Realistic or Modern (Closed) When it all falls down...

[EclipseRosee]

Ava

If this was hell, Ava was in the deepest depths. Women like her, women they deemed unfixable.... women who were unable to have children.... they were killed. Honestly at this point Ava wished she was one of them. But no she was all those things and more, Ava was STRONG, or at least they thought so thanks to her little stint of spitting in the officers face. All the others were sorted into colors and camps, Ava got to discover a secret within the society. A group of women who were tagged with yellow on their ears. Women who were carted off to a facility and locked in old hospitals. At first glance they were treated amazingly. Good food, nice beds, access to whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. But after about a week of this, Ava discovered why.

These women got to live as close to their old lives as possible because they were tested on to see what it took to BREAK them. They would torture and maim people in various ways. Ava once spoke to a woman who was blinded then locked in a freezer for 24 hours, barely kept alive.... she still refused to give in. After about two months Ava stopped seeing that girl...

Ava herself was put through the ringer and wanted to just give up but something told her she was meant to live past this, that she was supposed to see the others again somehow for some reason. She had never been one to ignore the deities but man was she done with their wisdom. All she wanted was for the horror to stop. In her third month Ava had one of her tattoos skinned from her leg, then they let her heal. Then in month four she was locked in a dark room for three weeks with nothing but water and apples once a day. Then in month five she was given time to recoup but was then electrocuted, near drowned and beaten to a pulp in a single week. Thankfully they were now giving her time to rest and heal before whatever next big thing they could come up with. Plus some big event was happening that was taking all the attention of the higher ups so for now all the women were back to being prisoners.

Ava sat in her hospital bed and tapped at the buttons on her TV remote as she sipped at her tea. All the channels were changed to "approved" television besides a few that were allowed to keep the illusion of freedom alive for testing purposes. Usually Ava would fall into watching some stupid soap opera and ignored the propaganda on the news but today she saw a picture that made her stop. It was Callie... and a news reporter talking about the event of the century! A wedding?! Ava moved to the edge of her bed and watched with tears brimming in her eyes. It was the first she saw or heard of any of the others despite thinking of them every day. They had only known each other for such a short time but something in her knew they were all brought together for a reason. Callie wasn't supposed to marry this DOUCHE! Ava stood and turned off the TV and began to pace, her long black hair twirling between her fingers as she thought. There was no way out of this fucking fortress but man did she have to come up with something.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Callie

Honestly Callie expected the noise to be a deer or something. A person--not just any person, Slade! He was the last thing she had expected to walk out of the woods. He looked like he had been through Hell. "Slade?" She knew what she was supposed to do. Go back inside, tell someone. Yell for someone, get away. It was just so hard to listen to the brainwashing when she had spent the last few months praying for his forgiveness. "I-I'm so sorry." Tears began to well in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away.

White heels tapped against the steps before she walked to Slade and, despite her best judgement, through her arms around him for a tight hug. "You're really here?" She pulled away from the hug and her hands cupped his cheeks gently, her thumbs gently caressing him. They were warm and he was really looking down at her. "Oh." It just hit her that a guard made frequent rounds on the property; if Slade was to get caught he'd be shot on sight. "Come with me and we can talk." Callie took his hand and led him across the freshly snowed ground to the shed in the back of the property her and her mother used for gardening. It would give them somewhere to talk and protect them from the cold.

"Drake told me you died and all I could do was blame myself. I-I'm so glad you're okay. I can't apologize enough for what happened to everyone." For the first time in six months she felt some of the weight off her chest, her smile was actually genuine through the tears she was wiping away from her cheeks. "What are you doing here? This is probably the most dangerous part of the country with now. My father, Gillian, Zhao, and every high ranking family are all in the house. Security is extra tight, I barely managed to escape for a breath of fresh air."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Haru

Being a prized handmaiden was a gross feeling. Wives that she didn't even knew touched her stomach to bless it and Haru just had to stand there and accept it. Smile, be grateful to even be alive. She wanted to vomit. Her eyes eventually settled on Lo---Lorna. She looked healthy, and it was comforting knowing that no one was touching her. That was all she could do, admire how healthy her friend looked. Haru was aware no one was going to be able to rescue her. The Aunts told her that having a child for a high powered family was her way of penance, to be forgiven for the sins she had committed in her past life.

Haru followed her wife around the room and glanced across to the open door of the study. There she made out the faces of familiar people. Gil, Marco, Drake. The last one hurt a bit more than the others. Haru was under the impression that Drake only wanted Lo, that's what his brother had told her. A part of her wanted to ask him about it and another part never wanted to see him again just in case it was true. And although they lived in the same house Haru was very limited where she could go still, she wasn't allowed out of the home wing without supervision. "Ma'am can I get you anything to drink?" "Oh, thank you Haru. That's so very sweet of you." With a forced smile Haru gave a small bow to her before making her way out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen.

For a moment Haru stood outside the kitchen and took a couple deep calming breaths. From this angle she swore that Callie was walking off outside. Was that allowed? Probably not, but her lips were sealed. Instead she turned to walk into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of champagne and a glass of punch. The women who were able to give birth weren't allowed alcohol, it was something that made her reminisce of Callie and their casino night.

