At the End of the World [Laine x Pari]

Russell’s smile disappeared as she pulled away, gritting his teeth as she once again rejected his advances, although neither of them knew it wasn’t on purpose. Her eyes were looking around the room, anxiously flicking in every direction except his. He felt his face flush as she asked, her tone sounding almost accusatory to him. Should something feel wrong? I’m trying my best here. What more does she want from me? He thought, not knowing she was referring to Hamden, and not their tenuous relationship.


“No. Nothing’s wrong.” He huffed, withdrawing his hands and burying them in his pockets. He wandered around the room, having remembered hearing her running the water. He checked the taps, satisfied that they had running water, as well as electricity, and turned the shower faucet. He ducked out of the way of the water, holding his hand underneath it as it ran for a few seconds. It gradually began to warm up, and he flicked his eyes back at Autumn, shooting her a dirty look as he took his shirt off. Without saying a word he shut the bathroom door at her, hoping that a warm shower would help.


As it turned out, it did. He came out about twenty minutes later, feeling clean for the first time in weeks. His mind was clearer, too, and he realised that he’d made a lot of exceptions for Hamden, just because he was desperate and hungry at the time. He figured at some point he’d go back to Ebony, or whoever was in charge, and ask to negotiate how long they were going to stay there, and whether or not they get any weapons, food and other luxuries. Considering he’d given them a small fortune in common medicines, he realised that he’d been too hasty in letting them take what they wanted with no questions asked. And maybe some extra food will make Autumn happy, he thought, biting his lip as he thought of how he could win her over.


It wasn’t until the thought crossed his mind that he realised he was alone in the spacious hotel room, and he wandered around, a towel still wrapped around his waist. He furrowed his brows, calling out tentatively and dragging his hand through his still damp hair. “Autumn?” His eyes caught the notepad on the table, which was placed so obviously even he didn’t miss it.


Tried to knock but you didn’t answer. Got called down for dinner. Meet me in the lobby, Autumn


It read simply in her handwriting, which he’d never seen before, and he frowned, stalking back into the bathroom and pulling his clothes back on, which were still dirty and worn. She had left the key on the table next to the notepad, and he picked it up on the way out, locking the door behind him and trapsing down the stairs, still unsure about what to say to her. He eventually made it down to the lobby, greeted by the smell of cooking meat that made him almost weak at the knees.
 
As soon as the bathroom door shut, Autumn grabbed her bag and pulled the hotel key out of her pocket. She dropped to all fours, crawling under the table to the vent. She used the key as a makeshift screwdriver, successfully unscrewing the vent. Leaning it against the wall, she stuffed the rest of the medicine and her food in the vent, pushing it as far back as she could, while still being able to reach it. She screwed the cover back on, crawled out from under the table, and tossed the empty bag on the bed.


It was just in time, as there was a knock on the door. Glancing around the room, she walked over to it and answered it, not bothering to look through - and came face to face with Ebony. "Hello," the older woman chirped. Autumn stayed silent, noticing the way Ebony's eyes seemed searching the suite behind her. "Is Russell here?" she asked, a little too innocently. The brunette's eyes narrowed slightly at the question. "He's in the bathroom," she answered casually, leaning against the door frame. "Can I help you?" Ebony, as it turned out, had difficulty at disguising her disappointment, something which, despite everything, amused the teen.


"Oh. Well, I just came to say that dinner's ready, so anytime you're ready, just come down to the dining room." Ebony turned to leave, but Autumn called her back. "Just curious, but how many other people are staying here?" She doubted the large building was empty save for her and Russell. "There are a few others who've come in from other cities and towns." The woman waved a hand. "They should be down there, too." She started walking down the hallway, and disappeared down the stairs. Autumn stared at her suspiciously. Assuming that Ebony was the one in charge of Hamden, then why had she come all the way up to the suite, just to say dinner was ready? Could she not have gotten one of the other staff to do it? The brunette frowned, looking troubled. Something still just wasn't right.


Closing the door, she knocked on the bathroom door. Though she could hear water running - probably the shower. So she searched around for a pad and a pencil, finding them in the nightstand beside the bed. She scribbled a quick note to Russell, leaving it on the table with the key. Exiting the suite, she began the long descent down the stairs. Going down was easier than going up, and to her, didn't seem to take as long. Towards the bottom, she began to smell meat cooking, and her stomach growled. She was hungry.


It wasn't long until Russell appeared in the lobby. "Hey," she mumbled, hands shoved in the pockets of her skinny jeans. "We can go eat now, I guess." The dining room was down a hallway left from the lobby, and she started over, glancing back every now and then to see if Russell was following. It had bothered her, that Ebony was looking for Russell - if only because she didn't trust the other woman.
 
Russ shuffled behind Autumn, mumbling a “Y-yeah. Okay.” In return. A quiet buzz could be heard as they neared the dining room, and he felt a pang of nostalgia as he turned the corner, as if he was back at the convention hall, expecting to see tables filled with familiar faces that recognised him as he entered, ready to trade with him in exchange for his goods.


There were several faces there – more than a dozen or so – made up of small groups sitting quite apart from each other. Russ arrived at the table where Autumn was sitting, which just happened to be a double, with the two chairs facing each other. He didn’t meet her eyes as he sat, however, instead scratching his neck as his eyes wandered around the room, wondering where the food was. Sat closest to them was a mother and her two young children, who were eerily quiet and well-mannered as they ate. Her sombre eyes turned to them both, and she pointed over to a buffet table at the far end of the room. “Food’s over there, dears.” She said, looking at Autumn for a second longer before turning back. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like there were tears in her eyes.


He stood again, clearing his throat as he took the plate set in his place, also taking the one in front of Autumn. He braved a weak smile as he looked at her, “I’ll get some for you, yeah?” He wandered over to the buffet table, stealing glances back over at her as he did so. She still looked uneasy, and he vowed to try and patch things up with Ebony as soon as he saw her, as if it would help things between them at all.


When he arrived at the buffet table, his eyes widened in awe once again – it was true, there was meat. Thick steaks and finely sliced cuts lay on wide hot-plates, and his mouth watered as he queued behind several people, wondering how much he could take. Not a lot, he thought, noticing how most only filled a third of their plate, with the chef behind the table sending people away after they’d taken enough. Keeping his head down, he began piling food onto his and Autumn’s plates, including the standard beans, corn and rice that were so common these days because they were canned, as well as a few rare items, like kidney beans and spaghetti. By the time he got to the meat, his plate was almost full, and he yelped at the chef grabbed his hand, wrenching him over the table, his eyes narrowed.


“Ah ah. What room are you in?” He said, eyeing Russ’ plates with suspicion. “That’s way too much food, son.” He yanked a plate out of his hand, and began to scrape some of it back into the bowls. “T-the…suite? The one on the top floor…?” Russ stammered, his face falling as the food was stripped from him.


He chef eyed him with disbelief, before turning his head to a small note that’d been left, addressed to the chef. He straightened up instantly, noticing the handwriting and swallowing hard “…Jeez. You’re right…Take what you want, kid.” He said hastily, helping carve off a huge slice of indistinct meat and hauling one onto each plate. He watched Russ walk off, who looked slightly confused but was also thrilled by the fact that his plate was piled high with fresh, hot food, and the jealous eyes around him only enhanced his smug grin as he walked back to the table. He placed Autumn’s plate in front of her, in a far better mood than he had been, and began tucking in greedily, the thought of talking things through with Ebony once again pushed at the back of his mind. “Oh my god. This is…amazing.” He groaned, smiling up at Autumn.
 
Autumn swallowed. The dining room was quiet, with those seated sitting far from each other. She slunk over to a table for two, Russell trailing behind her. She sat down at the table, staring down and not looking at the boy across from her. She turned towards the woman when she spoke, her brows furrowing. For children as young as hers, they were very quiet.


