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Dead USA (DrTrollinski and Elwin)

".. Yeah. Code's a good kid. He's grown into a respectable man over the past five months. So I'll have to get him some manly gifts, won't I?" He chuckled a little. ".. What about the little boy, Daniel? We'll have to make sure he feels at home... Poor kid. Christ knows what he's been through." He said with a little sigh. "Also... I know you wake up during the night sometimes. I hear it. I wake up a lot from the bad memories, and I'll go down and get a drink of something... then pass out, eventually. No one's caught me yet, but... on the upside, I suppose we have something in common." He laughed lightly as he squeezed her hand.


--


He nodded. ".. Well, as far as I know, we don't shoot on sight, so I'm glad you're here and out of the cold." He chuckled a little. ".. Winter's heavy this year. You local to Georgia?" He asked. He wasn't local, and that was obvious. His accent wasn't Georgian at all.
 
Beth nodded. "Daniel..of course." She bit her lip at his comment. "Yeah, I get night terrors. Smoking helped me out..but I'll stop." She said this quickly, not wanted to start another rant about it. "Greg has given me an earful already.."


~~


Keeva looked up and nodded a little, coughing on a bit of her food. She cleared her throat. "Um, yeah. I haven't been back here for years though.." She herself, had an unclear accent and appearance. She looked heavily Italian but had a mixed accent due to traveling around the United States for years.
 
".. You know he's not trying to be a dick about it... Smoking's bad, and I've been smoking for the past twenty years..." He sighed and squeezed her hand. "Make what you've got last until tomorrow, even if it is a struggle... If we're gonna' be fightin' anything together, it may as well be smoking." He chuckled. "I'll quit with you, but it's something we need to stick to... I can go out and get some'a those nicotine things that you can use to get off it - Perfectly safe, too. Just don't get addicted." He said, and then he thought about Daniel. ".. I've got a funny feeling that it might be me and you that need to look after that kid now... Greg and Luna have got their hands full, and... Seeing as we'll be spendin' some time together, and seeing as the kid's already taken a liking to Coden... I don't really think we have a choice now." He choked, and then bit his lip. "Once he starts talking, I'm sure things will easier." He said.


--


"I see. A traveler, like myself? I've been all over the country. Never left it, though." He smiled, and then leaned back and thought for a moment. He remembered the little boy that had come in. He'd lost his voice. There must have been something they can do. ".. This is gonna' be a weird question, but no one's thought about it yet, I don't think... I... Do you know any ways to help someone who's lost their voice? Like... Any special drinks, or anything?" He asked as he scratched the back of his head.
 
"I guess so..It'll be hard. Smoking is the only thing that keeps me calm. It keeps my thoughts at bay." Beth started fiddling with fingers. She thought about the little boy. Maybe this was her chance to redeem herself. What she had failed with Coden, she could make up for with the boy. "Yeah, you're right. I wonder what happened to his parents?"


~~


Keeva looked up and actually smiled a little, seemingly interested. "Yeah, a traveler. I love exploring and finding out new things.." She paused at his question. "Do you want specific ingredients? I mean salt water is a given. Green tea too. But if that doesn't work I mean you could try giving him some honey with the tea or just a spoonful. It'll help, but don't rush it, just give it time." Keeva nodded at her own answer. She had picked up all kinds of natural remedies from getting sick herself and not being able to afford to get herself properly checked out.
 
"It might keep your thoughts at bay, but quitting will provide the chance for you to keep the thoughts at bay." He explained, gently caressing her hand while he spoke. He was trying to encourage her but keep her comfortable at the same time, he didn't want to upset her. ".. The boy's parents, I don't know... He came here with no shoes, his feet were cut to pieces, and he was freezing cold and looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks... I hate to say it, but--.. They're probably gone. But he ain't. He's here for a reason." He paused for a moment and then looked at her.