 

[Sir Damien]

Gillian

Well Drake wasn't holding anything back today was he? "Drake I tried to do what I could. I tried to get everyone out on boats. I made sure Lorna and Haruka got sent to your family. All Callie thinks to do is pray, I'm the one that had to pull all the strings. I'm glad you could get Lorna out of the situation she is. Haru will manage, she's tough. At least all your brother does is favor the girl and not beat her like others do." It didn't make things much better but he did try to comfort him a little on their situation. The mention of Ava, however, made Gillian's shoulders stiffen up slightly. "No. None. There are dozens of places where they take those women and they don't keep a good record of them all." He spoke in a hushed tone before he took another drink.

"I was thinking of touring the facilities, seeing if I could at least run into her. At least then I'd know where she is and I could send someone in for her." How he'd save her he had no clue, he just knew he needed to save her. Ava didn't deserve this. If Gillian had even an inkling that the soldiers would have betrayed his words he would have escorted them to the pier. The weight on his heart was heavy tonight...

"Marco." Gillian glanced over from the corner they were chatting in at the Italian driver. "You've been adjusting well to the Potter home I hope?" Gillian gave a hopeful smile to the man before taking another drink from his glass. When he seen Haru walk by he thought to go check on Callie. He fought the urge though, Zhao had been the one told to go check on her more often. Soon Callie wouldn't even need Gillian. The thought tore him up inside.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Marco

Like other security members and drivers Marco stayed against the wall. What was there to do, socialize? With this lot? The men that were the reason for this Dystopia? No thank you. Marco was only allowed to live as a bargaining chip if need be. He knew well enough to do the job and keep your mouth shut. At least Marco had an apartment he got to go home to every night. Haru had to share living quarters with the man she was forced to serve. Ava and Slade didn't even get to go home anymore. The thought still broke him up inside.

"Hm?" Marco looked over at Gillian with a small frown. "Adjusting? I suppose I could say that. It's hard watching life happen like this but there's nothing I can do. I was told someday I could receive a wife myself. That's an honor I suppose, right?" Marco tried to remain optimistic but it was hard when all the women were oppressed like this. Hell Marco it felt like Marco had more freedom than Drake did most of the time, he spent pretty much every waking moment in his living quarters with Lo. As bitter as he was about Haru still being a handmaiden he was very thankful he took Lo out of that situation.

Marco noticed Haru leave the room and he glanced over at Drake. "If you'd like to speak with her you could come and do rounds with me, I'm sure security needs all the help they can right now." Marco stood from the wall and walked out of the room, down the hall and met Haru as she shut the kitchen door behind her. "Handmaiden Haruka how are you holding up?" Marco looked around to see if anyone was watching them and thankfully they were in the clear. Still, better to act like someone is watching than to get caught speaking out of line.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Slade

Shock crossed his face as Callie approached him, honestly he thought she would need more convincing than that but even from far away he could see how sad the poor girl looked. "Hey don't be sorry? Why are you so-" Slade spoke in a hushed tone that was cut short when her arms flew around him. His face instantly went hot and he closed his eyes for a moment, cursing the stupid hold that this woman he barely knew had on him. He had felt it ever since they met but suddenly when he knew about her wedding and new life? It got much much worse. When he reopened his eyes it was because her hands were on his face and she was looking up at him teary eyed. Before he could say anything she was pulling him off in the opposite direction. Slade let out a quiet and gentle bird call, a signal to the others hiding in the trees that it was fine for now.

Once in the shed Slade felt the cold fall off his shoulders and he finally pulled in a full breath as he leaned against the wall to stay out of the sight of any cracks in the walls or door. Callie mentioned the security and Slade let a wicked lopsided grin take its home on his face. "Yeah great security. They didn't even notice a deadman and his four friends taking up residence in your trees the past two days." He nodded his head towards the forest and looked back to Callie as she spoke. "We can get in and out of here pretty easily in small numbers. Your dad has gone lazy with all his power, no offense." He pushed away from the wall and wrapped her in his arms once again, deciding to be selfish and hold her longer than he needed too. "I-I thought I was dead too. But something in me kept going and I'm here so don't feel bad anymore ok? Even what did happen wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known."

Slade pulled back and pushed some of her hair back before looking down at her, "I want you to leave with me. Right now. I know it's sudden but... You don't really want to marry this guy right? You don't want to keep on this track?" Part of him was worried that Callie's niceness wouldn't outweigh her loyalty to Gil and her father. Slade wasn't someone she had known for long so what right did he have thinking he could convince her to leave. "Callie if you go through with this it's done. He will me unstoppable but right now, this is a chance. There are a lot of us out there, people who want to fight back. We just need a chance."


Lo

Lo moved around the room mindlessly for a while, bored out of her mind and dejected with the fact that both her and Drake were at a standstill with their next move. The Potter family had thankfully taken in half the damn group at this point but they still could never all talk. Hell... Lo hadn't even really seen Marco around at all. She knew nothing of what happened to him between the day they were all separated and now. Part of her was thankful that unlike Ava, the last memory of Marco was him acting a damn fool in the fountain. The thought made her smile for a moment before the image of Ava passed through her mind again and made her wince unintentionally. "Are you okay Lorna?" Her attention was pulled to one of the other wives and she smiled sweetly. "Oh yes, just a bit of a stomach ache." The women all cooed and rushed around her, speaking of the possibility of a baby. Oh right, she forgot others expected that to be in her near future. "Fingers crossed!" She giggled fakely before excusing herself.

As Lo moved from the women she caught a glance of Callie moving towards the trees outside. Strange. Maybe she just needed to get away from all this for a minute... Lo wouldn't blame her for that, no matter how pissed she was.

