At the End of the World [Laine x Pari]

[Laine]

Russell frowned, confused by how she hurriedly excused herself. He wanted to say something more, but she left before any words materialised. It took him a few minutes to realise that she’d had her hand in the pocket as she left. Oh shit, the papers, he suddenly thought. Russ had remembered his promise to Ebony to tell her where they were, but it’d slipped his mind as Autumn unexpectedly hugged him, and after that it seemed too awkward to bring it up. He realised that Ebony probably be looking for him sooner or later, even though in his mind the papers weren’t important. He walked down the stairs after Autumn, hoping he hadn’t missed her.


*******


Gage strolled back into the lobby, satisfied that the papers hadn’t been touched and his secret hiding place was safe still. There were guards prowling about the main entrance, which made him nervous, but he turned and smiled weakly at them to avoid arousing suspicion. It was because of this that he was caught off-guard as he was turning the corner to walk up the stairs, violently bumping into someone as he did so.


“Oh god. S-sorry, Russell, I-I wasn’t looking-“ Gage stammered, backing away slowly and holding up his hands. Russell’s face was carved with irritation as he apologised, although he cocked an amused eyebrow at the rather large bruise on the older guy’s face. Russ looked around the lobby, slightly confused. “You’re not…with Autumn?” he murmured. He assumed that when she’d excused herself, it was to go and see Gage, and so he was surprised that Gage was there alone.


“No…why would…I be?” He murmured slowly, still wary of being in Russell’s range. His tone sounded almost accusatory, and Gage wondered whether Autumn had cleared up the confusion about last night, or had in fact been to see him at all. “Uh…she said…she was going up to see you…to…apologise?” He sounded unsure, and he continued to back away until he was well out of Russ’ reach, fearing another confrontation. He could fight Russell if he wanted to, but he didn’t, both because he wasn’t that kind of person and guards were watching, and he knew he’d be punished severely if they were caught again.


“She did. She left afterwards, though.” Russell stated simply. He tried not to let his disappointment show as he said it, even though he did feel quite deflated after their short, awkward conversation. He had meant to say something more, but hadn’t managed to, and he wanted to see her again, even if it was just to try and get back on friendship terms again. “Do you know where she might be?”


Gage could easily hazard a guess where she could be – either back in his room, which he’d left unlocked, sleeping off the rest of her hangover, or at the shed, where she expected to meet him. Neither were particularly good things to say to Russell, and so he shrugged, avoiding his eye contact. “Uh…well…I don’t, actually…I thought she’d be with you…I’ve gotta go, see you later…” He clocked the look of irritation on Russ’ face, and quickly excused himself as he padded up the stairs, not stopping until he got to his room.


Russ sighed, stumped after checking at the main desk (who didn’t even know who she was) and the dining hall as to where Autumn might be. He probably could’ve asked Gage where the papers were, but given how scared of him he was now, he realised it wasn’t really a viable option. Just as he was wondering what to do, one of Ebony’s guards tapped him on the shoulder, a stern expression on his face. “Russell? Ebony wants to see you.” He swallowed thickly at the summons, nervous that he didn’t have the information she had asked him for. He walked slowly over to the office building, not sure how she would greet him.

 

[Error404]

Gage wasn't there, though she hadn't really expected him to be, anyway. With a sigh, she unlocked the door and peered outside, deeming it safe. Though it was still too bright as she squinted, looking around. "Never again." Looking around, she exited the shed, closing the door behind her. She pondered for a while, wondering what to do next. She could go back to the hotel and just sleep, or try to talk to Russell again. Without the papers, she felt better, not having to be at the risk of being searched with them in her pockets.


Deciding to go back to the hotel, she headed back, going out of her way to avoid as many people as possible. With her hangover and her new reputation, she wasn't much up for being stared and laughed at. Not to mention she still wasn't quite over the embarrassment of everything she had done, and she had a feeling it would be a while until she was.


Slinking through the streets, she headed back to the hotel, wary of any guards that could be lurking around. Gage had mentioned his number was lowered. If she went to the dining room, she decided she would see for herself what he meant. It made her uneasy. Even without the papers, Ebony was still keeping an eye on them, and with her getting drunk she had probably messed it up for them all. She felt guilty about it, as she hadn't wanted or expected any of that to happen. Having not gotten drunk before, she didn't know what to expect.


