Even broken, we're complete.
Title Even broken, we're complete.
Author Jeri_1116
Rating PG
Word count 3,369
Beta Sarahsezlove
Summary When things fall apart they stick together.
Notes Written for the new community nukeminibang
Disclaimer Again I owns nothing, nada. If I did, there would have been more then two black people living in Oakdale.
September 13, 2010
Dr. Bob Hughes always wanted to be a doctor; wanted to help others; wanted a career others could look at and be struck with awe by. He wanted a home of his own; a big ole house with a front porch; a swing for him and the misses; something to have for the future as he held her in his arms, rocking back and forth and watching as his grandchildren ran around the yard having the time of their lives.
Bob had gotten all that and then some. His first marriage had gone under rather quickly, but that second one, that second one stuck. Kim was the love of his life; when he met her, he knew she was the one. He had loved his first wife, Lisa, with a passion. She had even given him a son, but being with Kim was like getting a second chance, a breath of fresh air.
Bob, after years of school, years of hard work, had gotten everything he ever wanted. His first marriage may have stalled his path on the road to success a bit, but then Kim came along and he was on the right track again. He had two wonderful sons to pass on his legacy and that great big house - with porch included - the one he had always wanted.
As he stared at the folder in his hand now, knowing what it held, he didn’t understand how he got here, how he let this happen.
A clearing of a throat nearby brings him out of his musings,
“How could I have done this?” he whispers.
“Because you’re a man, Dr. Hughes. It’s ingrained in us to cheat.”
“I love my wife.”
“Awww…yet you fell under the spell of the first lonely girl who blushed at you.”
“That was years ago.”
“It doesn’t matter. Your indiscretion will cost you everything.”
“Please don’t…”
“I don’t need you to beg, I need you to do.”
“It was a mistake.”
“A mistake that will cost you.”
Bob shakes his head slowly. “Please,” he whispers. He hopes there’s a heart with some compassion in there somewhere. He knows it’s a long shot, but god, he has to try.
“Who knows? You could come clean, tell your dear wife about your little fling with Lucinda. Maybe she’ll forgive you.” A devilish smile falls into place. “But - and now this is a strong but - I doubt she’d forgive you for the child you ignored for years, due to that little indiscretion.” That devilish smile is still in place and there’s a little casual shrug of the shoulders now. “You think your kids will forgive you for not telling them they had a sister? I know they are grown now, but surely something that big will tarnish their idea of you - not to mention your reputation within the community?”
Bob shakes his head, eyes falling to the floor, fixated on a pair of leather shoes placed squarely in front of him.
“What do you want me to do?” he mutters, eyes still solely focused on the leather.
“Well…” he says so casually, accompanied by another nonchalant shrug, “…you’re a doctor - mix something up and give it to me.”
“It’s not that easy! It’s not…you have to…it’s a process…”
“I need something quick and fast.”
“Fast?” Bob shouts, astounded by that response. “You could kill your son.”
“I just need something…something that will put him to sleep…something that will make him look as if he’s dead. I need to get him to Malta without a peep.” He shrugs his shoulders again. “The rest? Well, the rest I’ll handle when we arrive. Oh, and do make sure you make enough for that Mayer boy. He’s always around. I need to make sure he’s out of the way.”
“There has to be another way?”
The slow shake of a head tells Bob all he has to know - he’s not getting anywhere. “I’m an old man now.” He knows he’s grasping for straws, but it doesn’t matter; all of that doesn’t matter. “I could kill your son.”
“You’re an old man, yes. But you’re an old man who knows how to…how can I put this…experiment? You’ll figure it out, and if you don’t…” there’s another careless shrug. “I’ll kill you. I kill you if you don’t do it; I kill you if you do it and mess up. So pretty much, you have no choice but to do it and do it right.”
“I could tell Kim what I’ve done.”
“Ah…again, you could.” There’s an evil grin that spreads across his face, “but you won’t.”
Bob exhales and runs one hand over his forehead, while the other clutches at the folder in his hand. He knows he’s right; he won’t tell Kim.
“I need time.”
“You have three days.”
Bob clutches that folder even tighter in his hands. He gives a stiff nod and without further discussion, he makes his exit. He’ll do as he’s told, keep quiet and keep his perfect life intact.
Three days later
“Yeah, but do you still love me?” The question comes out soft, timid, words shaky as they come. The silence that follows is thick, yet the echo of things around them hangs heavy in their ears, as the wait continues.