The tall red haired woman made her way towards the door of the room that held all the men and went to gently knock on the door when she caught sight of Marco leaving the room with Drake. Where were they going? Lo turned back to one of the other wives and let out a small sigh, "Oh my I really must excuse myself. Have you seen my sister in marriage by chance?" The woman pointed to Haru's wifely counterpart and Lo made her way to the woman. "Sister, I think I must excuse myself to check." Lo smiled with as much as she could muster as she gently placed a hand to her stomach, "Im too excited to wait! But if I happen to pass your little handmaiden on the way, could I steal her for a moment of assistance with this?" The woman laughed and said of course! The idea of pregnancy turned these wahoos into idiots.

Lo quickly but gracefully left and followed Drake and Marco from a distance down the hall, when they turned into the kitchen and shut the door Lo made her way over to it and pressed her ear against the wood. The MOMENT the name left Marco's lips she looked around and slid into the door before closing it once again. It was all she could do to keep from screaming as she nearly tackled the poor Haru to the floor with a giant hug. "How are you? Is she nice? is HE nice? Oh who am I kidding hes a fucking ASS." Lo ranted without breathing before finally stopping and dropping her hands to her side and turning to look at Drake and Marco. "Right sorry, you were saying?"

 

[KAYDEN]

Drake

"Yeah well it's not enough." Drake knew and understood what Gillian had done but the simple fact was; it wasn't enough. Nothing any of them could do was enough. They had gotten to the point of no return and all of it was on Callies head. The only thing that they could do now was kill the old man himself but he was so heavily guarded that even if you got a hit on him it would be over before anything fatal could be injured. And then you would be dead. Drake dropped his voice to barely above a breath when he spoke next, "This life isnt living anymore and you know it. It's dancing on the bodies of the innocent." The man who used to joke and hate everything at the same time was gone... now he simply hated everything. He noticed that the mention of Ava caused a physical reaction in Gil and David smiled smugly to himself. "Good to see you're not a complete monster my friend."

As Marco joined them Drake downed the rest of his drink and looked over the poor guy. The job left him with a decent life but all in all it was still slavery.

"Seriously? Hell yes let's go." Drake tried to remain composed as he shoved the empty glass at Gillian and followed after Marco. Part of him thought to stop and grab Lo but it would bring too much attention to them.

When they joined Haru in the kitchen, Drake finally let go of the breath he had been holding in. However he didn't even get to say something before the door opened behind them and he nearly shit himself in fear thinking it was someone else. Thankfully it was his very own, very clumsy, wife to be. "Lorna you can't just stomp around wherever! You know that! What if someone followed you, you dolt." He smiled as he spoke despite the mean words that escaped his lips, it felt good being able to see the two of the girls together again. At least a little bit of light in the dark. "As much as I urge her to calm down... I have to wonder myself. How is my lovely brother? Do I need to kill him yet or no?" Drake spoke so calmly that there was no chance for him to be joking. Because he wasn't. The first MENTION of violence against Haru, Drake would drop the fucker in his sleep and make it look like an accident.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Ava

Ava dropped to her bed with a heavy sigh. Nothing, there was nothing! The windows were barred and even if she got out that way they held all the girls in the 10th floor. The elevators required a key card and the stairs were heavily guarded. Any outdoor time they were granted was on the roof not the actual ground. The girls that died here weren't buried they were used as cadavers so she couldn't even fake her death to get outside. The workers were all men so she couldn't disguise herself. The only real way out of here was to show reform but they wouldn't believe that overnight... Especially when Ava was the woman who had been here the longest.

"Fuck!" Ava yelped and sent her cup of tea across the room, the plastic cup clattering on the ground and one of the guards yelling for her to calm down from the hallway. "Yeah yeah I know." She sat up on her bed and turned the TV back on, the coverage of Callie was over but a commercial about the cult was scrolling and she watched it resisting the urge to break the screen. Recently anger had been a driving emotion for the once timid girl.

Then an image of the prophet and his children graced the screen and Ava sunk down to her bed, watching it with sad eyes. Callie didn't want this life, that was very clear to Ava and the others just from her personality. Callie was gentle and sweet and smart! The girl had a law degree and worked her ass off for it. She wouldn't have wanted a world where women were treated like good for nothing baby makers. But Gil? He was harder to read. Even before they were separated he had caused the others to have a bad image of him. But for Ava, a woman who prided herself on understanding and forgiveness, she could see his actions weren't driven by hate or anger. They were driven by fear. Callie clearly meant the world to Gill and family kept each other safe, at least most families did. It made her think of the sacrifices her dad made her for.... her family wasn't much different although much less extreme. Ava was born into a family of avid Christians. A place she never belonged. Wicca brought her joy and showed her who she really was... her mom refused to understand. Would try and beat the devil out of her young daughter... it was her father who got Ava out of the situation and suffered the wrath of his wife because of it. So she got it.. she really did.

Ava finally pulled her eyes from the screen and made her way to the mirror where she held her make shift altar with some stones and herbs, a bowl of water and her notebook. It was a poor substitute for her grandmothers but... it had to do. She looked up at her face in the mirror, a scar now ran across her throat and another up her cheek from different "tests" but besides that she still looked the same. After a long moment she closed her eyes and did the only thing she could think of, pray.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Callie

At the mention of security, or the lack of, Callie felt a little uneasy. Maybe the men should have checked the woods too? That was something they would need to work on. However, when Slade wrapped his arms around Callie, she felt her heart burst with so much warmth and affection she couldn't help but smile ear to ear. Zhao was cold and calculating, he showed no affection whatsoever to Callie. The only interaction the two truly had was when he slapped her, degraded her, or grabbed her and dragged her by her wrist so tightly he left bruises. That was what she expected her life to be from now on. She didn't expect heartwarming hugs like Slade gave her.