When she arrived at the dining room, she wasn't at all surprised when she wasn't allowed as much food as she had before. It wasn't as bad as Gage, but she recalled back to the first night they were there, when she wasn't hungry. She was just grateful that her number hadn't decreased too much, though she was worried for Gage. Almost no one was at the dining room, which also didn't surprise her, as she was rather late to eat breakfast. Going up the stairs, she headed to the suite, Gage's words in mind. The suite was unlocked, and she found the key on the table, rolling her eyes a little. Locking the door, she got down on all fours to check the vents - and she realized with a start that the supplies were not there.


She headed back down to Gage's room, knocking. "Gage, there's something you should know." She spoke urgently but quietly.


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


This whole thing was turning out to be a huge mess, and since they had all the medicine, Ebony was half tempted to throw them all to the walkers. She let out a sigh. The guards who searched the room hadn't found any papers, though they had found medicine and a few tins of food in the vents. If she had to guess, it was Autumn who had hid them, as she had still had her bag. She would have to keep an eye on that one. On all three of them, really. The woman rubbed her neck with another long sigh.


"Come in." She heard the knocking, and hoped it was Russell. Though if she was being completely honest with herself, she wasn't expecting much of an answer. Autumn had been so drunk she could barely walk, from what she had later heard, and didn't really think she would be coherent enough to answer any questions about the papers. She regarded Russell critically. "Let me guess; you didn't have much luck, did you?"

 

[Laine]

Gage was resting on his bed, having swiftly returned to his room after seeing Russell. He was paranoid, even slightly afraid that Russell was going to follow him back – either to find Autumn or to question him further. He had heard him asking a drunken Autumn to tell him where the papers were – he didn’t know why, but it couldn’t be for any good reason. So he jumped when he heard a knock at the door, walking slowly and cautiously towards it. He was tempted to open it until he heard Autumn’s voice, which was tinged with urgency to the point where it troubled Gage.


He pulled it open, his face torn with concern. “Wh-what is it? Were the papers gone?! Did they take Russell?!” He looked around nervously, as if she’d be followed by a brigade of Ebony’s guards. Luckily, the corridor was empty, but he was still worried, sniffing loudly. “C-come on, what’s wrong, Autumn?” He stammered impatiently, before she’d had a chance to get a word in edgeways.


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


Russ lowered his eyes, feeling a pang of guilt as she asked with an accusatory tone, as if she’d expected him to fail. “N-no. Sorry, Ebony. Autumn – she wasn’t well, yesterday, or today.” He chuckled nervously, digging his hands in his pockets, still looking down, almost as if she were royalty. And it was true – he had a large amount of respect for her, and to feel her disappointment in him made him feel awful. He tried to lighten his apparent failure, sniffing, “It’s a good job those papers weren’t important, huh?”


He looked over to Ebony, and she looked amused, although he still felt as if he’d failed her. “Maybe it’d be quicker if you could asked Autumn yourself…?” She clearly had the power to summon anyone she wanted, so if she wanted to know so badly. He regretted it as soon as he said it, though, realising that Autumn would be extremely uneasy about being in the pale woman’s presence, considering her thoughts towards her. Before, he had hoped seeing Ebony would change Autumn’s mind, but now he wasn’t so sure. He hastily covered his words, nerves in his voice as he spoke. “Well, actually, she’s busy at the moment, but I’ll-I’ll find out as soon as I can. Sorry, Ebony.” He rubbed his neck, wondering if that was all she had brought him up for.


“I saw you…at carousel yesterday. You must be pretty brave, standing up in front of all of those people…” He murmured after a while, still avoiding her gaze.

 

[Error404]

"No, nothing like that," Autumn muttered, glancing around as she slipped inside Gage's room. "It's just that, they found the supplies I hid in the vents. I had a little bit of food and some medicine, but if they were searching the suite, they somehow found it." She swallowed thickly, looking around the small room. "...Those were the last supplies we had," she whispered, looking nervous. Without them, they'd slowly become worthless to Hamden's growth. "Gage, I'm scared. What happens now? How long until - until - what if he's gone?" Her breath caught in her throat, eyes wide. "Oh god, what if they did take him?"