".. I believe in fate being a dictator. The only reason we went through all this shit in our lives is so that... Hell, I don't know... So that we were ready. Perhaps it was the same in the kid's case." He shrugged a little. "Also, when it comes to quitting and night terrors, and all that... If things do become too much, I'll be here if you need to talk or vent problems. I know everyone else has been treating you soft and like you're a child since that incident, but I give you my word that I won't." He gave a half smile.


--


He nodded at her advice and smiled. ".. That's good. I mean, hell, I'm gettin' on in age a bit now, but... The thing is, I loved it. I practiced with a bow since I was young, became a master with that... I liked the peacefulness of being out in the middle of nowhere. There was a lot to see." He said, taking a deep breath as he thought about his adventures. God, he missed them.
 
"Yeah, I'll keep that in consideration.." Beth smiled at looked up at Phil. "So..I did always wonder how you and Jacob came across each other?" She had really appreciated their chat, it had warmed her heart in-fact. But keeping her mind from wandering too deep into dark and emotional matters was Beth's escape. She needed to speak of lighter things, things not concerning her past and her depression.


~~


Keeva perked up a little. She put down her fork and nodded enthusiastically. "You're only too old when your heart stops beating.." She said in response. "My.." Keeva paused at her sentence and swallowed, a lump in her throat. She shook her head a little and continued. "I know exactly what you mean. The least lonely I have ever felt was when I was alone in the wilderness with the natural life thriving around me.." She smiled to herself, almost daydreaming.
 
".. It was weird, to be honest." He chuckled a little. ".. It was back at some small town, a few states back, not far from where we met you. It was some crazy shit... I think he was staying there when all this happened... I get there, there's burnin' bodies all piled up in the road, and he's sitting in a house all locked away. He was terrified. He may have been a hunter, but all of this hit where he was at a recent time." He was still holding her hand and gently massaging it. He didn't really realize he was doing it, but being able to show affection was a nice feeling. ".. It was funny, I was the one who almost shot him, despite breaking into the place he was holed up in." He laughed a little. ".. We spoke for a while, shared a drink, and then we were on the road heading South. We saw a car drive by when we were... Hell, I don't know, in the middle of nowhere. Turned out that that was Luna and Greg and his boys." He laughed. ".. We broke into the garage they were in, too. Said hello, and there we had it." He shrugged and smiled up at her.


"How come you were travelling North?" He asked. ".. Or, I'm guessin' you were travelling North. I don't know... Does Coden know how to drive?" He asked.


--


"Maybe, but I'm too old to die young, and too young to die old." He chuckled. "That's the way life goes for most of us." He smiled. ".. I remember when I first went out. I was a rookie back then. Spent a lot of time cowering behind trees, but I eventually learned the difference between things out there. It ain't as scary as you imagined... Being surrounded by the wildlife was always good." He smiled.


--


Greg eventually found the strength to get up and go and check on Clayton. He found him and Luna snuggled up and asleep on the bed. He smiled and walked back out, followed by going down the hallway towards Coden's room. He stopped when he heard Beth and Phil speaking in one room - he was going to go in and apologize for how he acted, but... They were having a nice talk. It made him smile, so he left them alone and went ahead to Coden's room. He pushed in through the door and looked over him, giving a half smile.


".. Hey, Code... Sorry about earlier. I don't think I ever got the chance to compliment you, and thank you for the work you did with the kid. You know, well done." He smiled and nodded at him.
 
Beth sighed and looked at her their hands. He was warm. "No..I drive. Me and Code, we have been traveling for a long time. Before everything kicked off. I took all of our savings out we left the south. We got the car when everything started happening. Just took it, really. There ain't much to say other than that.."


~~


"Yeah, you're right.." Keeva said blankly. She glanced at Jackson, then back to Jacob. "People are scariest.." She muttered and didn't bother explaining what she meant. She stood up and dropped her bowl into the sink, running some water. She felt kind of empty. The woman, her Dad, everything she had to think about was exhausting. She sometimes wished that she couldn't make emotional connections. I mean, she didn't really. Not often. But the ones she had hurt.