The woman's gaze lingered on her before she turned back around. The brunette felt extremely uneasy. The woman's eyes had been bright - she could have sworn they were filled with tears. Russell had taken their plates and had gone to the buffet. She narrowed her eyes, sitting in silence while she waited for his return. She discreetly glanced around the room, looking at the different people who were present. A few of them wore the same, somber looks the woman had, which didn't help her nerves. The others were quiet as well, softly discussing between them. She saw Ebony pass by the dining room entrance - quickly glancing inside, her gaze on Russell before she was gone. Sitting back in her seat, the brunette looked at Russell, who looked like he was talking to the chef, the plates he was holding piled high with food.


She didn't understand. Russell had seemed smarter, had displayed common sense - so why was he acting so... odd? Couldn't he tell something was wrong? It frustrated her, that he was so blinded by food and running water. She clenched her teeth, staring at the placement in front of her. Autumn was clutching the edge of the chair, her knuckles turning white. Everything was putting her on edge, it seemed.


A steaming plate of hot food was set down in front of her. She picked at the food, only eating small bites despite her previously ravenous appetite. She looked up at Russell, watching him obliviously stuffing his face with food. "...You know, I'm starting to believe you think with your stomach rather than your brain," she said, the accusatory tone obvious in her voice. "Can't you tell something's off about - about this whole town?" Her voice was quiet, but intense as she stared at him, eyes narrowed. "Or are you really just going to pretend everything's fine because they throw you some food every now and then?" Watching him just shovel food in his mouth, seemingly only concentrating on filling his stomach, while she understood his hunger, couldn't he see there was something wrong?
 
Her words stopped him in his tracks, and he slowly put his fork down, murmuring, with his mouth still jammed full of food. “W-what…?” His plate was nearly empty by then, having wolfed down the entire meal in less than five minutes.


He swallowed roughly, gulping down his water and meeting her gaze with innocent eyes. “Something wrong, with…here?” He looked around exaggeratedly, as if whatever was wrong was standing in the middle of the room, painted on the walls or written on the tables. When he turned back to her, he saw nothing wrong with the place – it was well-lit, secure, had good food – in fact the only thing wrong in the room was her, with her teeth clenched and her plate of food almost untouched. “There’s no-thing wrong with this place…” He said steadily, slowly starting to shovel food into his mouth again.


Clearly, it wasn’t reassurance she wanted, as her frustrated eyes were beginning to burn holes in his skull. When his plate was cleared, he rested his fork on the table, and leaned over slightly, a worried expression on his face. “Please, don’t get upset. If it makes you feel better, I can talk to that – weird Ebony woman tomorrow, and-“ he belched suddenly, holding a hand over his mouth. His stomach suddenly began to churn, and he felt a wave of nausea overcome him as he gulped down more water. He shook his head, staring back at Autumn, “-I’ll talk to her tomorrow, and try to negotiate how long we can stay, and maybe get some weapons, and food of our own-“ He shuddered violently, and he stood up suddenly, not even excusing himself as he padded out of the room, tiny beads of sweat forming on his forehead.


Sounds of loud vomiting could be heard from outside the dining hall, and all of the diners turned their heads towards the double doors as Russ remerged minutes later, his face pale. He marched back over to the table, standing by Autumn and holding his hand out impatiently. “G-give me the key. I’m going back to the room.” He avoided looking around the dining hall out of embarrassment, instead focusing on Autumn, whose face was twisted into an irritatingly smug expression. “Just because I threw up does not mean there’s anything wrong.” He hissed, shaking his head hastily.


As he stalked out, a man seated three or four tables behind Autumn also stood up to leave, and he sidled over to her, taking the opportunity of her being alone. He patted her shoulder lightly, looking into her eyes as he spoke. “Hey, don’t worry about it. My friend did the exact same thing the first night we got here. When a guy sees so much food, and he hasn’t eaten in a while, you tend to…you know, gorge yourself.” He slid over into Russell’s seat, still maintaining eye contact. He narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile as he looked at Autumn’s plate of barely touched food. “…Still, It’s interesting that neither of us are very hungry, considering the great spread they have on here. Something on your mind…?” He murmured, cocking an eyebrow at her.
 
Autumn put her fork down, her appetite gone as she watched him stuff himself. She narrowed her eyes, exhaling slowly, feeling irritated. 'of course you don't see it, you're too busy trying to see how much food you can fit on your plate," she muttered.


She stared at him in disbelief. "How can I not get upset? And no, as a matter of fact, that wouldn't make me feel better. Ebony's literally half the probl-" she was cut off when Russell burped, and left the room. She stared after him, wondering what his problem was, until she heard him throwing up. She could not help the smug grin that crossed her face as he came back inside. "..Riiiight," she drawled, handing him the room key. "Try not to puke on the stairs, 'kay? I don't want to see that when I go up." As soon as he was gone, the grin fell from her face, and she leaned her elbows on the table, rubbing her temples.


The pat on her shoulder startled her, and she looked up to see a man. "Huh? Oh, it's not that. I can understand why he's so hungry." She laughed weakly, taking a sip of water. "You... aren't hungry either?" Her interest was piqued. He asked her if anything was on her mind, and she sighed, glancing around the room. Everyone had resumed chatting among themselves. "It's just that... I don't know if it's just me, but..." she looked at him, and strangely enough, he seemed legit to her. Glancing around once more, she lowered her voice. "It's just that ever since we stepped a foot inside the gate, I've just had this... really bad feeling. Like, something seems wrong about this whole town, especially that woman, Ebony." She swallowed. "On our way here, we passed this guy in the street. He was spewing some nonsense about "immunity" and something about a protective mother. It seemed pretty harmless, but something just seemed wrong."


"But the main thing is, he," she gestured in the direction Russell had gone, "he doesn't seem to think everything's wrong. He told me that before this all happened... Well, his family was well off, and he continued to be so even after," she said, once again not revealing the whole truth. "Due to... things, we had to leave. And of course, in the apocalypse, you can't always stay in a hotel room or a mansion." She frowned, lowering her gaze. "I guess what I'm afraid of is that he's being blinded by all of this. The rooms, the food, the shower, of all things." The annoyance at Russell was evident in her tone.


"I don't know. This town is just giving me a bad feeling," she finished, knowing she had been rambling. She looked at the doorway, though she knew Russell was long gone. She rubbed her eyes with her palm, feeling tired and irritated. Russell had thought it was a good idea to go to Hamden, and she had thought so, too. Now, not so much. "Oh, um. My name's Autumn," she said sheepishly.
 
As she spoke, his face curled into a gentle grin, satisfied at what she was saying. He waited patiently for her to finish, glancing around the room incase any had noticed him joining her. Thankfully, after Russell had left, everyone had resumed eating, bitterly chattering about how they wish they could gorge themselves to sickness every night.


“I’m Gage.” He said simply, taking a sip of Russell’s water to clear his throat before he spoke. “And your boyfriend’s happiness isn’t unfounded. I mean, look, this place is a paradise,” He gesticulated around the room, “Electricity, food, running water…It’s like there’s not even an apocalypse going on. You’d have to be stupid to not like it here.” He frowned at Autumn, holding her gaze for a few seconds. He took another sip, still smiling as he seemed to take Russ’ side.


“…But your worries aren’t unfounded either.” He stated, “Something is wrong with this place. Very, very wrong.” His voice began to lower, and although his posture was confident, his eyes still nervously flickered around the room, paranoid that they were being overheard. “You hear about these other towns and cities, with their gangs and tribes, but…this is worse. Way, way worse, Autumn. I’m just thankful that one of you is smart enough to see it. It’s much harder trying to convince two believers than one believer and one sceptic.”