“Noah…”
Noah shakes his head, cutting Luke off. He doesn’t want to hear it now, doesn’t want to listen to a lie. “Luke.”
“You leave in two days.” Luke shakes his own head. “You should go home, get ready.” He turns away from the look that spreads across Noah’s face.
“That’s not an answer,” Noah says, staring intently at the back of Luke’s head. “That doesn’t mean you don’t love me, it just means we have to…” Luke turns around, that same shake of his head. “No, listen Luke, we…we can make it work.”
“That’s not the problem, Noah.”
“Well then, what is?” Luke jumps at the sound of Noah’s voice. “Damn it!” he shouts, punching his thigh.
Noah doesn’t even try to contain his voice or his behavior. He’s angry now, he’s angry because he knows why; he just doesn’t want to face it.
“Noah, I -”
“Luke, please, I don’t want to -”
“I love Reid.” Luke blurts it, body flinching as the words spill out.
“That’s a lie.”
*****
Six months later.
Luke’s tired of smashing things, of breaking into places and taking what he needs, what they need. He’s tired of sleeping in abandoned houses and crawling into unfamiliar beds, of waking up late afternoon to the smell of fresh coffee brewing in a different kitchen. Staring at the backside of a very familiar figure is about the only thing that keeps him going.
Luke takes a seat at a dusty counter. Noah turns around, a tight smile on his face, and pours Luke his coffee.
“I found creamer in the cabinet - would you like it?” Luke makes a face looking at the canister Noah holds up. “Fine, whatever,” Noah says as he slams the canister on to the counter. “Use it or not.”
“I’ll use it,” Luke whispers, sliding the canister towards him. Noah doesn’t say anything, just starts to search through drawers. He picks up a small spoon and lays it on the counter, simultaneously throwing two packets of sugar Luke’s way.
Luke watches as Noah opens up a dusty fridge, grabbing items out and sniffing cautiously, his head turning quickly to the side as he gets a whiff.
“I’m guessing not edible?” Noah turns his head towards Luke, eyes narrowing as he shakes his head. He throws the food back into the fridge, trapping the stench inside. He opens up the freezer, immediately pulling things out, some dropping on to the counter, other items not of use crashing down hard to the floor.
Luke watches him quietly, knows he should probably stay out of his way. It’s not in his nature to submit, but Noah’s angry and given that it takes a lot to make him angry, he figures he should keep his mouth shut.
“I figure we could stay here for a few days,” Noah murmurs, picking up a frozen piece of meat. “The items in the fridge are rank, but there are a few things in the cabinets we can still use, not to mention this meat.” Noah turns on the faucet and drops the meat into the sink, letting the water hit it directly.
“Maybe we can stay here a little longer? I haven’t seen any...” Luke trails off, his hands clutching tight at the coffee cup.
Noah nods slightly, “We’ll see. It doesn’t seem to have gotten as bad here…yet.” He turns his back to Luke, focusing on the meat in the sink. The fact that the house was abandoned was a topic neither wanted to approach. Whoever they were, they weren’t coming back.
“Noah -”
“It’ll be dark soon. We should get ready.”
“Noah?”
“We’ll see.”
*******
“There’s a safe house in Maine,” Noah says, clearing his throat, his fingers sliding across the laptop he found in the abandoned house.
“I’m surprised you got a connection,” Luke says as he falls down on a couch.
Noah nods his head, agreeing, “Guess we should be lucky. Or as lucky as one can get in a mutant-infected world.”
“It’s luck that other survivors know to use it as a way to communicate.” Luke frowns after speaking those words. “Noah, I -”
“It’s not your fault, Luke.”
Luke takes a deep breath and settles back into the couch. It was no use talking; Noah wouldn’t hear it. Luke, on some level, knew it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t stop Damian. But he wonders if he had fought harder, would this be happening?
“It doesn’t matter,” Noah says, startling Luke from his thoughts. “There’s nothing you could have done. It was either you or him.”
The unspoken ‘it could have been you too, Noah’ lingers there. It was close; too close.
Luke’s brow furrows. Noah knows him so well, knows exactly where his mind dwells.
“Okay,” Noah says as he gets up from the laptop. “It’s getting dark; we should go into the basement now.” It’s only three p.m. when he says it, but it’s March; the days are shorter; it’s time. He walks past the couch, ignoring the set of eyes on him. “I put food and water down there earlier, so we’re set.”