Even perfect things like that hug couldn't last forever. He pulled away and spoke about Callie leaving with him. At first she was going to refuse. This was her life and it was all she knew. Honestly would she even make it in the real world? She knew she was all but useless to any sort of resistance out there. Callie couldn't stand up for herself let alone be useful in combat. All she was useful for was cooking, cleaning, and having children.

Something inside Callie snapped when Slade asked his question. You don't want to marry this guy right? No one had even asked Callie if she even wanted to marry him. Nothing in her life was an option. 'Your brother will protect you, from now on you don't leave without him.' 'Your role is to be a mother. Simple, isn't it?' 'This is your husband to be.' Nothing was ever asked of her, her opinion never meant anything. Suddenly Callie couldn't stop crying. "I don't want to get married to him. He's mean, he hurts me. I don't want people dying just because my father thinks this is whats best for the world. I-I-I don't want to have a baby with someone I don't like. I-I want to be able to protect myself and the ones I care for."

After she finished crying Callie pulled out her monogrammed hankie and patted the tears off of her tear stained cheeks. "I'll do whatever I can to destroy this place. I'll come with you if you think it'll make a difference." The prized, only daughter of the prophet was ready to give up the only thing she really cared about and that was Gillian. She would miss him more than anything.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Haru

Haru took a small sip of her punch as Marco walked in. They spent a lot of time together since they were both considered help, she was used to him walking into the kitchen with her. What she didn't expect was Drake following him. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment. How could she face him after everything that has happened with Haru and his brother? Not just the brother, the whole family! This place was insane. She gets violated and forcibly impregnated and everyone in the family acted like she was some prized poodle! She didn't want to leave her room most days. Unfortunately everyday Marco had to come in and drag her out of bed. Laying in bed all day wasn't healthy for the body.

Her heart skipped a beat when Lo came in and practically tackled her with a hug. Tears stung in Haru's eyes as she gave her fellow tall friend a small squeeze. Haru was so thankful that it was her going through this and not Lo. It was a horrible feeling, so at least one of them got to be happy. Her watery chocolate eyes looked from Lo back to Drake as she forced a small smile. "Everything's great. Elizabeth treats me like I'm her sister. Didn't you guys hear? We're hopefully expecting." Haru took a deep, shaky breath and forced the tears back. "I thought it was just supposed to be once a month but Daniel is just so overly friendly he can't seem to keep his hands to himself. Good thing is though, I don't have to be restrained anymore."

Haru gave a small shrug. "I guess you could say I'm living the handmaiden's dream? I'm not getting beat at least." Haru didn't blame either of them but it was hard to sound grateful for the things happening. "I'm thankful for the fact that I'm the only one going through this. I'll hopefully get pregnant soon, pop out a kid and move on to the next house that needs me." For a moment she thought to lie to them but they were her friends. Why lie? They wanted to know about her life and she didn't want to sugar coat it. It's not like she could freely speak often. "How have you guys been lately? I'm not permitted to leave the living quarters by myself much, I rely on Marco to be my eyes and ears for me now."

 

[Colt Voltage]

Marco

Lo was like a bullet across the kitchen as she flew inside. Her fiery red hair and contagious smile was one of the only things that could make him smile anymore. The girls hugged and Marco couldn't help but smile, though the smile faded when they asked how she had been. Haru was worse off than she liked to lead on. Everyday was a struggle to get her out of bed. Throughout the day she was quiet and just stared off into the distance, she barely ate. And all through everything she didn't cry. She internalized everything and it scared him, he didn't want her to snap one day.

The only comforting thought to Haru was getting out of the Potter house. She said being in the same house as Lo and Drake while this happened was the worst part. All Marco could do was try to be a shoulder for her to cry on.

"I do my rounds in the house and I try visit their quarters more. I try to how you say, uh," Marco snapped his fingers until he could think of the word. "Oh, yes. I try to cock block as best as I can." His heavy italian accent tried to make the others feel like Haru wasn't in this alone. He was really trying his best to look out for her. "I heard once she's pregnant he's not allowed to touch her. At least there's that." This world was so fucked up, it hurt Marco to say that.

 

[Sir Damien]

Gillian

Dancing on the bodies of innocent. Gillian frowned deeply as the words replayed in his head. It was true, their empire was built on the ashes and bodies of the old America. But it was only for the sake of the future! Women were opting out of having children, poisoning their bodies, working instead of taking care of their children or having children. The world was going to run out of people. His father just wanted to make sure there were future generations and that they were taken care of. Don't the rewards outweigh the cost? Freedom or future generations? Gillian wanted to see the human race continue. If there was another way to have freedom and this structured society then he'd be in full support of it.

In Gillian's mind he wasn't brainwashed. He was a dedicated big brother and an active member of the community. "Father, Zhao. I have my appointment shortly. I'll see you all later." He shook his father and Zhao's hands firmly before throwing on his coat and heading outside. He had thought to say goodbye to Callie but she was having too much fun right now, he didn't want to disturb her.