The brunette began to panic. "I went back to the suite after putting back the you-know-what I had in my pocket. I had forgotten it was there. But he - he wasn't there. What happens when people disappear, Gage?" Though she guessed that if he had known, he would have already told her. Pacing around, she glanced out the small window, biting her lip. Little did she know that he was perfectly fine.


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


Ebony's lips quirked in amusement. "So I heard. Please send her my regards. I do hope she feels better." She seemed to smirk a little, leaning back in her chair. If the girl wasn't extremely hungover, Ebony would have been surprised. Though it seemed like she was, from what Russell was saying. "Don't worry, Russell. The papers can wait until she feels better." He seemed a little nervous, and she thought she had a good idea why. "You've done all you can do for now, and that's all I asked," she said comfortingly, not at all disappointed in him.


The older woman chuckled a little. "Thank you. But it's not at all that hard. You just have to get used to it." She loved the attention she got, the way they everyone looked up to her like she was a goddess. She wondered if that would change if they knew the things she had done, and she bit back a laugh. "Trust me, it's not hard to get used to the attention, either. It's rather easy. After a while, you find you enjoy it." She had always enjoyed the spotlight, though once words of her immunity had spread around, and people had begun to look up to her and given her leadership of their broken town, it had all gone straight to her head. Of course, everyone was blinded by their awe to realize what was going on backstage, and why so many newcomers seemed to just disappear into thin air.


"You know, I've always wondered. What made you decide to come to Hamden? It can't be the closest town to Belmont." It was something she asked almost everyone - why they had come. And to her amusement, the answer was never "I heard about it." And she intended to keep it that way.

 

[Laine]

Gage sniffed, nodding his head. “I knew they were searching the rooms. That’s why I hid my stuff in the shed. Sorry to hear that, Autumn…” He suddenly felt awkward, realising he should’ve offered to hold Autumn’s stuff in the shed too, as soon as she’d told him about them. He’d yet to decide whether or not hiding things was counted as something that could increase someone’s number, but it couldn’t be good either way. “I’m guessing they didn’t leave anything? I’m really sorry. If you need anything…I have a few friends who I trade with often. I can, you know, get you some stuff. Cigarettes, matches, stuff like that.”


Autumn quickly shifted to nervous, borderline hysterical as she mentioned Russell. “Hey, hey, calm down. You guys still have the suite, right? That means you still have the lowest number. The only reason they’d take him is because of the fight…” He trailed off, realising it was a poor choice of words as Autumn’s eyes widened, “B-but I’m sure they haven’t. I’m sure he’s just off sulking somewhere. Actually I saw him just a few minutes ago, looking for you.” He hastily tried to reassure her. It was still quite possible in most of their minds that Russell could’ve disappeared, but as always he tried to stay positive, even if they boy didn’t like him too much.


His mind wandered as she asked the important question; what happens to people who disappear? Did Ebony use them as slaves? Perhaps every guard there had disappeared, been brainwashed and then thrown back in. But this was far-fetched, as it wouldn’t control the population and soon the place would be overrun by guards. Did she just get rid of them? Were they sent to other towns to use as zombie-bait? None of the ideas he thought of were particularly helpful, since they were only guesses at best. He contemplated whether or not to share these with Autumn – she seemed upset enough already, without the prospect that her friend was dead, or worse.


“I don’t know. I really don’t. What I do know is that Ebony wouldn’t do it unless there was some kind of gain or benefit. If we find out what she wants, then maybe we’ll figure out what happens to the people that disappear.” He folded his arms, furrowing his brows. “Any ideas? As far as I know, the only thing she wants is for people to follow her and this immunity business...”


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


He felt relieved once again as she comforted him, and he smiled weakly, still wanting to please the kind-mannered woman. “Okay. But…I’m not the kind to go back on a promise, so…I’ll get them to you as soon as I can.”