“Noah...”
“You have your gun, right?”
“…what I said about Reid?”
“It was a lie.” Noah doesn’t even turn towards Luke’s direction when he speaks; he just heads for the basement door.
“It was a big one,” Luke murmurs, following behind Noah.
*****
“Noah, Noah? Are you okay?” Luke kneels before him, shaking him, grabbing Noah’s shoulders as if he were trying to shake the life back into him, force it back if need be.
Coughing a little, Noah twitches, hands reaching out for Luke in an instant. “Did…did he hurt you, Luke? Did he use it?”
Luke pulls Noah towards him, pressing Noah’s face into his chest. “I thought…I thought he injected you.” Luke’s fingers curl inward, gripping at the back of Noah’s shirt.
“Where’s Damian?” Noah asks softy, nuzzling into Luke’s chest. Luke inhales, fingers digging deeper, pulling Noah closer.
“I…I don’t know what happened. I…he tried to inject you and I…I attacked him.”
“Luke?”
“I stuck him with it…he…” Luke swallows, not knowing how to finish.
“What? What happened?” Noah asks hoarsely, pulling back to look Luke in the face.
“He dropped. I…I killed him.”
Noah’s brow furrows. Instantly he starts to look around, noticing there’s no body.
“Luke? Where’s Damian if you…if you killed him?”
Luke stares at a spot on the floor, not too far from where they are. “He…he died. He was dead! There was no pulse. Nothing.” Luke’s voice starts to tremble and he’s shaking in denial. “He died!”
“Luke, where’s the body?”
“I couldn’t let him hurt you Noah. I couldn’t.” Luke’s eyes stay fixated on that same spot - looking at it as if it’s something odd and out of place.
“Luke!” Noah raises his voice, hands now gripping Luke’s arms, shaking roughly. “Where’s the body?”
“It ran out of the house.”
Noah looks confused. “What do you mean, it?”
Luke swallows thickly. “Exactly what I meant…it. It wasn’t Damian - at least, not anymore.”
Noah could do nothing but stare, confusion seeping in, an emotion he had no idea was about to become part of his life for an indeterminate amount of time.
Luke jolts back from the memory, arms instantly tightening around Noah as he sleeps.
Noah’s face is buried in Luke’s neck, golden strands shielding him away. Luke takes a deep breath, trying to push the vivid memory away; the feeling of loneliness he felt, not being able to explain what he meant or what he saw deep within his bones.
He couldn’t exactly tell people he killed his biological dad and then say his dad got up dead and ran out of the house. All he could do was hide; take Noah and hide; take Noah - who thought Luke was losing it - and hide.
It was two days later when Noah understood what Luke meant - Damian standing in front of them with two others who were just as dead as he was pretty much gave it away.
It was that same day Luke knew it was a virus - that Damian had spread it. It nearly knocked Luke to his knees, realizing when he injected Damian, he’d helped to make whatever this was a reality.
“Sleep,” Noah murmurs, pushing closer into Luke’s warmth “I can hear you thinking.”
“I’m trying,” Luke says, squeezing his eyes shut. “I just can’t…I can hear them.”
Noah somehow manages to get closer, pushing in as deep as possible. “Ignore it.” He wraps his leg around Luke’s, trapping him. “It’ll be morning soon and they’ll go away. Just try and relax.”
*****
The house they’d decided to lay low in has a pond in the back. It’s morning and the sun is shining bright. It’s beautiful and, for March, it’s quite warm. If it weren’t for the outbreak - the stench of death in the air - all would be perfect.
“Aim it like this.” Noah is standing behind Luke, his chest pressed into Luke’s back, their hands wrapped around a heavy piece of firepower. They’re steps away from the pond and, if it weren’t for the big gun and - again - the outbreak, it would all come across very romantic.
“I know how to do it, Noah.” Luke moves away, pushing Noah back as he moves. “It’s been six months. I can fire a gun.” His voice is snippy and hurt. There’s silence now and Noah is fighting the urge to yell - Luke can tell. “Ohhhh…this is about…”
“Luke, you hesitated. You can’t do that!” Noah knows he’s yelling and that his face is probably bright red with anger.
“Noah, she was a little girl.”
“She was a dead little girl, Luke; who could have killed you.”
“You’re not gonna let this go, are you? You’re gonna stay mad, aren’t you?”