Once in the car the driver drove them about 15 minutes away. They pulled into the entrance of the hospital and Gillian stepped out of the car to look around. This was one of the facility's that tested on tattooed and people who worshiped the wrong prophet. "Gillian Montgomery, good to meet you ma'am." Gillian gave a charming smile and the Aunt practically swooned. "I wish to see all your girls. I need one to use in the bunker, use some as my guinea pigs. Mine always seem to snap during my experiments. Do you have any tough ones? I'd really like to get into my work without worrying too much." The Aunt ranted and raved to Gillian as they went upstairs. He listened, pretended to be interested, and nodded.

He was given a couple hard copy charts and he flipped through the names. However one named stopped him. Ava. He didn't say or do anything though, he had to confirm his suspicions as they stepped off of the 10th floor. They went room to room as the Aunt described each 'tough' girl to him. "And this one's Ava." Gillian's breath caught in his chest as he seen the dark haired girl praying.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Ava

The door opened behind her and Ava let out a whimper before putting her hands over her ears and taking a few deep breaths, trying to ward off the pending panic attack. "Ma'am you promised! You promised it would be at least another week so I can heal from the last test. My vision is still hazy." It was a complete lie but she hoped it was a lie that would save her. It wasn't until the woman said her name that Ava finally dropped her hands and turned to the door with a raised brow.

"G-" The only noise she could muster was the start of his name before she fell silent and swallowed down tears. "Aunt what is the meaning of this? I- I don't quite understand." The older woman just let out a small giggle before patting Gillian on the shoulder before speaking.

"Our Ava may be small but she is mighty. She has been here the longest, I doubt much could break her. She's been through pretty much everything we have here, we were struggling for more ideas. I'll leave you be to decide, feel free to make that decision however you need."

Ava watched as the woman left the room and closed the door behind her with a slam, out in the hall she could hear some of the Aunts cackling and Ava felt a chill run down her spine. "How are you here? Why are you here? " Ava whispered, worried the women could still hear her through the hospital door. She looked Gillian over and over again, still not sure if he was actually in front of her or if she was in some cruel form of torture. Hell she wouldn't put it past these people. After a few seconds she finally walked a few steps closer to him, picking nervously at the bottom of her large black t shirt before she was standing a foot away. Ava peered up at him and scanned his face over and over again. It was so hard for her to believe this was real... after everything she had gone through. Carefully she reached out and when she was met with a person and not air she let out a gasp. Tears began to overflow and her legs went weak under her causing her to fall to the floor. Suddenly all the strength that had gotten her through this place was gone and the familiar face was the most welcome thing in the world.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Slade

As Callie unraveled, Slade just listened. He let her cry and get upset, he let her be angry and finally he let her make her own choice. God was he glad she was doing this willingly, it was going to kill him if he had to be yet another man in her life that made her decisions for her. Once she was done crying he finally reached out and patted her on the head a few times. "I know Callie, you're able to do that. You just have to let this all go... I know that's not easy but I will help you and so will the others okay?" Slade did his best to give her a big smile but part of his jaw didn't move like it should still and it was always lopsided and just slightly painful.

"I just need you to trust me okay?" Slade dropped his hand from her head and reached to his back to hand her the backpack he had been carrying. In it there was a change of all black clothing for her to wear and some running shoes. "I'll turn so you can change okay? We can't move fast enough if you're in heels." He turned and pressed his forehead to the wall, thankful for the cold of the outside wall for cooling down his hot cheeks.

After she was done Slade turned to her and took in a deep breath. "No matter what, keep moving okay? I'll catch up okay? No matter what." They thought they killed him once so he wasn't worried if they tried again. Not anymore. If he could get left in a pit of bodies then wake up and travel across the country, he could steal away their princess and get away unscratched. For now at least. "Ready?"

Slade peered outside the shed before reaching out for Callies hand and pulling her out with him, sneaking along the side of the shed before ducking into the cover of the trees. He did this same motion for a while, sneaking around and through the heavily wooded area before finally reaching the area they had marked with red string around one of the tree trunks. The moment he arrived the others dropped down from the branches and all gave him pats on the shoulder and praises before saying their quick hellos to Callie. At first a lot of the people had been nervous about her.... thinking she may try and double cross them. But thanks to Slade most of those worries had been melted away. "We got in here through the sewers, our jeep is just outside the city near the train station." Slade turned and took a scarf from his neck and wrapped it around Callie's "Youll want this for the smell, trust me."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Lo

"What a fucking pervert." Lo spat the words as Haru told them about Daniel, they weren't completely surprising but fucking really? "I mean you have an understanding with that royal CREEP. If he got Haru over you then it was ONCE A MONTH. Your dad made him swear! I mean otherwise he was supposed to let Haru be yours right? I mean god from what your mother said Elizabeth isn't even infertile, she just doesnt want to lose her figure." Lo started to pace around the kitchen, tripping over her stupid dress every so often as she did. Lo quite enjoyed Drake's mom but the rest of that family was pure poison. She thought Daniel was the least terrible brother but turns out even he sucked.

"At least once she's pregnant?" Lo turned to Marco with wide eyes and let out a whine, "He's not even following rules now!" She stopped and thought for a moment, turning to walk to Drake and grabbing him by the arms and shaking him a few times, "You have GOT to speak with your father! I mean he's a man of rules and structure! This could finally be it!"

Across the room the kitchen door opened and Lo quickly jumped away from Drake and regained her lady-like composure.

"Oh! Hello ma'am!" Lo gave a nervous smile to the woman, the regal female who led the Potter family alongside her husband. A gentle woman who Lo had learned hated this whole thing just as much as she did. "Can I help you find anything?"