~~


Coden was laid on his mattress, reading some old comic that he had collected one time in town. He looked up and smiled at Greg. "It's no problem. Daniel's good. He is super strong.." He closed the comic and set it aside on the floor, staring into space. "Greg..I'm worried about Clay. I heard him saying some really freaky s**t earlier.."
 
".. I see..." He said. ".. You've been through a lot of stuff together... A lot of it might not have been good, but... Looking at you and him now... I'd say it was worth it in the long run, wouldn't you?" He asked, giving a gentle smile as he looked up at her. He'd really taken a liking to Beth recently. Especially after today. They ended up being quite similar in terms of who they were and what they'd been through, and he found inner peace with that - he'd finally found someone he could at least somewhat relate to. Knowing her history, he sort of felt like she might have appreciated how gentle he was being. It was a new experience to him, but it was certainly a lot nicer than him being violent and cold.


--


".. Not always. They're unpredictable, but you fall in with the right crowd and you eventually meet the people you can trust." He smiled, but before anyone could say anything else, Jackson hopped up after finishing his breakfast and looked up at Keeva with a gentle smile.


"Do you want me to show you a room you can stay in? We've got a loada' mattresses and blankets and pillows in the back room, and I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind if you had one of them and your own room." He smiled warmly at her.


--


Greg frowned and walked in, closing the door behind him as he went over and sat down on the desk, looking down at Coden for a moment. He hoped Clay was doing alright. ".. What do you mean 'freaky shit'? What was he saying? What's wrong with him, even?" He asked out of concern.
 
Beth nodded, she felt a little shy about how comfortable she felt. It was a new experience. She was actually surprised how much Phil could just his opinion of her. She remembered when they first met and how she had shown herself up and embarrassed Coden. This was a common thing that she did in front of new people. Well, before they settled into this new life. Everything seemed so much different, including Beth. She felt like her old personality had gone and been replaced with some sad timid old bird. She didn't even fuss much about her makeup anymore, only seeing sadness when she looked into the mirror. But after today, Phil had helped. She actually felt a little better about herself. Beth looked up at him and squeezed his hand. A genuine smile expanded from her lips. "No you're right. Me and Coden are a little team, he is my life.."


~~


Keeva acknowledged Jacob's words, giving a quick nod and turned to Jackson, smiling. "Sure, I'd really like that." She jumped up, with a bounce and waited for the little boy to take her. She had never anticipated that her first official friend in the house would be a child. It was nice, though.


~~


Coden sighed, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Loads of crap about feeling like dying..I mean he isn't he is fast asleep now but he was saying things like, they can run now? Who are they?" Coden looked at Greg with confusion, biting his short nails.
 
"And that..." He took hold of her other hand and have a gentle smile. "Is how I know that you're a good mother... Coden's lucky to have you... I think that you don't give yourself enough credit." He said softly, he really wanted Beth to feel better about herself, just in how much she's changed over the months showed that she didn't think very highly of herself anymore.


--


"Great." Jackson smiled dashed out of the room and lead her upstairs, taking her to the bottom of the hallway and pushing into an office room where there were mattresses and blankets and pillows piled up. "You can take the mattress, I'll get the pillow and blanket cause I'm only little." He smiled at her and picked up a warm blanket and big pillow.


--


He walked over and sat beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I don't have a clue... I'll speak to him when he wakes up." He sighed a little. "What's wrong with him, though? How sick is he?" He asked.
 
"A good Mother?" Beth questioned this statement. It wasn't true, Coden's development the recent months had been down to the whole group, barely her. She hadn't helped in the slightest. Beth felt tears rolled down her cheeks. "I hate this, Phil." She mumbled. "What is life anymore? I feel like I have nothing left, other than Coden." Beth gritted her teeth, a little blonde curl falling in her face as she bowed her head. "It kills me to see everyone younger, smarter and more able than me protecting the group.."