Now that he had her full attention, he shuffled his chair around the side of the table, creeping closer and closer to Autumn as he did so. “I take it you’ve met Ebony? The Mother? She’s what keeps all this running. Without her, there’s no power, no food, no wall.” He chuckled bitterly, “Legend has it, she has this…immunity, yes. Immunity – from them.” He smirked at Autumn’s confused expression. “Oh yeah. She has a bite, on her right shoulder. And yet, she still lives as one of us, still walks, still talks…Weird, huh? I don’t believe that crap at all, personally, but, it’s certainly anything but harmless. Immunity or not, she has a fearlessness that no-one else has, today. And that makes her a very dangerous person, Autumn.”


By now, the dining room was beginning to empty. Gage knew that it wouldn’t be long before someone – either the chefs or the volunteers – noticed that they weren’t the same couple that had entered. It wouldn’t be a problem on it’s own, but Gage had overheard Russell say that they were staying in the top suite, which spelled trouble as it meant that Ebony was keeping an eye on them. He spoke hastily, determined to say what he wanted before they had to leave. “-But enough about her.”


“What I really came to talk about was…that friend I mentioned, before. He and I, we came here from Boston, with nothing but two rifles and a bag of ammo between us. We’ve been here for a month now, just biding our time, with him coming down every night and eating himself stupid, and me, thinking, telling him about the weird vibe this place has…” His eyes glazed over for a second, a pained expression coming over his face as he thought about it. Gage stretched an arm across the table, taking Autumn’s hand and squeezing it tightly. “He reminded me of your friend. Just enjoying the food, the hot water, the street performers, how nice it all seems. And don’t get me wrong, that would be fine, on its own…But, you see, Autumn – my friend’s not here anymore. He’s gone.” Gage tried to hide the despair from his face as he said it, but struggled as he did so. Upon realising that the dining hall was getting emptier and emptier, he promptly stood up, releasing her hand and pulling her chair out for her.


“What I’m trying to say is…Just look after yourself, okay?” There was a worried tone in his voice, although his face had gone back to being emotionless as they walked out of the dining room. “People…go missing around here quite often. And I’d hate to see a beautiful face like yours disappear from this dining hall as quickly as some others do.” His words were shamelessly flirtatious and crass, although he had something other than romance on his mind as he promised her, “I’ll talk to you later, Autumn.”
 
Autumn had been listening carefully, biting her lip. His friend was... Gone? She would have asked him more questions, but it was getting late, and with Ebony seemingly lurking about, and her new information, she didn't want to stay away from Russell at that time for much longer. "I'll see you later then," she said softly, starting up the stairs.


She felt troubled. She knew there was something odd with Ebony, but having a supposed "immunity"? She shuddered, thinking back to the man. If the other townspeople were like him, then it was almost as if they worshipped her. And that, that made her uncomfortable and even more wary of the woman than she had before. Gage had said she was fearless, fearless of the things that haunted the world, the undead beings that had brought the end of the world. He was right. It made her dangerous, very dangerous.


She pushed a hand through her brown-red hair, wondering how she could tell Russell. Admittedly, she felt guilty about losing her temper, but just how could he not see anything? Sighing she trudged up the stairs, hoping he at least felt better so they could talk about it. She glanced behind her, as if making sure that Ebony wasn't following her. She hadn't seen the woman since Russell had gone to get the food, but she wanted to be sure. Swallowing, she started going up the stairs at a faster pace, feeling rather uneasy about the whole thing.


She walked, her footsteps echoing through the empty staircase. It was only when she was nearly at the suite that it occurred to her that she didn't have a key. Groaning loudly, she rolled her eyes. They only had one key between the two, and she had given it to him. She hoped he wasn't asleep or something so she would be able to get in the room. It would have been bad if she was stuck outside all night, which she really didn't want to happen. Not with the bad vibes the town was giving her, and not with Ebony around. "He better still be up," she grumbled to herself, irritation flaring up again at the revelation.


Though she couldn't help but feel concerned. What if he wasn't in the room? Gage had said people were disappearing - what if he was gone, too? It was early, they had just arrived, but with the possibility in mind, it was enough to get her worried. She practically sprinted up the rest of the stairs, though that had been a bad idea. With a lack of energy and food, she didn't feel her best when she got to the top, panting and feeling rather dumb. "Russell?" she called, knocking on the door. "Are you in there?"
 
Russell had his head hanging over the bowl of the toilet as Autumn knocked, still heaving from stuffing himself with food. He wiped his mouth, sighing deeply at the terrible waste. It took him a few minutes to get to her as he stood shakily, stumbling over to the door, his face a picture of irritation as he remembered her smug comment. “No, I’m not. Go away.” He grumbled.


He waited a few minutes longer, twisting the key in his fingers, before turning it the door and yanking open the handle. His face was ashen and his hair was greasy with sweat – he looked not unlike the undead as he stood there, arms folded. He saw a twinge of concern in her face as he opened it, although it quickly melted away, instead matching his expression of slight irritation. “What’s up with you? Still can’t find something wrong with this place?“ He sniggered, rolling his eyes as she pushed past him. He shut the door, locking it shut with a click and placing the key gently on the table. He rested against it for a few seconds, his head swimming with nausea once again.


He started taking deep breaths, wincing over at Autumn as she tried to say something to him. He only shook his head in response, not really listening to what she was trying to tell him, “Mhmm…Nope, I’m gonna hurl again-“ He suddenly pushed past, dashing to the bathroom and slamming the door. His body trembled and shuddered as the hotel room was filled with the sound of vomiting again. When he was done minutes later, he washed his mouth out and opened a window, hoping that it would be the last time. I didn’t even eat that much food, he grumbled to himself, once again dragging himself out of the bathroom, maybe the meat was badly cooked.


“Ugh. I hate being sick.” He moaned to no-one in particular, plopping himself down into the bed. He didn’t dare look over Autumn as he lay face down against the clean sheets, who was undoubtedly still smug that his illness was ultimately his own fault. He sighed softly, teasing his hands through his dirty blonde curls as he mumbled, “...Sorry. I haven't seen that much food in a while. I guess I got a bit...excited.” The mention of food made him shudder again, but he stayed put, lying on the bed in exhaustion.
 
Autumn exhaled, the irritated expression still present on her face. "It's fine," she said, her tone indicating that it was not, in fact, fine. Maybe she shouldn't have been so hard on him. Hamden was like a paradise, after all. But she only had to remember Gage's words, and glancing over at Russell, she hoped he would be able to see it soon.


If he would only listen to her, that was. She was looking out the window, seeing the sun setting, turning the sky a brilliant red. She closed the curtains. They were on the top floor, but she didn't want to take her chances. It was almost like a force of habit, anyways - while on the way to Hamden, they had to take as many precautions they could on the rare times they stopped to rest in a house or such. They didn't want anyone coming in, or knowing they were there. It often led to blocking the windows and doors with pieces of furniture. The white curtains were silky under her fingers, and she took one last look outside before she closed them.


She turned back towards Russell, who was laying on the bed. "Hey, Russell," she finally said. "Just... don't get sick again, alright?" She had tried to keep the annoyed tone from her voice, but it was his own fault he was sick in the first place. She went over to the door, to make sure it was locked. Satisfied that it was, she sat next to Russell on the bed, picking at her shirt. "Um. I met this guy after you left," she said quietly, unaware of the effect that statement would have on Russell, "and he, uh, told me some things. Just... Be careful, alright?" She wasn't looking at him. Something told her that he wouldn't listen to her that night, and she was honestly too tired to argue.


She removed her boots from her feet. The bed was the softest thing she had ever slept on, it felt like, especially post-apocalypse. She crawled under the covers, pulling them up to her chin. "See you in the morning," she muttered, rolling over so her back was towards him. She was asleep almost immediately, curled up under the blankets.
 
Russ waved his hands, grumbling with his face still buried in the pillow. “I won’t, I won’t.” He said, although he wasn’t entirely sure it was a promise he could keep, once the sickness wore off he began to feel desperately empty again. He wilted at the injustice that he always seemed to be too full or too hungry, never satisfied.