"No dear thank you. And I've told you Lorna-Lo, you don't need to front like this for me. I simply noticed the absence of a few members of my household and wanted to track you down." She paused and sighed, "And by that I mean Daniel is looking for Haruka and I am rather over the way he is acting. So I'm stepping in. Drake, I'm going to do the only thing I can, I trust you lot can figure something from there." The woman stepped to her son and placed a hand on his head, "I love you. I don't want any of my children to have to live like this. And I love you too dear, I'm happy you two are friends." She looked to Lo with a smile, one that was well aware that his was no romantic relationship. Then she left the room leaving Lo standing stuttering.

"Wait what is she going to do?" Lo gathered her skirt in her hands and stepped out into the hallway, watching as the woman rejoined the room women. At this point she could no longer see but could hear, "Excuse me fellow ladies!" Her voice rang out through the parlor and hall, "While I do not want to take away from our lovely Callie's celebration I just wanted to announce something very thrilling for my beautiful family! Both of my lovely daughters-in-law are expecting! Both Lorna and Elizabeth will soon bring beautiful babies into this new world." The living room erupted with applause. "Lorna would like to apologize for her absence but she was feeling a bit ill so I sent her home alongside Elizabeth's handmaiden."

What a beautiful woman! Lo slipped back in the kitchen before looking to Marco, "So that car of yours? Let's take it literally anywhere else. These people will be stuck at this party at least until late... It will give us time to talk more."

 

[KAYDEN]

Drake

As the others spoke of the situation all Drake could do was spiral in the thoughts of going and finding Daniel and beating the living shit out of the little prick. Lo started to shake him and rant but he simply let out a long breath and continued to spiral. "Yeah Lo I know he's not following the rules. I KNEW he wouldn't! That's why I spun my story about needing a handmaiden and wife but no doctors cant be wives! What a crock of shit. This whole fucking world is so FUCKED." He yelled just as soon as Lo jumped away from him and he was met with the realization that his mother had joined them in the kitchen.

"Yeah? He's looking for her? Well maybe I'll go find the asshole with my fucking fist in his teeth." Drake was so pissed he couldn't even think, it wasn't until his mother grabbed him that he finally shook away the red he was seeing. He knew how his mother felt about all this but he never thought she would do anything to help. After what happened to Drake, being left for dead by the cult, she was too scared of them to speak out ever again. "Mom you don't have to, I'm sure we can figure this out... I don't want you caught up in this." But she continued and he let his head sink. Where was this woman when he was growing up? Why did it take an evil cult taking over the world for her compassion to show through? "I love you too..."

Once Lo followed after his mother Drake stood near the door and listened. "D-Did she just?" Oh my god... brilliant woman. No one would think to question her... not now at least.

"Let's go to the house, Lo and Haru being pregnant together gives them an excuse to talk but if anyone tries to find us and we aren't where mom said it would be bad."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Callie

When Slade pat her head Callie instantly felt a little better. "Every time you're around you help protect people. I trust you." Her cheeks heated when he handed her the black leggings, black tank top, black jacket and black shoes. He expected her to change with him in there? Callie's heart beat loudly as he turned around and pressed his face against the wall. Right, she could do this. She trusted him. Quickly Callie changed from her dress and heels into the all black outfit. Finally she zipped up her jacket and slid on the running shoes. The whole time she kept glancing over at Slade to make sure he wasn't peeking. "D-Done." Her face was beet red as she carefully tucked her dress and heels in the trunk full of gardening tools. "Keep moving, got it."

When he stepped out of the shed Callie quickly grabbed his hand as he reached for her hand. Her heart was already beating loudly as she crept around in the shadows after him, her big greens constantly looking back at the house. Was she really leaving without so much as a goodbye to Gillian? A part of her hesitated when she thought of him. Their father was easy to anger and not always nice to Gillian and she worried what would happen to her brother.

Before she knew it they were disappearing into the tree line. They moved quickly and quietly, though when people dropped from the trees it startled her. She gave everyone a small wave and smile as they gave her a few hellos. "Hello." Callie shifted from one leg to another nervously. Sewers? Of course it was sewers. "Lead the way."

The trip through the sewers felt like it was never going to end. It was an awful smell, she held the scarf to her nose the whole time and held her breath the most of the way. The whole way Callie did her best to stay close to Slade. Callie had been warned that if the rebels got hold of any of them it wouldn't end well. The troops were doing their best to track them all down and snuff out the rebellion but they were hiding in states they didn't have control over yet. Callie was afraid these people wanted to hurt her.

Once out of the sewers Callie took a few deep breaths and shook off the gross chills she had in the sewers. "Does the rest of the journey require anymore sewers?"

 

[Colt Voltage]

Marco

"You have one cool mom how'd your siblings end up sucking so bad?" He gave a small nod and pulled out his keys. "Right, let's get you guys home." Marco put his hand on the small of Haru's back and helped her down the stairs to the car garage. After everything he had been through with Haru he had become pretty protective of her. She was like a beaten down little sibling and it hurt him to see her like that. "In you go." Marco held open the back door for Haru and Lo before holding it for Drake. He didn't want any of the other drivers to see them acting out of character.

Once everyone was in the car Marco hopped into the black SUV and took off towards the Potter residence. Thankfully the residence was only a few blocks away from Callie's and Gillian's home. "Let's go to the kitchen and I'll get one of the bottles of wine. There's so much no one would notice a missing bottle." Marco unlocked the home and walked to the main kitchen before stepping down into the wine cellar. He flipped on the lights, looked around for a minute, and grabbed a bottle off one of the many shelves. "Any alcohol at this point is good alcohol right?" He poured the first three and passed them out before pouring a glass for himself.