~~


"Sounds good!" Keeva replied to Jackson, turning the mattress on a side. She slid it out of the room, panting a little as she did. "Where to now?" She asked Jackson, smiling at him.


~~


Coden shrugged, chewing at his nails. "Hell, I dunno'." He sighed, adjusting his position to cross-legged. "He approached Mom first, asking her to help him..then Luna..neither of them knew what to do. He was being so unclear, like his symptoms weren't directly related to anything.."
 
He hugged her again, but this time it was her turn to cry on his shoulder. He held her as gently as he could, but made sure she was close to him; he gently rubbed her back and took a deep breath as he set his head down atop her hair, sighing in the slightest. ".. Beth... Not many of us have anythin' left... Hell, some of us didn't have anythin' in the first place. Look at Greg, and his boys... They've lost the person Greg called a wife and mother to his children, but they're kickin' on just fine. Jacob always wanted a family, but he's managed to cope with what he's been given here... You're a good mother, Beth... Yeah, you might have made mistakes, but we all do. If you weren't a good mother, Coden wouldn't have been up on that roof talkin' to you when you were ready to give up - He wouldn't have tried... You know why I know you're a good mom to him? Because the way he sees you shows it - If he didn't see you as that, he'd have left you behind." He hugged her a little more tightly and gently rocked her.


".. But he hasn't... It don't matter how old you are, how smart you are, or how much you protect people... We like havin' you around, and Coden does as well. Look at me, Beth... I'm about the same age as you, I never went to college or university, had a shit life for the first twenty-odd years, and yeah... sometimes I feel like I ain't doin' much, but... You start to realize, eventually, that if you appreciate what you do, then everyone else will as well." He felt a little emotional and swallowed down a lump in his throat. ".. Life ain't what it is, but we're alive... Like Jacob always says. We're too old to die young, and too young to die old. Those are words to live by... even if things get shitty, the least we can do is make the most out of what we've got left..." He gave a broken smile and set his head on her shoulder.


--


"This way." Jackson grunted a little as he shoved the stuff onto his shoulder and then lead her further down the hallway until they reached the door of an office. He pushed it open and revealed an empty room that had only a desk and a small bookcase, as well as some filing cabinets. The computer was there on the desk, but hadn't been used in months. He smiled at her as he slowly set the stuff down on the floor. "You can put the mattress down wherever you want... There's books, and stuff if you like to read, and on the desk you can write... I like to draw stuff when I'm bored, and that's what I do on the desk that's in our room." He smiled warmly at her and shrugged.


--


".. He's probably just a little lethargic from whatever's wrong with him. Don't worry yourself. No one else has got what he's got thus far, so we can only assume that he's gone and eaten some bad food that he ain't told us about. Worst case scenario is that he's got a stomach ulcer, or something, but that's unlikely for him." He sighed and patted his shoulder. ".. Don't think too much of it, okay? You did what you could, and you did good." He smiled.
 
Beth blinked profusely, ridding off her tears. She thought of Coden and the torment he had been through. Growing up in a broken family, a terrified Mother and a terrifying Father. It wasn't fair, yet he had pulled out as a model son. He had his moments, he had anger issues, but nothing like his Father. She felt proud at this. Beth smiled to herself, then pulled back and looked up at Phil. "You're so different to what I thought.." She mumbled. Beth's cheeks were a bright pink from crying she almost looked childlike. "Thank you for not treating my as one of the children. It really knocks my confidence" She paused and sighed. "I just want to find myself again. I want to be the woman I never got to be.." Beth thought about her own youth. She remembered her teenage years, a flirtatious bouncy blonde. She had always been popular with men and women in her school years, although this cost her in later life. She was never a bad person, just clueless. Especially clueless when she got in with the most desired boy at her high-school. But she did have Coden, and that is what mattered.