He slowly turned his head towards her as she spoke. His face was furrowed in confusion as she mentioned Gage. “A…guy…?” he murmured. Her voice was quiet, and she was picking at her shirt nervously and avoiding his gaze “…Oh.” He shuffled up, rubbing his neck. He turned to look at her, but she was facing the other way as she continued to speak, pulling her boots off. What does she mean by that? Be careful of her…being with…other guys?


“Y-eah, yeah, of course I’ll be careful.” He said, still confused. He watched her as she snuggled into bed, swallowing hard as she continued to turn away from him. His heart sank; he wanted to be with her desperately still, but it was slowly becoming more and more obvious to him that she was struggling to make any romantic connection with him. Who’re you kidding, Russell? She’s beautiful, of course she’s got guys going after her. You’ve got to try harder with her now we're not on the road anymore. He slid into the bed, shuffling over so his back was facing her. His nausea had finally faded away, but a headache had taken its place. It took him a long while to fall asleep, turning over things in his mind as he thought of the best way he could try to win her over, rubbing his head to relieve himself of his tension.


When Autumn awoke, he was already up and sat at the table, cradling a cup of coffee against his lips and sipping from it gradually. He had already been down to the lobby, telling the woman at reception on the way there not to call up to their room for breakfast. He’d eaten semi-sensibly, only taking a plateful of beans, two fried eggs, and a helping of rice, despite a compulsion to pile as much as he possibly could on his plate. He’d briefly bumped into Gage, too, giving him an odd look at the unfamiliar man as he raised his eyebrows as him. Then he’d gone back upstairs with a plate of food for Autumn, letting her sleep for a few more minutes while he sipped at his coffee to keep his hunger at bay. She seemed strangely peaceful in her sleep, despite her apprehension of the town, and he hoped that it meant she wasn’t having nightmares as frequently.


Russ saw Autumn begin to shuffle up, and he picked up the plate, walking over to her with a gentle smile on his mouth. “Morning, Autumn. I got you some breakfast.” He placed it on her lap, handing her a knife and fork.
 
Her sleep had been dreamless that night, something she was grateful for when she woke up. She woke up feeling well-rested, for the first time in a while. It took her a moment to remember where she was, which also brought back memories from the night before, and her brief talk with Gage. She sat up in the bed, the covers falling down to her waist.


"Oh, thank you." Russell had gotten her breakfast, and she accepted the knife and fork. Hearing her stomach growl, she figured it wouldn't hurt to eat something - as long as she didn't eat too much too fast. Autumn dug in, admitting to herself that the warm food, was pretty good. It certainly beat the canned food that they had been eating. She briefly let her gaze drift to the vents before she dropped it back to her plate, mostly concentrating on the food.


When she was done, she placed the plate on the bed, climbing out and picking up her boots. "I'm going to take a shower," she said softly, entering the bathroom and closing the door. She took longer than she usually did, enjoying the feel of the warm water. It embarrassed her that, upon exiting the shower, she saw that her skin was lighter than it had been previously, she had been that dirty. She dried herself off with the towel, her hair damp as she pulled her old clothes on. She felt refreshed. Opening the bathroom door, the air felt cooler, as the bathroom had been steamy from the warm water. The brunette sat on the bed, tying the laces of her boots. She was quiet, trying to think of something to say to Russell. When her boots were tied tightly, she stood up, glancing in his direction.


"I think I might explore a little today." Her voice was quiet. "Do you want to come with?" Her hope was that, if they looked around a little, she could talk some sense into him. She also wanted to talk with Gage again. Their talk the previous night had been too quick, and she wanted answers about the town. The extent of her knowledge was that Hamden was surrounded by the walls. Autumn wanted to know more, if only so she had a reason of wanting to leave quicker. With Russell coming along, she also wanted to keep an eye on him - she remembered what Gage had said about people disappearing, and if Russell hadn't seen it yet, she was worried he wouldn't until it was too late. Pocketing the suite key, she looked at him expectantly, wanting to go down and see if Gage was up yet.


"Well?" She crossed her arms, impatient to leave. She only hoped it was a warm day, else she would freeze with her still-wet hair. If the weather was like it had been lately, she figured she wouldn't have to worry.
 
While Autumn was in the shower, Russ finished his coffee, lazily looking out the window as he sipped. He peered at the town with a vivid curiosity – the streets appeared to be bustling, with people running backwards and forwards, carrying food, bottles of water, and various other goods. It turned out that if you didn’t live in a hotel, you would have to fetch your own food, given out at various halls around the town at dawn. People waited for their turn anxiously in huge queues that twisted around the block, even though by now it was mid-morning. Russell watched in awe as a fight suddenly broke out between two families at the front of the queue, but turned to face Autumn before he saw it get resolved. When he looked back, the people in question were gone, and a quiet order had assumed amongst the solemn townspeople. He thought nothing of it, and grinned at the clear sky ahead of them instead – it was going to be a nice day, he thought. He wondered where he could take his companion – hopefully somewhere luxurious so she could forget all her unease about the town they were staying in.


He sniffed, looking her up and down. “You see, you look so much better now you’ve had some food and a shower.” He placed his coffee cup down on the table, gathering the plate and cutlery in his hands to bring down with him. Russ jumped as he was met with an irritated gaze and crossed arms. “…Not that you looked bad before…!” he added, chuckling nervously as he went out of the door. It clicked shut behind him as Autumn locked it, and he went down the stairs after her, carrying the cup, cutlery and plate carefully in his arms.


“Did you still want to try and find Ebony today?” He mumbled, struggling to keep up with her as she marched down with determination in her step, “I mean, she did take all of our stuff, and, we didn’t even discuss how long we’re going to stay here for.” He realised as soon as he said it that she wasn’t keen on the idea, and he winced as he waited for a response.


As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by a tall, dark haired young man who appeared to have been waiting for them. Or at least, waiting for Autumn. He strode up to them, a somewhat troubled look on his face. “Autumn, I need to show you something. Come with me.” Gage said seriously, peering straight into her amber eyes as he spoke. Russell set the stuff down on a nearby table, frowning at the man he’d seen at breakfast. “Who’s this?” Russ snapped at her, unable to keep the irritation from his voice.
 
"Oh, now you notice," Autumn snarked, not turning to face him as she strode down the stairs, hands shoved in pockets. She didn't even bother answering about Ebony, her silence an answer enough. Despite the food and the shower, she found herself in a rather foul mood. Russell was still as oblivious as ever, and hadn't seemed to take her words into consideration. Perhaps she should have offered a better explanation, but she wasn't thinking about that. Instead, she was only thinking that if he bothered to know, he would have bothered to ask her about it and actually listen to her. There was a scowl on her face as she stalked down the stairs, muttering under her breath.


As soon as she saw Gage, the scowl disappeared. "What is it?" she asked, brows knitting together in concern. She shot a look at Russell at his question. "Russell, this is Gage, the guy I was talking about last night," she murmured, more for fear of being overheard than anything. "Gage, this is Russell." Her lips twitched upwards, knowing that Gage knew him because he had been the one to throw up at the dining room the night before. Though she was somewhat curious about Russell's own attitude change - he sounded annoyed, as well.


She turned back to Gage, the half-smile slipping from her face. Whatever he wanted to show her, it was apparently urgent, or at least concerning. "Where is it?" All traces of joking were gone, and to be honest, she was a little worried. His expression was concerning, and his seriousness as well. She wondered what he wanted to show her, as she glanced up into his eyes.


It never occurred to her why Russ seemed so annoyed with Gage there. At the moment, it was the last thing on her mind. But at the same time, it was a complete one-eighty from how he had been before when they were going down the stairs, with his soft voice and silence. Of course, her attitude was no better - softening at the sight of Gage, having been irritated at her companion before. Autumn hadn't realized that would annoy Russell, or why he was annoyed in the first place.
 
Russ looked him up and down with scorn. “Hello, Gage.” He growled, raising his eyebrows.