He shivered, avoiding her eye contact as he thought once again of home. “No, it isn’t. I thought- well, me and Autumn thought - it’d be best to come here, since it was smaller than some of the bigger towns, so there’d be less trouble. Autumn had heard of really bad warring between gangs in Lawrence, and I figured we’d be better off here than somewhere too far away, like Boston. It was a bit of a risk coming here, to be honest, since we didn’t know what we were getting into.” He looked up at her and smiled again, “I’m thankful we did come here, though. It’s better than anywhere else I can think of. And I think Autumn is starting to enjoy it, too.” He chuckled, referring to her drinking, ignorant of her fear towards the place that resided still.


As he thought about the day previous, his face darkened as he realised that Ebony would probably know about what had gone on, after he’d overheard the guard talking about it. “About yesterday…” He inquired, meeting her gaze nervously, “I’m sorry if I caused a problem, you know, with the fighting and all. I don’t know what was wrong with me…It’s just that guy, Gage, he rubs me up the wrong way, you know?” He spoke as if he was confessing his sins to a priest, chewing a nail nervously as he spoke, “It won’t happen again, I promise.”

 

[Error404]

Autumn calmed down at Gage's reassurances, though she still felt worried. "N-no, it's okay, I mean, supplies are already scarce enough," she said. She sighed, collapsing on the bed that she had slept on the night before. "I don't. I really don't know, Gage." She rubbed her head, her headache finally starting to go away. "Do you think she kills them?" The question was quiet, as if she was afraid of the answer. "Those people. Do you think they're dead?" She looked up at Gage, looking tired. "I don't know what else she would do. And honestly, it seems like there are less people that stay here every day. Not that there are many to begin with."


She shook her head. And yet, Russ was still under the impression that Hamden was beautiful. That he could live there without a care. It still bothered her, their argument. "Do you think he'll ever believe us - me?" she asked Gage, running a hand through her hair. Autumn closed her eyes, laying back on the bed. "I'm starting to think he's believing everything Ebony says. I never really told him about my stash in the vents. I'm afraid he'll tell her. Which is why I didn't tell him where the papers were, either." She sighed again, opening one eye. "Is it wrong I don't trust him? We've been through a lot together." She wasn't sure why she was suddenly spilling everything to Gage - though it felt good to get it out.


"There was a lot of stuff that went down in Belmont. Russ was better off, his parents were doctors or whatever. Which was how he got the medicine. You should have seen his house. It was huge." She laughed humorlessly at the memory of the last time she had been there. Trapped in the cold, dark basement, the dead right above them. "Got caught up with some gang. God, that sounds bad. Gangs, drinking." She shook her head, a dry smile on her face. "To make a long story short, we were locked in the basement for the night. And of course, on the way here, we got to know each other. It was the first time I felt like I had a friend in this hell. Except-" She stopped.


"...Anyway I feel like I should trust him, you know? And I feel bad that I don't. But I don't want to get us in anymore trouble than I already have. He seems to hang around Ebony a lot, anyway." She fell silent, knowing she had been talking a lot, and that she had probably bored Gage. Autumn just didn't really know what to do anymore.


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


Ebony laughed. Through her guards, she had learned a lot about Gage. He seemed a little too nosy for his own good. "It's okay, Russell. Just as long as it doesn't happen again." She smiled warmly at him, shifting into a more comfortable position on her chair.


"Just curious. What made you mad enough to punch him?" She had heard the story from the guards, which had made her laugh just from how drunk Autumn had been, but she wanted to hear it from him. From the way the guard has told it, it almost seemed as if he was jealous, and she was beginning to understand his relationship with Autumn. If anything, she thought, it could be used to her advantage. Through Russell, she could either try to convert Autumn, or use him to get to know exactly how suspicious she seemed and how much she knew. Autumn was becoming dangerous, especially if she was in possession of the papers.


The woman gave him a sweet smile. "You really think Autumn likes it now?" She made it sound like that was the best thing that had ever happened to her. "Why? Just the other day, you were saying how she didn't seem to like it." With a small laugh, she shook her head a little, her tone friendly and inviting. "What do you think inspired the sudden attitude change?"

 

[Laine]

Gage swallowed thickly. “I hope not.” Although he’d come to the conclusion that his friend Jake was gone long before Autumn and Russell had arrived, it still made him solemn as he gazed over to the empty bed at the other side of the room, a constant reminder of what could happen to him if he wasn’t careful.