~~


Keeva dragged the mattress in and dropped it onto the middle of the room with a gasp. She took the blanket and pillow from Jackson, giving him a quick smile. "Thanks for all your help.." Keeva started placing the blanket onto her mattress, straightening out. "You've been very helpful.." She sat down on the mattress and pulled her backpack from her back. "Did you say you like to draw?" She smiled and pulled out a small folder. She pulled out some colored pens and paper that had sketches of woodland style areas and old tombs. "I like to draw when I go exploring.." She smiled. "I've seen many things. You'd be surprised what you find when you don't plan to.."


~~


"Are you sure, Greg?" Coden sighed and got up. "I hope he's okay..I don't have anyone to hang out with.." He knew this wasn't important but he was trying to lighten the mood. Coden picked up his comics and started ordering them, mindlessly.
 
".. I've been tryin' to find myself for the past forty years, Beth." He gave a sad chuckle and shook his head. ".. It's different for everyone, but... I think that... Maybe it's worth a shot, no matter how far in it is." He smiled, a little more warmly this time as he quickly struck his eyes with one hand to wipe away the tears that were beginning to form. ".. I have to say you're different from what I first imagined you to be like... Hell, I don't know... I suppose how I am now was me all along, I just... I don't know. It was waiting for the right time to show up." He smiled. "So, you with me on the path of reform? I know it ain't easy, so if anythin', I think it'd be good for us to help each other along the way." He suggested.


--


He sat down at the other end of the mattress and smiled at her as she pulled out the pencils, and such. He nodded a little. "Yeah... I always wanted to go out exploring in the forests, and stuff... We lived in New Hampshire, so there was a lot of 'em." He laughed a little. "I can draw kinda' good, now... I've been drawin' a lot since I was like... since I was almost four." He added, looking around for a moment. ".. Do you have any of your drawings with you?" He asked. He considered himself to be a little budding artist, and he considered Keeva to be someone he'd get along with. He didn't know, maybe he and her would be able to compare drawings sometime.


--


He chuckled a little. "Clay's a fighter. He went through all kinds of sicknesses, both in school and at home - I can promise you he'll be fine. I remember a couple of years back, he had some sort of sickness bug when he went on this five-day field trip to some venture place. Said he threw up a lot, but he came back and said 'Yeah, I had a good time.'" He stopped to laugh for a few seconds. God, thinking back to those times was good - it was amazing where time had gone. "Even if it is a stomach ulcer, we have antibiotics. The most important thing to do is make sure he's hydrated and at least eating something, even if it's only a spoonful of chicken soup. His body won't do anything without a source of energy." He explained.
 
Beth nodded. "Yes, I'll accompany you." Her answer was simple but she was genuine. She already looked physically better as her mood raised. Beth hadn't ever expected Phil to be the one to help her. But she was glad it was him. She loved Luna and everything she had done for her, but as everyone else, she seemed to not understanding what to say and how to act with someone who suffered from depression. Beth didn't expect her too, but it made things harder on her part. After a while she stood up, still holding onto Phil. "Do you mind if I take a few breathers outside? You can come.." She paused. "I get a little claustrophobic cooped up in this place sometimes."


~~


Keeva nodded and passed him the papers with her sketches. Some of them were elaborate colorings of scenes and others were simple sketches of trees and rocks and waterfalls. "Always document your adventures in anyway you can.." She said, smiling. "They can be some of the most precious moments of your life." She passed him a little pack of colored pens. "You can borrow these if you like. I saved up for a long time to buy them, they are quite special."


~~


"Yeah, I guess.." Coden sighed, he was quite bored himself. "He is asleep with Luna. I hope they wake up soon." Coden put down his comics and looked at Greg. "Do you think we could go into the town sometime soon? Like in the next few days? I've read these comics at least thirty times each. I would like to find some new ones. I know its dangerous but.."