"Did you happen to have a boat at all Drake? I could get us to the marina. This would be the perfect time too, everyone's distracted. I think most of the security is back at the party."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Haru

Everyone's reaction just made Haru even more embarrassed. She shouldn't have said anything. Why did she bother? It didn't change anything. Though, the fact that Drake did try to make her his wife made her feel a little better. She wasn't completely abandoned. Lo went on and yelled at Drake about telling his dad and she instantly shot up. "It won't make a difference. Just keep quiet about it and let me do the job I was sent here to do." Haru was bottling everything up in a dangerously unhealthy way. One more trauma and she was bound to snap.

When Drake's mother walked in talking about her missing family Haru gave a small sigh. She was supposed to be bringing a drink to Elizabeth. "I'll be there in a second..." It took a moment before Haru processed what was going on. Was...she helping? The gesture warmed her icy heart. Marco walked to her and started her to escort her out to the car but Haru paused when they got near Drake. "Thank you for trying to help me. Don't worry about me anymore though, I'll be fine. I can handle this." She gently gave his hand a small squeeze before walking to the SUV with Marco.

Once they got settled in the car Haru leaned against Lo and found herself drifting off to sleep. Most nights she woke up multiple times in a panic. Her dreams were plagued with nightmares and trauma. These were people she trusted and she felt like she could finally relax a little.

The car came to a stop and Haru stirred herself awake when she heard the word wine. "I would kill for a drink right now." She slipped out of the car and followed Marco inside to the kitchen. Haru sat on one of the bar stools in front of the island in the kitchen. Before she knew it Marco was sliding them all glasses of wine and Haru quickly took a long drink. "There's nothing we can do, let's just enjoy this moment of peace."

 

[Sir Damien]

Gillian

It was hard to maintain his composure when all he wanted to do was smile and cheer. He found her and she was alive. After a long six months of these visits at camps and hospitals he found her. "Thank you, Aunt Mary." His heart broke to hear that they had tried everything on Ava, he couldn't even imagine what she went through. If only he had started with looking at hospitals then maybe he would have found her sooner, spared her of some of the inhumane things they did to her. Thankfully the Aunt stepped from the room to let Gillian study the girl. As soon as the door slammed shut he gave her a sad smile, a concerned look taking over his face. "I'm so sorry it took this long." He didn't move towards her or anything, who knows what these people did to her. Who knew how she'd react to seeing him.

Soon Ava was moving step by small step towards him. She studied the whole time and he just smiled sadly. Slowly she reached out and touched him. Tears streamed from her eyes and she fell to the floor. His heart crumbled for her as he knelt down to her, his arms wrapping around her to give her a gentle hug. "I'm so sorry Ava, I really am. I'm getting you out of here, okay? Just go with it. Once I get you to the car I'll explain further." He helped her to her feet and gently blotted off the tears on her face with his handkerchief. "You've made it this far I know you can do this." He frowned deeply at the scars on her her throat and her cheek. It was hard to believe that someone could do this to someone.

Gillian walked to the door and knocked a few times before the Aunts opened the door. "I'm taking this one, she's got a smart a mouth and has some spirit left in her. I'll be the one to break her down to nothing." The aunt clapped and cheered for a moment. "Come along now." Gillian motioned for her to follow him as they made their way to the ground floor. They made their way out the atrium and to the fresh smell of rain. "Thank you aunt. Hope to see you at the wedding." With that said Gillian opened the door for Ava and climbed in next to her. "To the bunker Jackson." The car began to move and Gillian let out a sigh. "You can speak freely around Jackson, he's a friend." He handed Ava a bottle of water with a sad smile. "I'm going to have you lay low in the bunker. Tomorrow I'll have you shipped off to Canada."

 

[KAYDEN]

Drake

Drake rested against the counter as Marco left to retrieve the bottle of wine, his mind still swimming from the events before as he turned to check the time quickly. They still had quite a while before the Potter family would feel comfortable leaving the party, especially after his mothers timely announcement. When Marco got them all glasses of wine Drake took his own with a quiet thanks before taking a long drink and sighing.

"I mean we have one or two even yeah." He thought as he spoke, "But neither are really what one would consider discreet. One is a yacht and the other might as well be." He finished off his glass and placed it in the sink for one of the maids before moving to lean against the kitchen island. "I mean you're right about the security though, it would be stupid to give up this chance. I could get you guys the keys so you could take off. They have to be around here somewhere."

Drake pushed away from the counter and moved to a locked cabinet on the wall, pulling out his own keys to get into the initial padlock. Inside there was keys for all sorts of bullshit but the one that he grabbed was for the smaller of the two options. "Yeah here it is." He turned and tossed the set of keys to Marco before taking a seat next to Haru at the counter and looking between her and Lo. "You both should take the option to run... if they find our you're not actually pregnant I don't want to think of what could happen." Marco could take the girls away from here and Drake could stay to make sure it looks like his mom had nothing to do with it. He could fake an attack! Make it look like he got knocked out and either the girls ran away or were kidnapped. It didn't really matter, once they were away from this fucking place they would be safe.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Lo

How did all this just fall into place? Lo sat with her head against the back of the seat as Haru napped on her shoulder. This was surreal that they were even able to leave the party let alone had an ally in this whole mess. "Do you guys think Callie will be okay?" Lo wasn't worried about Gillian, in her opinion he dug his own grave but Callie was clearly sad. She didn't want this and the poor girl was dragged into all of this just like they were.