“Until you get it up here?” Noah presses his pointer finger to his forehead, “then, yes! I’ll continue to be mad.”
*****
“Did we have to leave?” Luke groans and kicks at a rock. Noah sighs and shakes his head.
“If you want to make it to Maine, then yes, we had to leave.” They’re sitting on a small bridge with water underneath, Noah on one side Luke on the other. Luke, on occasion, tosses a pebble Noah’s way, a smile peeking through every time he hits him on top of the head.
“Stop, Luke!” Noah’s still smiling as he brushes his fingers through his hair, getting the rocks loose.
Its early morning, the sun almost set high in the sky. They sit in silence, the chirping of birds their only source of entertainment.
“The laptop showed there’s a small town not too far from here. We could be there by twelve if we keep walking.”
“Good thing you found that laptop,” Luke says, picking up another pebble.
“Yep,” Noah says, winking at Luke, “good thing. Five more minutes, okay? Then we should get going.”
Luke nods his understanding. He pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around his legs before placing his chin atop. “Noah?”
“Yeah, babe?”
Luke takes a deep breath, “You think Damian knew what was happening to him?”
Noah’s brow furrows. “You mean, do I think he knew what would happen?” Noah’s shaking his head as he says the words. “Damian didn’t want to hurt you Luke - at least not physically. He wanted to take you away. He played with fire and got burned.”
Luke tightens his hold on his legs as he sits. He rocks slightly back and forth.
“How many people do you think are infected now?”
“I don’t know,” Noah says softly, watching as Luke rocks. “I wonder if Holden took action.” Noah closes his eyes. “God, I hope he got them all out. The family,” he clarifies, knowing that Holden is only human; he can’t save everyone.
“I wonder if Reid…” Luke stops talking and looks to the side, not able to look Noah in the face.
“You wish when it happened you were with him, don’t you?” Luke’s head shoots up, eyes round like saucers, and he shakes his head wildly. “You don’t have to protest so hard Luke. I get it.”
Luke jumps up from his spot on the ground.
“Are you crazy? I wouldn’t have stopped ‘til I found you; or I wouldn’t have stopped ‘til I found proof you were dead.” Luke turns his back to Noah. “If you would have died - become one of those things - there’d be no reason for me to run anymore, because…I’d be dead too.”
“Don’t say things like that!” Noah screams the words and Luke flinches hearing the tone. “You and Reid would have run. Point blank.”
Luke turns around, shaking his head
“No, I wouldn’t have.” Noah bites back his words; he can see the stubborn look on Luke’s face and can tell he speaks the truth. “If you hadn’t have been there when Damian came for me, I don’t know what I would have done.”
Luke looks down at the ground, his hands balled tight in fists at his side.
“I don’t know if Reid made it, but…” Luke takes a deep breath, fingers coming up to brush away tears “…as long as it wasn’t you, I’m okay with that.” He knows it’s a horrible thing to say - to feel - but it’s the truth and that can’t be changed - at least not for him.
“We, ah….we should get going,” Noah says, clearing his throat. He reaches his hand out to Luke, pulling him into his body the instant they make contact. “Don’t cry,” he murmurs, nuzzling his nose into Luke’s neck. They stand like that for a moment, before Noah sighs deeply. “We need to go.”
Luke nods, wrapping his arms around Noah’s waist “Let’s go,” he says, pressing his lips to Noah’s, real quick, before pulling away.
Before he can get far, Noah grabs him again, pulling him back into his chest. “We’re gonna make it,” he says. “We’re gonna help stop this, or try. I don’t know how,” he continues, “but something; we’re gonna do whatever we can.”
Luke exhales. “This is gonna sound so cliché and corny, but…” he turns around in Noah’s arms “…we can do anything as long as we’re together.”
Noah smiles, pressing his forehead to Luke’s. “You’re right - that was corny.”
“Shut up.” Luke says.
Noah laughs. “Come on, let’s go. We got a lot of ground to cover.” Noah releases Luke and picks up a duffle bag.
“Noah?”
“Yeah, Luke?”
“We’re gonna make it, right?” No matter how sure of himself Luke sounds, he still needs some reassurance.
“Oh, yeah.” Noah gives Luke a slow burner smile. “We’re gonna make it.” Noah jerks his head, silently telling Luke to start walking. Luke takes his hand, moving quickly.
“We’re gonna make it Luke, no matter what.”