~~


Luna's eyes fluttered opened. Her back ached a little from her position, so she attempted to adjust herself whilst keeping Clayton in her arms. "Urgh.." She gently slid him from her and placed him onto the mattress, his head on the pillow.
 
"Yeah, let's do that." He squeezed her hand and smiled at her before walking over to the door, gently pushing it open and looking around in the hallway. With a smile, he nodded at her, released her hand, and then lead her downstairs and out of the front door, and just around the corner so they could lean against the wall. Snow was gently falling, but it was beautiful, and very... Relaxing, in a sense. If anyone in the group had said to him five months ago, that today he'd be hugging Beth and telling her the worst parts of his life, he'd have walked right out and never came back - now he was here, and he didn't regret one bit of it. He was really starting to enjoy Beth's company - it felt as if it was her who was starting to appreciate him in return, rather than him being the one to solely appreciate everyone else. ".. Weather's bitter, ain't it?" He smiled a little and rested a hand on her shoulder, taking a deep breath of the cold breeze as he did so. ".. As cold as it is, I... I like it like this, in some ways... Sometimes when I wake up at five, six in the morning, there's sometimes this sort of snowfall... I just wrap up in the blanket from my bed and lean back by the window a little bit. It's really nice." He smiled.


--


"Well, we could go out now if you're that bored." He offered with a smile. ".. Daniel's asleep, Clayton's asleep, Luna's asleep, and Daniel's just... God, I don't even know what Daniel's up to. He finds a way to entertain himself." He chuckled a little. "It's still early, and we ain't got anythin' better to do. Feel like heading out on the town with me now, then?" He asked again.


--


As soon as Clay moved he started to stir, his face scrunched up in his sleep and he started shuffling around, eventually he kicked the blanket off of him and kept moving and squirming, at first he looked like he was in pain, but then he started muttering in his sleep.


"No... don't..." He whimpered quietly. ".. Don't do it... Don't..." There was a long pause as he rolled over onto his side, his arms slowly stretching out and occasionally twitching around. ".. Don't... Go away... Don't hurt me..." He whimpered again, his mouth opening up and his lips quivering. He had some tears form under his closed eyes that eventually crept out from under them. He shivered a little and curled up into the fetal position. He was having the most horrific nightmare right now.


 
(Hold on, I missed Jackson's part D:


 
Jackson looked at the pictures for a moment and was struck by awe. She was good. They were way better than his, but his weren't all that bad. He looked at the kit when it was handed to him; he smiled at her and slowly pushed it back towards her. ".. Nuh-uh. They're yours, and you're a good drawer. If you saved up for those, it ain't fair if I take 'em." He smiled and then rose up. "Hold on, I'm gonna' go and get my drawings." He smiled and shot out of the room, returning only thirty seconds later and plopping back onto the mattress. He put at least a dozen down in front of her; some time had gone into them, evidently, and they weren't too bad for an eight year old - they were pictures of animals, like a Koi Carp, a bear, a cat, a dog, bugs of some kind, and trees, too. They weren't heavily detailed, but they were decent.


"Do you like 'em?" He asked, smiling.
 
Beth smiled. The frosty air on her skin was so naturally refreshing. "Yeah..I like summer. But there is a lot of pressure in summer to have a good time and if you don't have a good time, you haven't had a good summer. But with winter, you can just go with the flow and feel how you feel with no judgement." Beth watched as the snow dropped on her skin. She was almost as pale as the cold little water droplets themselves.


~~


Coden nodded, enthusiastically. He had his mind set on a few comics he used to own back home and wanted to try find them. "I'll get a coat!" He said, jumping up and running downstairs. He headed to where all of the warm clothes were kept and pulled out a large coat with a furry hood.


~~


Luna watched Clayton for a moment, trying to listen to his words. She sighed. He was having a night terror. She pulled his head onto her lap and stroked his hair gently. It was long and soft. "Shh..." She whispered, twisting her fingers between clumps of dark brown hair.