Once at the house they headed inside and Lo look a seat on the counter, smiling gently at Marco as he handed her a glass of wine. "Thanks Marco..." Her voice trailed off as she stared down at her reflection in the liquid. Drake and Marco discussed the idea of getting out of here on a boat and she listened without much input until she caught onto something.

"Wait what about you? You don't want to leave too?" Lo looked at Drake with wide eyes, he had made comments twice now that purposely left him out of the statement.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Slade


It was a bit of a walk but they finally were free of the smell of the sewers and only about a block from the car. "Hah, right, no more sewers. For now." Slade chuckled and started walking along the path to the Jeep. Once there he ripped off the tarp that covered a pain black Jeep and threw it into the back before opening the back door for Callie. "Hope you don't mind a tight squeeze..." Once she was in he closed the door and entered on the other side so that he was in the middle of her and one of the others from the rebellion. Soon the car started up and they began to move.

"Callie everyone, everyone Callie. Sorry we couldn't really talk in the forest." Slade looked over at Callie and adjusted slightly before continuing, "There's a lot more of us but these guys are the best we have and this was important..." He stared at her for a long moment before his head dropped and he let out another chuckle that was paired with a heavy sigh. He still couldn't believe this worked. He really thought there was no way in hell that she would leave willingly, this was just the best case scenario.

They drove on for a few more minutes before Slade spoke again. "The drive is long... about fourteen hours. By the time we get there everyone will know you're missing and be looking for you." He paused carefully thinking about how to word this next part. "I thought about taking Gill too. But I just don't know if anyone is ready for that... Gill included. But I promise Callie that we will find a way to make sure he knows you're safe okay? If he's the man I think he is I know that he will be worried. He's just too close to this all right now..."

Slade had tried to talk the others into bringing Gillian in as well, Slade knew he might be a wild card but he truly believed that after some talking and such he would start to melt a little. But just convincing them Callie wouldn't be a threat was hard enough... Gil was a hard no. Slade wasn't going to leave it at that but for now he just had to accept it and move forward.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Ava

"W-What?" Ava stopped sobbing when his arms went around her and he apologized, he had actually been looking all this time? Part of her was moved but another part was terrified of the fact that there was so many people in this situation that it took so long to find her. He helped her to her feet and dabbed away her tears and despite all her trauma she couldn't help but smile. No one had shown her kindness in so long... any physical contact she had was painful and scary so much so that something that wasn't almost brought her to tears again. But Gil told her to be strong and get through this for now, so she would, she had been for this long.

When Gill opened the door she stared at him with wide eyes as he spoke to the Aunts who responded with cheers. How disgusting. Suddenly she remembered spitting in the officers face and as much as she wanted to relive that moment right now she chose to quickly scramble after Gil instead and just get the fuck out of this place. Ava followed him out to the car and got in, stopping for a minute to stare back up at the hospital. From out here it seemed so big but it had made her entire world so small. For six months all she knew was the view of the sky from the roof and the four walls of torture that she lived inside of.

Gill joined her in the back of the car and they were off. Ava turned and eyed the driver cautiously for a moment, not sure how much of a friend this man could be but when Gillian began to speak she quickly realized there was no reason to hold back in front of this Jackson person. Ava took a sip from the water she was handed before closing it and placing it in the seat next to her.

"Wait..." Ava spoke mildly at first as Gill was speaking, talking about a bunker and sending her to Canada. He didn't seem to notice her small intrusion so she spoke up again, more boldly this time. "I'm not just going to run away. Are you serious?" She let out a curt laugh and gave him a look like he was insane. Ava had been to hell and back on multiple occasions over these past six months and she didn't preserver just to get away alone. "What about the others?! What about Lo and Haru, all the boys!? What about Callie? .... What about you?" As she rambled her voice got more and more frantic. Ava reached out and grabbed the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her straight on. "Gillian you are a good person, I know that. I would still be in that place if you didn't care. Callie wouldn't have an education or be kind if it wasn't for you. You don't have to stay back and be a part of this, you don't have to accept this!"

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Callie

"Hello everyone." Callie's voice was shaky and nervous. She had never met this many people without Gillian with her, she was a nervous wreck. The only thing that provided her with some sense of safety was Slade. It was the first time she felt like she could trust someone other than Gillian. Speaking of..."We will go back for Gillie though, right?" Callie's dampened spirit perked up slightly at the thought, her sweet smile shining on her face. Her brother was her best friend, she wanted to protect him from her father. Gillian wasn't on as tight of rope as Callie was though, she knew he'd be fine for a while. "I don't want to leave him for long. He'd be a lot of help in rebelling against father."

Her smile fell slightly as she realized who she was talking to. A car full of victims of her families reign. "I'm...sorry. For everything my father and his ideals have done." She wanted to defend her fathers actions, say that it was him trying to make the world a better place, but it wasn't the time nor the place to say that. Callie didn't believe her father was a monster--he only wanted the best for the world! Callie was raised on his fucked up ideals, she thought this was normal family behavior. It's the only thing she ever knew. Callie didn't grow up on genocide though, she didn't think people had to die to build a nation. She especially didn't believe in the whole handmaiden thing.

This was going to be a 14 hour drive. It wouldn't be long before someone noticed her missing. "You're sure me being here will help? I'm not as useful as you are." Callie looked over at Slade and bit at her lip nervously, her fingertips fiddling nervously with the string on the jacket.