The end.
Author Jeri_1116
Rating PG
Word count 3,369
Beta Sarahsezlove
Summary When things fall apart they stick together.
Notes Written for the new community nukeminibang
Disclaimer Again I owns nothing, nada. If I did, there would have been more then two black people living in Oakdale.
September 13, 2010
Dr. Bob Hughes always wanted to be a doctor; wanted to help others; wanted a career others could look at and be struck with awe by. He wanted a home of his own; a big ole house with a front porch; a swing for him and the misses; something to have for the future as he held her in his arms, rocking back and forth and watching as his grandchildren ran around the yard having the time of their lives.
Bob had gotten all that and then some. His first marriage had gone under rather quickly, but that second one, that second one stuck. Kim was the love of his life; when he met her, he knew she was the one. He had loved his first wife, Lisa, with a passion. She had even given him a son, but being with Kim was like getting a second chance, a breath of fresh air.
Bob, after years of school, years of hard work, had gotten everything he ever wanted. His first marriage may have stalled his path on the road to success a bit, but then Kim came along and he was on the right track again. He had two wonderful sons to pass on his legacy and that great big house - with porch included - the one he had always wanted.
As he stared at the folder in his hand now, knowing what it held, he didn’t understand how he got here, how he let this happen.
A clearing of a throat nearby brings him out of his musings,
“How could I have done this?” he whispers.
“Because you’re a man, Dr. Hughes. It’s ingrained in us to cheat.”
“I love my wife.”
“Awww…yet you fell under the spell of the first lonely girl who blushed at you.”
“That was years ago.”
“It doesn’t matter. Your indiscretion will cost you everything.”
“Please don’t…”
“I don’t need you to beg, I need you to do.”
“It was a mistake.”
“A mistake that will cost you.”
Bob shakes his head slowly. “Please,” he whispers. He hopes there’s a heart with some compassion in there somewhere. He knows it’s a long shot, but god, he has to try.
“Who knows? You could come clean, tell your dear wife about your little fling with Lucinda. Maybe she’ll forgive you.” A devilish smile falls into place. “But - and now this is a strong but - I doubt she’d forgive you for the child you ignored for years, due to that little indiscretion.” That devilish smile is still in place and there’s a little casual shrug of the shoulders now. “You think your kids will forgive you for not telling them they had a sister? I know they are grown now, but surely something that big will tarnish their idea of you - not to mention your reputation within the community?”
Bob shakes his head, eyes falling to the floor, fixated on a pair of leather shoes placed squarely in front of him.
“What do you want me to do?” he mutters, eyes still solely focused on the leather.
“Well…” he says so casually, accompanied by another nonchalant shrug, “…you’re a doctor - mix something up and give it to me.”
“It’s not that easy! It’s not…you have to…it’s a process…”
“I need something quick and fast.”
“Fast?” Bob shouts, astounded by that response. “You could kill your son.”
“I just need something…something that will put him to sleep…something that will make him look as if he’s dead. I need to get him to Malta without a peep.” He shrugs his shoulders again. “The rest? Well, the rest I’ll handle when we arrive. Oh, and do make sure you make enough for that Mayer boy. He’s always around. I need to make sure he’s out of the way.”
“There has to be another way?”
The slow shake of a head tells Bob all he has to know - he’s not getting anywhere. “I’m an old man now.” He knows he’s grasping for straws, but it doesn’t matter; all of that doesn’t matter. “I could kill your son.”
“You’re an old man, yes. But you’re an old man who knows how to…how can I put this…experiment? You’ll figure it out, and if you don’t…” there’s another careless shrug. “I’ll kill you. I kill you if you don’t do it; I kill you if you do it and mess up. So pretty much, you have no choice but to do it and do it right.”
“I could tell Kim what I’ve done.”
“Ah…again, you could.” There’s an evil grin that spreads across his face, “but you won’t.”
Bob exhales and runs one hand over his forehead, while the other clutches at the folder in his hand. He knows he’s right; he won’t tell Kim.
“I need time.”
“You have three days.”
Bob clutches that folder even tighter in his hands. He gives a stiff nod and without further discussion, he makes his exit. He’ll do as he’s told, keep quiet and keep his perfect life intact.
Three days later
“Yeah, but do you still love me?” The question comes out soft, timid, words shaky as they come. The silence that follows is thick, yet the echo of things around them hangs heavy in their ears, as the wait continues.
