. Raticater was running up and down things and racing Reaver all across West Aras. Enjoying his healed limbs, and his newly recovered agility. They had a great time... I stayed back with the deacdog and watched the two run off whenever they needed to burn the never ending energy supply they both seemed to have.

I could never run that fast... well, maybe I could, I never tried. I’d probably fall on my face.

Well while they ran off and had fun. I would do the cleaning in Asher’s house.

And in all respects his house looked great. We were all very proud of it. It barely smelled like must now, and with the windows cleaned it was bright and airy inside. We had gotten furniture for Asher at the auction for the Kerry’s things, and other household items from either Chang’s or Carson’s. Though Asher still hadn’t been well enough to get is cache of supplies in the raver’s town, so he had just put it on a tab I had been keeping track of.

They had been planning on going in the next couple days for the trip. Which yes, I was dreading with every fiber in my being.

Though I didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t like I could forbid Reaver. And there was no chance in hell I would be going with them. I would probably just get us all killed. From how Asher jumped from car to car and brick wall to brick wall he had agility to him, he wouldn’t slow Reaver down like I would.

My face darkened. I had been trying very hard to keep my jealousies in check but they were still rampant through my head on a daily basis. I kept telling myself I was being stupid, and if I let it get to a bad point it would make Reaver very unhappy. I had to love my boyfriend more than I disliked Asher.

Reaver’s happiness was more important and he was happier. But I knew making friends with Asher was only a small part of it. He was just happy to be free of Greyson’s control, and to a lesser extent Leo’s too. My raven haired mayor had taken a lot of pride in running ‘West Aras’, and it showed. He didn’t seem as uptight and short as he was under Greyson’s antagonizing and judging gaze.

We hadn’t seen much of either of them, especially Leo. Leo had been sleeping at Reno’s some nights, but also spending a heck of a lot of time in the bunker they had outside of Aras. Him and Greyson hadn’t reconciled that much was known. Though the only information we got regarding it was from Reno and Reaver would tell him to shut up if he tried filling us in.

So I had to pull him aside a few times to get the dirt. When Reaver was off burning energy with Asher I would sit with Reno and do some lines with him as he indulged my natural need for gossip. Reaver called us a bunch of hens but to hell with him.

This particular day I was enjoying being indulged by Reno. We were both poking holes in an old, already hole ridden garden hose to create a mini irrigation system for our now re-planted seeds. The bedroom we were in now was all covered in re-routed wires and lamps we had been able to get the suppliers to pick up from Anvil. In the middle were six raised beds covered in smelly, fertilized dirt. The room didn’t smell as rainy and fresh as Perish’s had been but we were all still very proud of it.

“I don’t know what he does in that bunker all day, but sometimes he doesn’t make his way back to my house until past midnight,” Reno said. He was wearing a denim jacket, a sweater and some blue jeans. We were all bundled up now from the cold, but it still hadn’t started raining today so that was good. The fog on the other hand was coming in every morning, but by noon it had usually burned off with the afternoon sun.

“He’s probably reading all the research he brought back from the lab.” I shrugged, twisting a sharp steak knife into the green hose. “Leo liked science stuff.” Which made all the more sense now that I knew who he was.
Reno stabbed his knife in, more effective than my method but knowing me I’d just end up stabbing myself. “Sure I guess, but it’s been a month. How much book learning does one guy need?”

“More then just the Ass n Abs magazine you keep on your coffee table,” I smirked.

Reno pointed his knife at me. “Hey don’t diss the Ass n Abs, you might get both every night but I’m stuck here with my Hand n Imagination.”

“Oh!” That reminded me of something. “I have porn for you.”

If someone could pull off a look that was both blank, confused and intrigued it would be Reno.

I smiled and let him be confused for a few moments before I told him. “Perish, he well... he had some of it and before we left I stole the tape. I thought you would enjoy it.”
Reno put the knife down and got up, I laughed as he started walking towards the door. “Get up, get up, I want my porn! It’s going to get dark here soon anyways. I want my porn! Come on!”

“Okay, okay!” I got up and started turning everything off. Our new Ieon charger in the corner humming away, wires coming out of it like spider legs charging our lights and heaters.

I locked the door and jogged to catch up with Reno.

“What’s on it? Do you know?” Reno said eagerly.

“I think it might be two men having sex, but don’t quote me on that,” I said. Reno gave me a sarcastic laugh and we carried on back to me and Reaver’s basement.

I stuck my hands in my pockets. It wasn’t horribly cold yet but we had a bit of wind which was making it an uncomfortable temperature. I had convinced Reaver to let the deacdog sleep in the shed at least since he obviously wasn’t going back to Murry’s. I had said hi to Murry a few times while I was getting our meat at the Slaught House since he was near by, but he had never mentioned the dog so I guess he was a stray now. Reaver hadn’t let me name him since apparently that meant we were keeping him so I had just been calling him Deek when Reaver wasn’t around. It was kind of short for deacdog but I decided to spell it differently in my head. It wasn’t that creative but it was the best I could come up with until I convinced Reaver to keep him. He was a great guard dog, he had even eaten a scaver a week ago that had been gnawing the beams under Asher’s house. I had an even bigger distaste for scavers after what I had found in my bathroom.

“Am I still coming over when the crazies go over to the raver pit?” Reno asked.
“Of course!” I had actually been looking forward to it. “I know the combination to Reaver’s drug suitcase.”