He listened to Autumn as she spoke, being sure to look vaguely interested. He’d spoken a lot of people since coming to Hamden, and almost all of them had some kind of story to tell, which often spilled out at one time or another. He wasn’t surprised, though – the events in the apocalypse were so unusual, so scarring, that people felt the need to talk about them just to confirm that they were real in their minds.


He smirked, “A night in a basement? How romantic. Russell knows how to treat a lady.” The sarcasm in his voice was strong, but there was no kind of malice there. He could easily guess that it couldn’t have been so bad for Russell at least, although he said nothing, only a dubious grin across his face giving away what he was thinking. He paused as she mentioned the friend, knowing it was a subject he wouldn’t be able to press easily.


“To be fair to the guy…he doesn’t really have a choice whether he gets to see Ebony or not. I saw him get dragged off last time, and he looked kinda…scared. She could be using him for anything – no-one who goes in to see her has very much to say afterwards. Who knows what that woman’s thinking?” He sighed, turning to face Autumn with a furrowed expression. “It’s up to you whether you trust him or not, at the end of the day. I think he trusts you, it’s me he has his suspicions about. Something tells me he might’ve believed you when you showed him the papers, if he didn’t know I was involved.” He couldn’t help but feel partly responsible for Russell being hard to win over – clearly Russ’ problems with Gage were making his judgement even poorer than usual.


He bit his lip, chuckling emptily, “And yet, we barely even know each other, and you seem to get everything I say without question...Does that mean you trust me more than him?”


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


Russ shuffled awkwardly, not comfortable in telling her the truth, but also finding it difficult to lie to her. He settled for a half-truth, with some omitted details, not knowing that she knew exactly what’d went on; “Well, he was just…being disrespectful, you know? I’m not a violent person or anything but…when he’s saying stuff like that, I just had to…shut him up, I guess. And he was taking advantage of Autumn, getting her drunk like that. ” Russ crossed his arms again, still fully under the belief that it was all Gage’s fault, what happened.


He quickly changed back to a relaxed smile, glad to be changing the subject from Gage. “Well, I guess it takes time for her to get used to stuff. She’s a pretty guarded person, because of what happened in Belmont. When you have dangerous gangs living on your doorstep, I guess you just naturally find it difficult to trust people. When we were on the road, she’d have nightmares all the time, although she never told me what they were about.” He rubbed his arms together, wondering whether she’d slept well the night previous. He’d missed her presence in the suite the last night, realising how much he hated sleeping alone since before he’d met her. “But they seem to be getting less and less frequent, now…and she’s eating better, too. The first night we were here, she didn’t eat anything at all. Then again, I guess I ate for two!” He started chuckling, so relaxed around the older woman he failed to realise how much he was blabbing about Autumn to perhaps her biggest enemy. He sat back in the chair opposite Ebony, scratching his head. “…But yeah. She’s getting better, I think. I've only been telling her good things, of course.”

 

[Error404]

Autumn sighed. "....No. I mean, I trust you, and I trust Russell, just... Not his judgement? You should have seen him when he saw the room - it was like he had found his second home. And you did see him at the dining room. He was stuffing his face." She sighed. "I just kinda wish he'd see. Though what if we're wrong? What if everything is how it seems, and we're wrong."


The brunette didn't know. It wasn't that she thought Hamden was a paradise like Russ did, she still strongly believed there was something very wrong. "What do we do then? Do we just... Do we just live here and continue on? Russ seems really happy here. Happier than he was on the road..." She had an almost faraway look in her eyes. he hadn't really seemed unhappy, but he was definitely in a better mood than before.


....Except for when it came to Gage, it seemed. She sniffed, wondering what that was all about. "Do you know why Russ seems to hate you so much?" she asked innocently. It was almost sad, how oblivious to his affections she seemed, but she wasn't faking it. She really had no idea. "I mean, we had had a little argument that morning, but he seemed okay until we got to the lobby and you were waiting for us." She sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed and facing Gage.