Gage nodded at him, clocking the irritation on his face. “Hi…did Autumn tell you what I said to her?” He said, shooting a look at Autumn nervously. Russ didn’t look too convinced, and Gage sighed, knowing that even if she had, she hadn’t gotten through to him.


Russ stared at Gage coldly. “Yeah. ‘Be careful’, wasn’t it?” He said, shuffling away from him, and nudging Autumn away from him, along the lobby. “I’m sure we can look after ourselves. Come on, Autumn.” Gage ran in front of them, waving his hands. “…Not exactly. There’s something wrong with Hamden, and if you come with me, I can show you proof.” He stressed the last part to Autumn, gently taking her arm and pulling her out of the lobby with him.


“Proof? Of what? Autumn, this guy’s a nutjob!” Russ hissed. Just in the way Autumn couldn’t see how Russ fitted into Hamden life so easily, Russ was struggling to understand how she could believe someone like Gage so readily. As well as this, a rather large part of him was jealous of the look she was giving him. He caught the tiny smile at the side of her face as she saw Gage, and it made him a little envious. Despite his protests, he followed the two, his hands buried in his pockets.


The three turned out of the lobby, towards the East side of town. Gage’s face had relaxed a little more, although he was still nervous about getting caught. “It’s…quite far from here, I’m afraid. Other side of town.” He finally answered Autumn’s question, tugging the bag on his shoulder nervously. They walked at a moderate pace, with Russ lagging behind, scowling like a miserable child. Gage turned his head towards them, feeling sorry for Autumn. She could, for whatever reason, sense that there was something wrong. But like his friend, Russell refused to even imagine that anything that could be up with the town, a naïve ignorance that could end up being costly if they didn’t keep an eye on him.


He tried to lighten the mood as they walked through the quieter alleyways of Hamden, smiling weakly at Autumn. “So…how long have you two been seeing each other?”
 
She blinked. "Huh?" And then it hit her. "Oh. Oh." Laughing a little, she shook her head. "We're not seeing each other. We're just... friends." She glanced back at Russell, who was still sulking behind them. She shrugged lightly. "As for how long we've known each other," her brows furrowed as she tried to think, "a week maybe? Though that's only counting the first time we actually talked." It was a long story she didn't feel like getting into details with, especially if Russell wanted to joke about her stealing from him again. Which she was slowly getting over, as it only brought up memories of Alexi.


Her house key was still in her pocket, and she sighed a little. But to keep her mind off of the memories, she opened her mouth to say something when she was interrupted. "I was looking everywhere for you!" She turned, startled, to see Ebony sauntering down the alleyway, a smile gracing her features. But she was mainly looking at Russell. Autumn exchanged a glance with Gage. "Come on, I wanted to show you something," Ebony said cheerily, hooking her arm around Russell's and dragging him away.


Watching her take him away gave Autumn a weird feeling, as she stared at them with a worried expression on her face. "...Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked Gage quietly. She hadn't wanted Russell to leave her sight, and being around Ebony made her uncomfortable. Though at the same time, the older woman seemed rather fond of her companion, so she could only hope that he would be okay with her, as nervous as that fact made her. She swallowed thickly as they turned a corner, out of the alleyway.


The alley was quiet after that, and she found herself glancing around suspiciously. Ebony had been "looking everywhere" for them, but it hadn't taken her long to find them after they left the hotel - something that made her very wary and on guard. She could only hope that whatever she wanted to show Russell would convince him that Hamden was bad, but she knew, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that it was a long shot. "I hope he'll be okay," she murmured to herself.
 
As Ebony’s face appeared, Gage shrunk away, turning his face towards the alley wall and pressing himself into it, hopeful that she wouldn’t notice him. Thankfully, she seemed more fixated on Russell, and he breathed a sigh of relief as the two slipped away. “Mhmm. He’ll be fine.” He sniffed, his voice high-pitched with nerves as he carried on. It took Autumn a while to follow, and during the time Gage looked back over his shoulder continually, making sure none of Ebony’s stooges were in tow. He’d made a poor name for himself over the past few days by sniffing around Ebony’s business, when he heard her voice he was almost sure he’d been caught out. He knew there was only so much time left before something would happen to him, though. He paced quickly through the streets, mindful of anyone following them.


“I’m sure he will, Autumn.” Gage repeated to Autumn, although he really didn’t know – Ebony was unpredictable at the best of times, and he knew it wouldn’t take much for Russ to do or say the wrong thing before he would be caught out. They turned another corner, breaking into a kind of open area that appeared to have been someone’s garden at some point before the apocalypse. Gage was flicking his eyes nervously around the perimeter, pulling Autumn into the wooden shed there and pulling the door shut quietly. He double locked it behind him, although he knew by now if they’d been followed it was no use. He breathed a sigh of relief again, resting himself before looking again at Autumn.


“I was out this morning, early, looking to trade the last few cigarettes I had left, when I ran into one of Ebony’s patrols. They were looking for someone, shouting his name out and knocking on doors. I hid on a porch, and as if by chance, the guards – the people you see dressed in black – started fighting, and they dropped these.” He dug into one of the plant pots, and pulled out a stack of ten or so scrunched up papers. He laid them carefully on the side in front of Autumn, biting his lip as he looked at it carefully with her. “I don’t know what they mean. But it’s can’t be good, can it?”


On the paper, arranged in neat columns, were names of every person that had ever entered Hamden, along with the name of the town or city they had come from. What was mysterious, however, were the numbers written beside each name, in pencil. Gage traced his finger down the page, tapping at his own name and the number next to it. “Gage, Boston. That’s me. I’m a 4, apparently.” He shifted the pages, looking them up and down carefully. “I think this is you. Autumn, Belmont, right? You’re a 1.” His furrowed his brows, pinching the bridge of his nose in confusion. “There’s no-one here with a number lower than 2, except you. And Russell. I don’t know what it means.” He turned to face her, biting his lip. “…Out of curiosity, what did you guys trade to get in here?”


***********************


Russell hung loosely from Ebony’s arm, his expression changing from annoyed to shock as he was dragged quite forcefully away from the pair. He tried to protest but no words came out, and he wrenched his head around the corner to look at Autumn, who made no move to stop her. He turned to look back of Ebony, who was beaming back at him, squeezing his arm tight against her side. “H-hi, Ebony.” He mumbled, struggling to keep up with her.


“It’s g-good you’re here, actuall-y,” He stammered after a few minutes, putting his sudden jumpiness down to being caught off guard, “I wanted to ask y-you, if we could talk- about staying here. I mean, how long can we stay here…? You – you took all of my medicines off me, and even though – even though the hotel is nice, very nice – We didn’t negot-negotiate exactly what we were getting into.” Russell chuckled nervously. She didn’t appear to be listening to him, a determined look in her eye as she dragged him along.


Russ swallowed hard, raising an eyebrow as he remembered Autumn’s words from last night; Ebony’s half the problem. He tried to loosen his grip around her, saying with a worried tone. “Uh, where are we going?”
 
Autumn inspected the papers carefully. It was true, her and Russell appeared to be the only ones marked down as 1. She looked up at Gage, frowning. "Medicine," she said slowly. "You... don't think that has anything to do with it, do you?" Smoothing out the paper the paper with her name on it, the one with the fewest names since it appeared to be sorted by arrival time, she swallowed. "What did you trade?" She couldn't help but wonder if the numbers corresponded with what they had traded. If she was right, number 1 would be the most valuable, with medicine. Her brows furrowed. Either way, 1 had the attention of the guards and Ebony, and whatever it was, she didn't like it. "Um... What floor are you on, in the hotel?" she asked, wondering if that had anything to do with it. "And... Is your friend on here?"