~~


"That is thoughtful of you. Maybe I will go out some day and get you your own set of special pens." She picked up some of his drawings smiling. "You've done a pretty terrific job with pencils though!" She flicked through them. They were cute and definitely well drawn for such a small person. "My favorite is definitely the bear. Bear's are my favorite animal.."
 
"Yeah, that's pretty accurate." He smiled at her and then took a deep breath as he looked around the surrounding area. ".. If Winter wasn't so damn cold, I imagine it wouldn't be so much of a problem." He laughed a little and then smiled. "So, let's discuss what things we're gonna' get for people for Christmas. I was thinkin' we could try and find an RC Car for Jackson, alongside some other stuff... I've seen that kid drawing for hours... Some artist pencils, and some watercolors, or somethin'." He smiled. "He's already got pencils, so I think some paint and some sketchpads would be good. Maybe a new bathrobe and some slippers for those cold days would be good, maybe the same for Daniel, too." He chuckled. ".. What about Coden and Clayton? The adults are easy, but the kids will be difficult." He said. Phil was enthusiastic about this - he knew that helping everyone have a good time wouldn't only help himself, but Beth, too.


--


Greg followed after him, pleased that he managed to brighten him up a little. He went downstairs and picked up one of the coats that was similar to the one Coden had chosen; he also put on a scarf, hat, and some clothes - they weren't too thick, though, he wanted to be able to hold a gun or a knife without trouble. "Fully suit up, pal. Last thing we want is to get hypothermia." He said, smiling softly. He didn't sound morbid, he just said it in a joking matter-of-factly sort of way.


--


".. Don't--... Stay away..." He whimpered, still squirming in his sleep. After Luna had him close, he started to calm down a little. He soon gently hugged her back, but the tears didn't stop flowing from under his eyelids. He finally settled down, but he didn't stop speaking. ".. Mom--.. I thought you were dead, mom..." He murmured, holding Luna as close as he could - his grip wasn't very strong, seeing as he was asleep. His dream instantly changed from something horrific, to him falling into the arms of his mother. That was triggered by Luna holding him, obviously.


--


"Thanks." He said shyly, his cheeks blushing a little. He thought for a moment and looked over the drawings, including the bear. He slowly shifted the bear over to her and smiled. "You can keep the bear. I can draw another one. It's one'a my favorites, too - They're pretty cool. You can keep it and... I dunno', stick it on your wall, or keep it in your bag." He said with a gentle shrug.
 
Beth thought for a moment. "Well Code is into all his comic stuff. I think he likes Batman a lot and other DC comics. He always used to stress to me the difference between DC and Marvel and how it wasn't the same getting him Spiderman comics.." Beth rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I still don't really understand but whatever.." She sighed and frowned a little, thinking about Clayton. "I don't really know much about Clay, maybe we should ask Greg about that? Unless we are keeping gifts a surprise."


~~


Coden nodded and smiled at Greg, wrapping a dark blue scarf around his neck and popping on a beanie. He was really quite excited now. It was so boring not being able to do anything or hang out with anyone.


~~


Luna sighed, feeling a little awkward now. She wanted to comfort him so she stayed stroking his hair and hoping his dream was a little better. She often thought about their Mom and how often they thought about her. She found it quite scary that at their age, especially Jackson, they were young enough to forget quite a lot of her as they grew up.


~~


Keeva raised her eyebrows and grinned. "Wow, thanks. I'll probably stick it on my wall." She looked around the room, looking for a good place. "Actually I'll do that now." She stood up and rummaged through one of the desk drawers, finding a roll of sellotape. She used her mouth to rip some pieces off and stuck it on the wall above her bed. "Perfect! Now that can be a reminder that I need to go find some bears again on another adventure."
 
".. I've got something I can get Clay... He's a reserved kid. I've never seen him read or do anything like that - only ever seen him during shooting training, so, as bad as it sounds, maybe a rifle that he could call his own would be enough for him. Get him some other cool stuff, like... I don't know, a flip knife, or something... Other than that, we'll pick out some nice bits and pieces for him." He smiled. ".. We're keeping it a surprise. Give everyone a morale boost on Christmas morning." He said.