“Noah…”
Noah shakes his head, cutting Luke off. He doesn’t want to hear it now, doesn’t want to listen to a lie. “Luke.”
“You leave in two days.” Luke shakes his own head. “You should go home, get ready.” He turns away from the look that spreads across Noah’s face.
“That’s not an answer,” Noah says, staring intently at the back of Luke’s head. “That doesn’t mean you don’t love me, it just means we have to…” Luke turns around, that same shake of his head. “No, listen Luke, we…we can make it work.”
“That’s not the problem, Noah.”
“Well then, what is?” Luke jumps at the sound of Noah’s voice. “Damn it!” he shouts, punching his thigh.
Noah doesn’t even try to contain his voice or his behavior. He’s angry now, he’s angry because he knows why; he just doesn’t want to face it.
“Noah, I -”
“Luke, please, I don’t want to -”
“I love Reid.” Luke blurts it, body flinching as the words spill out.
“That’s a lie.”
*****
Six months later.
Luke’s tired of smashing things, of breaking into places and taking what he needs, what they need. He’s tired of sleeping in abandoned houses and crawling into unfamiliar beds, of waking up late afternoon to the smell of fresh coffee brewing in a different kitchen. Staring at the backside of a very familiar figure is about the only thing that keeps him going.
Luke takes a seat at a dusty counter. Noah turns around, a tight smile on his face, and pours Luke his coffee.
“I found creamer in the cabinet - would you like it?” Luke makes a face looking at the canister Noah holds up. “Fine, whatever,” Noah says as he slams the canister on to the counter. “Use it or not.”
“I’ll use it,” Luke whispers, sliding the canister towards him. Noah doesn’t say anything, just starts to search through drawers. He picks up a small spoon and lays it on the counter, simultaneously throwing two packets of sugar Luke’s way.
Luke watches as Noah opens up a dusty fridge, grabbing items out and sniffing cautiously, his head turning quickly to the side as he gets a whiff.
“I’m guessing not edible?” Noah turns his head towards Luke, eyes narrowing as he shakes his head. He throws the food back into the fridge, trapping the stench inside. He opens up the freezer, immediately pulling things out, some dropping on to the counter, other items not of use crashing down hard to the floor.
Luke watches him quietly, knows he should probably stay out of his way. It’s not in his nature to submit, but Noah’s angry and given that it takes a lot to make him angry, he figures he should keep his mouth shut.
“I figure we could stay here for a few days,” Noah murmurs, picking up a frozen piece of meat. “The items in the fridge are rank, but there are a few things in the cabinets we can still use, not to mention this meat.” Noah turns on the faucet and drops the meat into the sink, letting the water hit it directly.
“Maybe we can stay here a little longer? I haven’t seen any...” Luke trails off, his hands clutching tight at the coffee cup.
Noah nods slightly, “We’ll see. It doesn’t seem to have gotten as bad here…yet.” He turns his back to Luke, focusing on the meat in the sink. The fact that the house was abandoned was a topic neither wanted to approach. Whoever they were, they weren’t coming back.
“Noah -”
“It’ll be dark soon. We should get ready.”
“Noah?”
“We’ll see.”
*******
“There’s a safe house in Maine,” Noah says, clearing his throat, his fingers sliding across the laptop he found in the abandoned house.
“I’m surprised you got a connection,” Luke says as he falls down on a couch.
Noah nods his head, agreeing, “Guess we should be lucky. Or as lucky as one can get in a mutant-infected world.”
“It’s luck that other survivors know to use it as a way to communicate.” Luke frowns after speaking those words. “Noah, I -”
“It’s not your fault, Luke.”
Luke takes a deep breath and settles back into the couch. It was no use talking; Noah wouldn’t hear it. Luke, on some level, knew it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t stop Damian. But he wonders if he had fought harder, would this be happening?
“It doesn’t matter,” Noah says, startling Luke from his thoughts. “There’s nothing you could have done. It was either you or him.”
The unspoken ‘it could have been you too, Noah’ lingers there. It was close; too close.
Luke’s brow furrows. Noah knows him so well, knows exactly where his mind dwells.
“Okay,” Noah says as he gets up from the laptop. “It’s getting dark; we should go into the basement now.” It’s only three p.m. when he says it, but it’s March; the days are shorter; it’s time. He walks past the couch, ignoring the set of eyes on him. “I put food and water down there earlier, so we’re set.”