Leaning down to look at the papers closer, she narrowed her eyes, pointing at one of the names. There was a faint "x" by it, and she noticed the number was rather high - she couldn't tell, the pencil was smudged, but it look like a 15 or so. Several other names were marked, but with a start she realized the numbers by the names varied. "You said people disappear, right?" Her voice was hushed, glancing around the small shed as if they were being listened to right there. It was risky enough Gage had the papers. No doubt the guards would be looking for them, and she felt sick when she thought of what would happen if they were caught with them.


She understood why Gage had looked so nervous. With possession of papers like the ones they were holding, she would be nervous too. She was, as she looked at the papers. There were so many names, and she knew for a fact that the amount on the papers did not match the amount of the people she had seen in the dining room. She knew that there was a possibility not everyone had attended dinner, but it was still enough to make her shudder. Hamden was not turning out as it had first seemed. Which brought back her frustration. If Russell had been able to see the papers, would he have been convinced or not?


She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "I wish he was here," she muttered. Despite Gage's earlier reassurances, she was still worried. Staring down at the number, it seemed to almost taunt her, as they didn't know for sure what the numbers meant. They had a few guesses, but unless they asked Ebony directly, which was completely out of the question, they couldn't be certain. Autumn had to wonder if they had enough time left to figure it out.


******************************


"Hmmmmm?" She had barely been listening, instead drinking up the sights of those she passed bowing to her. "Oh. See, that's what I wanted to talk to you about!" Ebony grinned. She steered him through the streets, passing the hotel as she did so. They were joined by one of the guards who fell into step behind her. "Did you find the papers yet?" Her voice had a touch of irritation at the question, and she glared at the woman when she shook her head. "Keep searching."


They arrived at a large building close to one of the walls. It was tall, rivaled by the hotel. Ebony dragged him up the stairs to the top, where the glass windows showed the whole town, as well as beyond the walls. It was one of her favorite places to be, able to see the whole town from it. "So," she started, leaning against one of the windows, "about negotiations." She smiled, glancing up and down at Russell before turning around to look at the view.


"You brought a lot of medicine with you." She had had one of the guards store it in with the rest of the supplies they had stocked up, in the same building her office was. "You can stay as long as you want," Ebony stated casually.
 
Gage raised his eyebrows. Medicine? To possess such rare items these days was almost unheard of, and considering both Russ and Autumn were practically children still, he doubted that they could’ve stolen them. “We were out of food. We only traded what we only had on us; Guns and ammo.”


He shuffled uncomfortably, gripping the bag on his back. He shot a look at Autumn, figuring he could trust her enough if he’d shown her the papers. He opened the bag, showing her what was inside. “Well, that’s not entirely true...They didn’t search me, so I kept some things. I stuffed them behind the toilet in our room. Just token stuff. Cigarettes, batteries, matches…Not worth much. Trading is pretty much forbidden within Hamden, though, so it’s difficult to get rid of them. Shame.”


He pulled out a cigarette, tapping against the side. He pulled out the paper with his name on it, scrunching his eyes at the list. “It’s not a suite, but...It’s still in the hotel. I’m on the…third floor. Could that be what ‘4’ means? But then again, you’re at the top and you’re ‘1’…” He sighed, “And people get moved around all the time. That woman and her kids got moved to the fifth floor yesterday, just underneath yours. Weird.”


He finally found his name again. It was at the bottom of the page, and he turned it over to find the name of this friend. “There. Jake, Boston.” He shuffled over to Autumn, tapping the ‘x’ next to his name, which was identical to the one Autumn had seen next to the other name. He swallowed thickly, and nodded, struggling to speak. He knew that his friend was gone, but seeing it written down on paper made it seem as if it had been…planned. “I…don’t get it.” His voice faltered, and he turned the page, comparing his name against his companion’s. “If you think this little ‘x’ means gone, then…Well, Jake and I came in at the same time. We traded the same stuff. And yet, it looks like…” Gage traced his finger over Jake’s number, biting his lip, “It looks like his number was changed, from 4, like me, to…13? Why…A-And does that mean...?”


**********************


“…As long as we like? That’s good. Great…!” Russ didn’t try to hide his excitement as she said it, although he still felt a little uncomfortable about the way she looked him up and down before she spoke. She was looking out of the window, which had a view parallel to the one they had from the hotel.


The way the she stood was dignified, almost regal as she peered out. Russ peered curiously at her, remembering how some in the street had lowered their eyes, even going as far as bowing down as they passed her. Why would they treat her like that…? He mused, frowning slightly. He stayed a few paces back from her, as if power was emanating from her posture itself.


He thought for a few seconds, looking out at Hamden with her. He chuckled nervously again. “Uh, listen…I know it’s a stupid question, but…you know Autumn, the girl I came in with?” He slowly walked towards her, crossing his arms and leaning against the sill of the window, although making no eye contact with her. “…she said she’s got a…funny feeling about this place, would you believe it?” he broke up his question with more nervous laughter, “...and uh, I was just wondering, since you pretty much run this place…if you know about anything, you know…weird going on?”
 
Autumn shifted, licking her lips. "I-I don't know." Though as she looked down at the papers, she frowned, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "You d-don't think it has anything to do with value... Do you?" She was slowly putting together the pieces, though at that point she was unsure if they were fitting together or if she was forcing them to.


"...You said... you said that they didn't search you, right? They didn't look through my bag, either." The brunette looked uncomfortable as she spoke her next words. "They looked through Russell's, though. His contained all the medicine he had with him." She looked at the paper, at the 1 printed next to his name. "They... never really gave us the bag back. I have mine though... I hid the rest of the supplies," her voice lowered, "in the vents."


"I didn't tell Russell about it, either. He didn't notice." Shrugging slightly, she felt a little sad she didn't feel she could trust him with something so simple. "But anyway..." She glanced at Gage, playing with the hem of her shirt. "Let me just take a guess here... Did they search Jake? And take his bag? Which would mean that they have all his stuff, which might also mean..."


It was hard to speak past the lump in her throat. "What if... Once those who have entered are deemed "useless" to Hamden..." It was hard for her to get the next words out. "Like, when their supplies have run out or something... What if they're... disposed of?" Her voice was quiet as she stared down at the papers. She was hoping she was wrong. Staring at her name, neatly printed, with the 1 next to it. Thinking about the food and medicine hidden in the vents, hoping it hadn't been found. Thinking about Russell, dragged away by Ebony, poor, blind Russell, and suddenly she felt sick. "You know... Ebony seems to really like Russell," she murmured, though that did little to make her feel better. Russell's name was printed on the paper, and she just hoped he would just see.


***************


Russell wasn't looking at her, so he hadn't seen the shadow that had briefly crossed her face at the mention of Autumn, and her "weird feeling". It was gone as soon as it had appeared, but she didn't look at him, staring out the window at the town. Her eyes were narrowed slightly, lips pursed.


"Weird? As far as I know, knowing weird is going on," she said sweetly, lying right through her teeth. It might not have been weird for her, but for him, she wasn't sure. She studied the individual buildings, frowning a bit. She hoped the guards could find the papers soon. They needed to be updated, she supposed. The woman sniffed a little, glancing at Russell before looking back outside.


"The apocalypse changes people," she said simply. "Perhaps she's just not used to the normality of Hamden life. You guys came from Belmont, correct? I would think the situation there is very different from here." She shrugged, seemingly nonchalant, though she knew Autumn would be someone to watch out for. People who were too caution were dangerous, she had learned. "...Though, did she say anything else about her 'feeling'?" Her voice was casual, as if they were chatting about something as simple as the weather.
 
“That’s the only explanation that makes sense to me, really. Because, well, it means…the value of a person is determined by what they bring in. And then, it steadily increases over time, because they’re not giving anything back to Hamden. Whereas if you volunteer, or, you might still have stuff on you, then...it doesn’t…?” He felt like he was stabbing in the dark, although it made some kind of sense to him. Hamden was a wealthy, very wealthy town, and yet it’s population was continuously growing still. It meant that people like Russell and Jake, who were obviously a drain on resources, would have the attention of Ebony and the guards from the get-go, whereas Autumn and Gage, who were cautious and secretive, would be less of a threat, and so would get less attention. It also meant that once a false sense of security developed, and they lowered their guard, they would then be searched too, revealing more goods they might have otherwise never found.