The brunette sighed a little. Maybe it was like how she never much liked how he was with Ebony, whether it was his choice or not. Though while she didn't like Ebony due to her suspicions, Russell didn't like Gage because of his jealousy, which Autumn was completely oblivious towards. "And I just kind of wish he would believe the evidence we have, no matter where it came from," she muttered to herself. The fact that he was off with Ebony didn't help - though she did feel sympathetic, since as unhappy as she was that he spent so much time with the older woman, she knew it wasn't exactly like he was visiting her of his own free will, as Gage had mentioned. Autumn let out another, longer sigh.


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


Ebony smiled serenely. "So it sounds like she's finally settling in. Good, good." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "I'm really glad you both are happy here. And now that Autumn seems to finally come around, maybe she'll be less suspicious and she'll be happier, yeah?" The older woman chuckled a bit, looking for all the world like she was completely relaxed and open with Russell, when really she was hiding many things from him. It was something that had to be done every time someone new entered the town.


It was a way for her to get to know both of the teens. Being around Russell a lot gave her information on him, even if he didn't talk about himself much. And he talked about Autumn a lot. It was obvious to everyone but the girl herself that he cared for her deeply, though her manipulating words and gentle actions had been ever-so-slowly steering him away, though he still expressed much concern towards the brunette's predicament. "You care for her a lot," she murmured. "It's such a shame she doesn't return the feeling." Her voice had taken a soft tone, and unbeknownst to Russell, a manipulating one. "To invest so much in one person and not have the feelings returned... How awful that must be." She sounded sympathetic, her face an expression of concern.

 

[Laine]

Gage winced, shaking his head, “Hell no. I’m positive there’s something wrong here. The papers, the disappearances, Carousel, the fact that no-one’s outside of Hamden has even heard of the place...There’s gotta be something up.” There was a spark in his eyes as he spoke; the Hamden conspiracy perhaps the thing he was most passionate about in his life at the moment. The thought of staying there for the rest of his life, even if he didn’t ‘disappear’, made him sick to his stomach. He had thought of escaping once or twice, but deep down he had a morbid curiosity to find out what was really going on, vowing to get revenge at least for Jake’s sake.


The subject changed to Russell again, and Gage tried not to roll his eyes. “Russ, he’s...” Gage paused, biting his lip. He realised that she probably didn’t remember the conversation they had last night, for better for worse. Gage shrugged, “He’s just…I don’t know. We just clash a little, personality-wise, I guess.” He turned to Autumn, twisting his face uncomfortably, “Maybe you should ask him.” He hoped that if Autumn asked enough, Russell might finally be prompted to say something about their relationship.


He suddenly stood from the bed, straightening up his shirt and walking over to the window. People were beginning to flow into the centre of town; carousel would be starting soon enough. A smile curled his lips ever so slightly as he thought of Autumn’s behaviour the previous, and wondered if she’d skip out on the alcohol today. He was shaken out of his thoughts as he heard Autumn mutter wistfully. He turned from the window, crossing his arms against his chest. “We’ll just have to find better evidence, won’t we?” As he spoke, he mused to himself about whether the time was right to do some further snooping. We don’t have anything to lose, and the longer we wait, the more likely we are to be found out, he supposed to himself.


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


Russell snorted, thinking wistfully about how nice it’d be for Autumn to be unsuspicious and happy in Hamden. “Yeah. Then I guess we can get on with…rebuilding, I suppose.” Before now, he hadn’t even considered what he would do on a day-to-day basis in Hamden, besides eating and going to Carousel. He shrugged, “I think I’ll feel a lot better when she’s happier, too.”


His expression darkened as Ebony’s silky tone seemed to move him. Finally, someone gets it. He sighed heavily, all inhibitions lost as he confided in the woman sitting across from him, “She’s all I have, Ebony. All my other friends, either dead or lost, or they betrayed me-“ He felt himself choke up, and he cleared his throat, avoiding the older woman’s eyes as he sighed again, “-and Autumn’s the same, too. We came here together, and I did everything I could to make her happy.” He stared at the ground miserably, folding his arms. “- I just wish she would…Acknowledge me more, you know? Act like I was more than just some guy she bumped into and has to share a room with.” He said. He was almost speaking in a whisper, as he nervously expressed his frustration in the company of a woman he didn’t really know, although the concern on her face seemed genuine “Why can’t she see how much I care for her, Ebony?”