“Noah...”
“You have your gun, right?”
“…what I said about Reid?”
“It was a lie.” Noah doesn’t even turn towards Luke’s direction when he speaks; he just heads for the basement door.
“It was a big one,” Luke murmurs, following behind Noah.
*****
“Noah, Noah? Are you okay?” Luke kneels before him, shaking him, grabbing Noah’s shoulders as if he were trying to shake the life back into him, force it back if need be.
Coughing a little, Noah twitches, hands reaching out for Luke in an instant. “Did…did he hurt you, Luke? Did he use it?”
Luke pulls Noah towards him, pressing Noah’s face into his chest. “I thought…I thought he injected you.” Luke’s fingers curl inward, gripping at the back of Noah’s shirt.
“Where’s Damian?” Noah asks softy, nuzzling into Luke’s chest. Luke inhales, fingers digging deeper, pulling Noah closer.
“I…I don’t know what happened. I…he tried to inject you and I…I attacked him.”
“Luke?”
“I stuck him with it…he…” Luke swallows, not knowing how to finish.
“What? What happened?” Noah asks hoarsely, pulling back to look Luke in the face.
“He dropped. I…I killed him.”
Noah’s brow furrows. Instantly he starts to look around, noticing there’s no body.
“Luke? Where’s Damian if you…if you killed him?”
Luke stares at a spot on the floor, not too far from where they are. “He…he died. He was dead! There was no pulse. Nothing.” Luke’s voice starts to tremble and he’s shaking in denial. “He died!”
“Luke, where’s the body?”
“I couldn’t let him hurt you Noah. I couldn’t.” Luke’s eyes stay fixated on that same spot - looking at it as if it’s something odd and out of place.
“Luke!” Noah raises his voice, hands now gripping Luke’s arms, shaking roughly. “Where’s the body?”
“It ran out of the house.”
Noah looks confused. “What do you mean, it?”
Luke swallows thickly. “Exactly what I meant…it. It wasn’t Damian - at least, not anymore.”
Noah could do nothing but stare, confusion seeping in, an emotion he had no idea was about to become part of his life for an indeterminate amount of time.
Luke jolts back from the memory, arms instantly tightening around Noah as he sleeps.
Noah’s face is buried in Luke’s neck, golden strands shielding him away. Luke takes a deep breath, trying to push the vivid memory away; the feeling of loneliness he felt, not being able to explain what he meant or what he saw deep within his bones.
He couldn’t exactly tell people he killed his biological dad and then say his dad got up dead and ran out of the house. All he could do was hide; take Noah and hide; take Noah - who thought Luke was losing it - and hide.
It was two days later when Noah understood what Luke meant - Damian standing in front of them with two others who were just as dead as he was pretty much gave it away.
It was that same day Luke knew it was a virus - that Damian had spread it. It nearly knocked Luke to his knees, realizing when he injected Damian, he’d helped to make whatever this was a reality.
“Sleep,” Noah murmurs, pushing closer into Luke’s warmth “I can hear you thinking.”
“I’m trying,” Luke says, squeezing his eyes shut. “I just can’t…I can hear them.”
Noah somehow manages to get closer, pushing in as deep as possible. “Ignore it.” He wraps his leg around Luke’s, trapping him. “It’ll be morning soon and they’ll go away. Just try and relax.”
*****
The house they’d decided to lay low in has a pond in the back. It’s morning and the sun is shining bright. It’s beautiful and, for March, it’s quite warm. If it weren’t for the outbreak - the stench of death in the air - all would be perfect.
“Aim it like this.” Noah is standing behind Luke, his chest pressed into Luke’s back, their hands wrapped around a heavy piece of firepower. They’re steps away from the pond and, if it weren’t for the big gun and - again - the outbreak, it would all come across very romantic.
“I know how to do it, Noah.” Luke moves away, pushing Noah back as he moves. “It’s been six months. I can fire a gun.” His voice is snippy and hurt. There’s silence now and Noah is fighting the urge to yell - Luke can tell. “Ohhhh…this is about…”
“Luke, you hesitated. You can’t do that!” Noah knows he’s yelling and that his face is probably bright red with anger.
“Noah, she was a little girl.”
“She was a dead little girl, Luke; who could have killed you.”
“You’re not gonna let this go, are you? You’re gonna stay mad, aren’t you?”