“Disposed of…” Gage felt uneasy about that word, although he knew deep down, from what they had worked out, was beginning to sound more and more likely. He sniffed, wondering how Ebony could get away with such a thing without anyone noticing. “Wait…like at carousel?!” It suddenly hit him, and he stammered, breath catching in his throat as he spoke. He turned to Autumn, tears forming in his eyes as he began to explain. “Every afternoon, Ebony, she- she stands on a stage outside her office, blabbing about the immunity or something or other – for the mother to protect, her children must…also give –“ Everyday, people were ordered to go and watch, staring up at their “mother” adoringly. Gage had only gone because he was forced to, but the words they’d chanted each time came to him easily.


“And then, well, she opens one of the gates, at the far side of town, for one hour, but, but – no zombies ever come. She says it shows us her protection, her immunity, because none walk inside. But perhaps…the hordes stay outside for a reason?” His stomach churned, and he put his hand over his mouth. “In that case, we need to find a way out of here.” He shook his head, grabbing the papers and stuffing them back in the plantpot, but allowing Autumn to keep the one with their names on with her. “But-but for the time being, until we prove this, somehow – we just need to lie low, and not cause any trouble. Someone will notice if any of us off slink off for hours on end. And if they find the papers, well…”


He swallowed deeply again, exchanging a terrified glance with Autumn. He took her shoulders in his hands, peering deep into her eyes, trying to reassure her, although his eyes looked equally scared. “Ebony took Jake away a few times before he disappeared. But she brought him back each time. I’m sure Russell’s fine.” He repeated, although his words were empty once again, he had no idea, nor did he really care – there was only a fear for himself and Autumn, who knew what was going on. He knew they would both be in the firing line if those papers were found. “Take that paper straight back to your room and hide it with the rest of your stuff. Show Russell, if you can, and tell him what we’ve talked about. If he believes you, great, if not, then…” He trailed off, shaking his head. He pulled open the door, gently pulling her out with him. He glanced around nervously, “Its…probably best if we don’t go back together. I’ll see you at Carousel, okay?” He turned away and bolted out of the garden, hastily covering his terrified breathing with fast steps.


*************


Russ sniffed, swallowing down a sombre feeling he had. He tapped the glass of the window, his face twisted into a frown. “Yeah. It did change people. Belmont became pretty much a bloodbath after a while. People executing each other, getting beaten and mugged, having your stuff stolen, people setting fire to other’s houses, it was like…you had the zombies, and then you had the people, too.“ He shivered, rubbing his hands against his shoulders. He hadn’t thought about his home town since leaving it behind, but he was ultimately glad he’d left it. It certainly seemed far more primitive, far more unsafe that paled in comparison to what Hamden could offer him.


“It’s why I like it here.” A pleasant, almost dreamlike grin came to his face, and he smiled up at Ebony, “This place…is like what it was before. It’s not just the electricity, the food, the…stuff. It’s the people, too. Everyone seems so much less violent, you feel like you can really let your guard down here. I haven’t slept so well in weeks.” He stretched his arms out in a quiet yawn, bringing his hands to rest on the sill of the window again.


At the thought of sleeping, he thought about his companion, who was doing anything but sleeping soundly at night. He frowned, wondering how difficult it must be to be so wary about everything. “Autumn, she just…doesn’t like it here, I don’t think. She didn’t really say what about or why. Just that...'something was wrong'...then again, I’m not sure she likes anything I try and do for her.” He sighed, biting his lip. He turned back to Ebony again. "I mean, even though she stole from me, I helped her escape from an execution, travelled with her, shared my stuff...and even now, I traded away all I had to get here, and she's still not happy. What is wrong with her...?" He said through gritted teeth.


Russ looked out over the town, watching the people slink around their own business. After a minute, he rubbed his neck, stifling a chuckle. "Sorry. I guess you didn't bring me here to hear about my relationship troubles, did you?" His eyes asked the real question, though, that he wanted to ask but was also apprehensive of the answer; why did you bring me here?
 
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Autumn watched Gage run off, and she quickly folded the paper up and stuffed it in her pocket. She waited a while before heading back herself. She felt unusually jumpy, especially every time she passed a guard. They didn't give her a second look, though every time she passed one, she felt paranoid, like if they just looked at her they'd know that she had the paper. It frightened her, how many guards there seemed to be in the streets. More than there had been the previous day, and suddenly the paper in her pocket felt heavier. Gage had said that the guards had dropped the papers, and he took and hid them. She wondered if they were looking for them. It seemed odd, that they only had a single copy of the documents, but maybe they thought one was enough. Either way, she was all too ready to just be back at the hotel room, away from them and the streets. Quickening her pace, she lowered her gaze and headed on, hands in pockets.


The walk back seemed to take forever. She chalked it up to the fact that she was alone, and paranoid, but she didn't know. It didn't help that she kept getting lost, taking wrong turns and ending up in back alleys. While she had been paying attention on their walk to the shed, being unfamiliar with Hamden, she was getting quite turned around. It frustrated her, but it also helped her paint a better picture of the town - the walls, the building, she even passed by the stage. Which meant that she was close to the hotel. Looking up, she saw it, and with a small sigh of relief, headed towards it. Ducking out of the way of the guards, she slipped inside and started the ascent up the stairs. Digging around in her pocket, for the key, her fingers made contact with the paper, and it rustled. She paused briefly, glancing around before pulling the key out and hurrying up.


The brunette didn't stop until she was in the room, the door locked. Sitting on the bed, out of sight of the door, she pulled out the paper, studying it. She hoped Russell would return soon, so she could show him the evidence. He had to believe her. Especially if they had to go to the carousel. She couldn't help but shudder. The whole town was beginning to lose its appeal, not that it had much to her in the first place. Every minute, it seemed less like the paradise her companion thought it was, and more sinister than it seemed. Paper in hand, she bit her lip. If Russell didn't believe her by looking at the paper, or by going to the carousel, she didn't know what she would do.


The carousel. She shivered slightly, but not with cold. Gage had said Ebony's fearlessness had made her dangerous, but she was only realizing how. It wasn't even the fact of the huge risk of the zombies wandering in the gates that he said would stay open for an hour - it was the fact she was doing such a thing in the first place. And she had so many people wrapped around her finger, believing her and her "immunity". She wondered if she really had a bite on her shoulder, though Gage had seemed sure of it when he told her. Autumn wanted to see it for herself, though, if so many people were following her, believing her, she couldn't help but wonder. Getting up and pacing around the room, she kept glancing at the door, waiting for Russell to knock.


*****************


"I just wanted to talk to you," Ebony said mildly. She had been wanting to ask him a few questions, but unbeknownst to him, he had answered them for her. She mulled over his words about his "relationship problems" carefully. "It sounds like you've done so much for her, without as much as a thank you." Her voice was suddenly silky, sympathetic. She placed a hand on his shoulder, gently turning him back towards the stairs. The woman gave him a sympathetic look, all the while tucking information at the back of her mind. So Autumn had stolen something from him? Interesting. She hid a smirk, instead looking at him with concern.


"It seems like she just doesn't appreciate what you do for her," she murmured, shaking her head slightly as they started down the stairs. She sighed. "Not everyone is going to be happy, but it's such a shame when you've been trying so hard. And you seem so happy, too. Can't she see that?" She was speaking softly, taking his frustration and twisting his emotions against his own companion.


They exited the building, her lips twisting into a brief frown when one of the guards shook his head. Still no papers. The frown was gone as soon as Ebony looked back at Russell. "Maybe you should try talking to her." She had a feeling, though, that Autumn would not be easily persuaded - just like Russ would not easily accept there was something very wrong about Hamden. Those who were not a drain on the resources, while useful for longer, if they were as suspicious as Autumn and Gage, that made them dangerous. She needed those papers, and she wondered how on Earth they had been lost.