“Until you get it up here?” Noah presses his pointer finger to his forehead, “then, yes! I’ll continue to be mad.”
*****
“Did we have to leave?” Luke groans and kicks at a rock. Noah sighs and shakes his head.
“If you want to make it to Maine, then yes, we had to leave.” They’re sitting on a small bridge with water underneath, Noah on one side Luke on the other. Luke, on occasion, tosses a pebble Noah’s way, a smile peeking through every time he hits him on top of the head.
“Stop, Luke!” Noah’s still smiling as he brushes his fingers through his hair, getting the rocks loose.
Its early morning, the sun almost set high in the sky. They sit in silence, the chirping of birds their only source of entertainment.
“The laptop showed there’s a small town not too far from here. We could be there by twelve if we keep walking.”
“Good thing you found that laptop,” Luke says, picking up another pebble.
“Yep,” Noah says, winking at Luke, “good thing. Five more minutes, okay? Then we should get going.”
Luke nods his understanding. He pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around his legs before placing his chin atop. “Noah?”
“Yeah, babe?”
Luke takes a deep breath, “You think Damian knew what was happening to him?”
Noah’s brow furrows. “You mean, do I think he knew what would happen?” Noah’s shaking his head as he says the words. “Damian didn’t want to hurt you Luke - at least not physically. He wanted to take you away. He played with fire and got burned.”
Luke tightens his hold on his legs as he sits. He rocks slightly back and forth.
“How many people do you think are infected now?”
“I don’t know,” Noah says softly, watching as Luke rocks. “I wonder if Holden took action.” Noah closes his eyes. “God, I hope he got them all out. The family,” he clarifies, knowing that Holden is only human; he can’t save everyone.
“I wonder if Reid…” Luke stops talking and looks to the side, not able to look Noah in the face.
“You wish when it happened you were with him, don’t you?” Luke’s head shoots up, eyes round like saucers, and he shakes his head wildly. “You don’t have to protest so hard Luke. I get it.”
Luke jumps up from his spot on the ground.
“Are you crazy? I wouldn’t have stopped ‘til I found you; or I wouldn’t have stopped ‘til I found proof you were dead.” Luke turns his back to Noah. “If you would have died - become one of those things - there’d be no reason for me to run anymore, because…I’d be dead too.”
“Don’t say things like that!” Noah screams the words and Luke flinches hearing the tone. “You and Reid would have run. Point blank.”
Luke turns around, shaking his head
“No, I wouldn’t have.” Noah bites back his words; he can see the stubborn look on Luke’s face and can tell he speaks the truth. “If you hadn’t have been there when Damian came for me, I don’t know what I would have done.”
Luke looks down at the ground, his hands balled tight in fists at his side.
“I don’t know if Reid made it, but…” Luke takes a deep breath, fingers coming up to brush away tears “…as long as it wasn’t you, I’m okay with that.” He knows it’s a horrible thing to say - to feel - but it’s the truth and that can’t be changed - at least not for him.
“We, ah….we should get going,” Noah says, clearing his throat. He reaches his hand out to Luke, pulling him into his body the instant they make contact. “Don’t cry,” he murmurs, nuzzling his nose into Luke’s neck. They stand like that for a moment, before Noah sighs deeply. “We need to go.”
Luke nods, wrapping his arms around Noah’s waist “Let’s go,” he says, pressing his lips to Noah’s, real quick, before pulling away.
Before he can get far, Noah grabs him again, pulling him back into his chest. “We’re gonna make it,” he says. “We’re gonna help stop this, or try. I don’t know how,” he continues, “but something; we’re gonna do whatever we can.”
Luke exhales. “This is gonna sound so cliché and corny, but…” he turns around in Noah’s arms “…we can do anything as long as we’re together.”
Noah smiles, pressing his forehead to Luke’s. “You’re right - that was corny.”
“Shut up.” Luke says.
Noah laughs. “Come on, let’s go. We got a lot of ground to cover.” Noah releases Luke and picks up a duffle bag.
“Noah?”
“Yeah, Luke?”
“We’re gonna make it, right?” No matter how sure of himself Luke sounds, he still needs some reassurance.
“Oh, yeah.” Noah gives Luke a slow burner smile. “We’re gonna make it.” Noah jerks his head, silently telling Luke to start walking. Luke takes his hand, moving quickly.
“We’re gonna make it Luke, no matter what.”
The end.