It was a short stroll to the hotel. "That was a nice talk, yes?" For her, it was. It was successful, and that was what mattered to her. "I'll see you later." Leaving him in the lobby, she turned on her heel and walked off, snapping her fingers and starting to converse with one of her guards. There was a carousel to prepare for, gates to open, and papers to find.
 
Russell sighed in quiet frustration, agreeing solemnly to Ebony’s words. The hand on his shoulder and her tone of voice was comforting, and as she spoke to him, he felt eased by her presence, despite the initial apprehension. Why does Autumn not trust her again? She seems fine to me, he thought, smiling weakly at her as he was led out from the building. He’d forgotten all about any negotiating for trading weapons and food, if they did decide to leave. In Russell’s mind, because of what Ebony had said, they were staying there permanently, whether Autumn liked the idea or not. Ebony’s manipulative words had worked exactly as she had intended them to – Russ was now completely illusioned by the fact that Autumn was the problem, not Hamden or Ebony.


“Mhmm. I might. Who knows if she’ll listen, though. Maybe…at some point you could try talking to her? You sure have convinced me.” He chuckled as they neared the hotel, “I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what to make of you when I first saw met you. And well, when Autumn started complaining, I just…had my doubts about this place. But you said we could stay for as long as we like, so…It’s all good now.”


He nodded, turning to face her as they entered the lobby. Several guards ducked out of her way, as if they were avoiding her for some reason. Russell took no notice, however, and smiled back at her. “Yes, it was. I’ll try and talk her ‘round for you. Thank you, Ebony.” He said, giving a polite little wave as she walked off.


Russ turned and trudged up the stairs, hoping that whatever Autum was doing with Gage had finished already. He shuddered, a frown crawling onto his face as he climbed. He tried to push the other guy out of his mind as he neared the door, not bothering to call out or knock. He simply twisted the handle again, and was relieved to find that it was unlocked, a sure sign that she was in.


She seemed to jump as he entered the room, her face twisted with anxiety and pacing up and down the room. “Sorry.” Russ said, shutting the door behind him and wandering past her, over to the bed. He cleared his throat, cutting in before she had a chance to speak. “-Listen, Autumn. I wanted to talk to you. Now I know that you know I’ve just seen Ebony, but really, it’s fine. She’s fine. We just talked, about stuff. Nothing wrong with Hamden, really. I asked her.” He stated simply, as if the innocent question Ebony answered was the answer to all of Autumn’s worries. “And uh…she said I should try talking to you about…you know. Us.” He swallowed as he said the last word, avoiding her gaze as he said it. He especially wanted to talk about what she’d said to Gage earlier – that they weren’t seeing each other – although he wasn’t really sure how to say it without sounding like a jealous idiot. He smoothed the bedsheets under his hands, momentarily losing his train of thought as the subject made him blush a little.
 
She stared at him incredulously, blinking. "You... asked her." It wasn't a question. "Did it ever occur to you that she was lying?" Like she would outright admit if something was wrong. She resumed pacing, the paper crinkling as her grip tightened. Walking over to the door, she locked it. "Look, okay. I need to talk to you too." She was talking quickly, her agitation clear. Glancing around, she looked around the room, as if nervous someone was there, listening in to their conversation. Her voice lowered, despite the fact no one was there. Standing next to Russell, she showed him the paper. "Gage... He told me some things, that-that I think you should know about." Autumn swallowed, licking her lips. She wondered if he would believe her. His talk with Ebony worried her, from the way he was speaking. If anything, he seemed worse.


"Alright, so, he led me to this place. It's on the other side of the town. He had some papers there. Like this one." Pointing at the list of names, she fidgeted nervously. "There are more papers. Like nine more or so. They're lists, lists of everyone's who has entered Hamden, and where they came from." She pointed to their names, at the very bottom. "There, see? We're here." Next to their names, "Belmont" was neatly printed.


Her finger moved to the number 1. "Everyone has a number. Some of them have been changed." There was an eraser mark at the top. It looked like it had gone from 5 to 12. "Some of the names, they... they have x's next to them." Flipping the paper over to the filled side, she showed him the faded mark. "The x's are only next to names that have higher numbers. Like this one. She's a 17."


It was hard to swallow when she continued. "Gage and I, we... we figured that the numbers are our "values". Out of all the papers, we're the only ones who have a 1. Everyone else has a 2 or above. Gage is a 4." She bit her lip. "The values depend on what we trade to get inside. Gage, him and his friend Jake, had guns and a bag of ammo. We have medicine, which places us higher than everyone else."


She shifted uncomfortably. "The x's are for those who... Who are no longer valuable to Hamden. Their supplies, their items that they've traded, they've all run out. They only take up resources that Hamden needs. So they're... They're gone. Disposed of, once they're not needed anymore. Jake, his number was changed. From 4 to... 13, I think. His name had a little x." Autumn's voice was cautious, contemplating her next words carefully. "Gage told me that everyone in the town looks up to Ebony. Remember that weird guy we passed in the street? Preaching about the "mother"? That's Ebony. S-she claims to have an immunity from the virus. Gage said she was bitten towards the beginning. But you've seen her. She's normal." She swallowed again, playing with her shirt. "She does this thing, every day. Apparently it's called the carousel? She rounds up everyone at a stage outside her office. Talks about her protection and crap like that, then opens the gate for an hour. He said that hordes never come. Nothing comes. He said she claims her protection keeps them away." Autumn finally turned towards him, her eyes pleading. "Please, you have to believe me. We have to leave, soon."
 
Russell was taken aback by Autumn’s accusations, watching her eyes flick around nervously as she explained what Gage had told her. I had medicine, he thought to himself, sniffing, you had a flashlight and some cans of beans.


He raised his eyebrows as she continued, shaking his head slowly as the words fell from her lips. It worried Russ slightly to hear such absurd things coming from her, someone he deemed to be rational and decently mature. Now, he wasn’t so sure. “I wondered what that mark on her shoulder was…” He mused quietly. He’d seen it, alright, and although it seemed far-fetched that someone could be immune from the virus, it was true that he had seen her, and she seemed alive and well. What if she is immune from them…?


As well as this, he’d overheard some people talking about carousel at breakfast. From what he gathered, it was like a party – people gathering around, celebrating Hamden for what it is, giving out food. He admitted to himself then that opening the gates sounded a little scary and unnecessary at first, but if no hordes came in, what was the big deal?


As she was finished, he placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to sit down next to him. “Just calm down. Let me take a look at that.” He took the paper from her reluctant hands, scanning his eyes down the list. It was full of generic first names and nearby towns, nothing that stood out to him, except his own and Autumn’s, of course. He wondered if the understanding, caring figure he’d spoken to not fifteen minutes ago was really capable of ‘disposing’ of people as Autumn implied. Infact, it made no sense to him that she would so such a thing. Ebony seemed to humble and kind to him, taking out valuble time in her day to talk to her new guests, to ensure that they were getting on okay. And in the times that they lived in, to be in such warm company had been welcome, especially compared to the cold reception he got when he came back to his room.


He shook his head after a while, denying Autumn any relief that he believed her. “So this is what Gage calls ‘proof’? A piece of paper with our names on it? Really, Autumn?” His tone was raised and accusatory, as if he was telling off a small child. “I want to believe you, I really do. But I’m sorry, I’m not buying it. You said you think Ebony lied to me, but…how do you know this guy isn’t lying?”


Russ saw Autumn’s expression fall, and he stood, waving his arms and the paper in the air. “Alright, alright, then answer me this; if this is some weird conspiracy shit, how come Gage knows so much about it? Don’t you think it’s a little convienient he just ‘worked it out’? Besides, did he even tell you where he got these papers?” He rambled, shaking the list at Autumn.
 
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