--


Jackson grinned a little, and then his grin calmed to a warm smile. "Good." He said, rocking a little; he slowly rose up and then stretched his back. ".. I'm gonna' go and take a shower and get dressed." He said. "Maybe we can draw later, and show each other how to draw new stuff." He smiled and then made his way out of the room and upstairs to get some clothes, before heading down to take a shower.


-------------------


LATER THAT EVENING



Throughout the day, things were unusually quiet. Greg managed to help Coden gather a number of magazines without trouble, but Clay had been in bed all day after finally settling down after Luna hugged him. He wasn't well, but Greg did make sure that he gave him a small amount of chicken soup later on in the evening. Daniel slept for only a few hours, and he still looked exhausted. Jacob took Keeva's advice and made him a tea with some honey, and that allowed him to merely croak out half a word before his voice went again, but at least it was getting better.


Speaking of Keeva, Jackson spent a lot of the day with her, showing her how he drew things and hopefully learning a few tricks himself. He liked Keeva quite a lot - she was kind of like the sister or aunt he never had. It was nice for him to be able to socialize and hang out with someone, while occasionally heading off for a bathroom break or a snack, of course, seeing as he didn't really fit in very well with Clayton and Coden. He appreciated her company a lot, and that was obvious. He wished her and everyone else a goodnight when it got to around ten o'clock.


"Goodnight, son." Greg muttered as he tucked him into his bed and then kissed his forehead.


"Night, dad... Night, Luna." He smiled up at them both and then snuggled into his bed, shutting his eyes. Greg wished Clay goodnight and then walked over and collapsed onto his mattress, sighing a little as he did so. His was right beside Luna's, so they could have a quiet chat if they wanted to.


--


After putting Daniel back to bed, Phil went down to the kitchen to find Beth and then started digging through the cupboards in search of any alcohol. He found a fair amount.


"So, Beth, what's your favorite? Whiskey, wine, vodka, rum?" He asked, chuckling a little. Everyone had noticed that Phil had been a lot happier since this morning.
 
Beth was sat at the table, smirking. She had decided to have some fun tonight and try and get her old self back. Before meeting Phil downstairs she had washed her curls and applied her signature red lipstick with a button down blue dress. She felt wonderful, the best she had felt in years in fact. "I'm a wine girl myself, but I am actually feeling whiskey tonight" She giggled, a chirp in her voice. She wished they had some music, something classic that she could dance too. She was a big fan of forties war-time music. "What about you, what kind of drinker are you?"


~~


Keeva hadn't bother to go to bed when everyone else had. She had made her way to the roof, her guns in her holsters just in case. It was nicer to be outside and alone despite having quite a nice day with one of the kids. She had really taken a liking to Jackson, he seemed a lot different to his Dad who she had only left with an argument. She thought about how long she would stay before leaving, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to get too close to the kid, but he was an adventurer like her, maybe they'd meet again when he was older.
 
He turned and looked at her, smiling as he picked up the bottle of whiskey. "A match made in heaven, none other." He laughed a little as he put the bottle down on the table, and then got two glasses from the cupboard. He filled the glasses in doubles and slid one over to her. She looked really nice tonight - she was wearing makeup, which showed that this meant something to her. ".. I will say that you look very nice tonight." He smiled warmly and held his glass up a little, proposing a toast.


--


Daniel had only been in bed for a couple of hours when he woke up in the dark, tears immediately flowing down his face. He didn't know what to do, he was shivering. He was warm, but he felt so cold. He was terrified, and he wasn't quite sure where he was. He had dozens of horrible memories flood his head, and he slowly rose up, walking mindlessly on his still-healing feet, and he made his way out of the room. It was so quiet, and so... Lonely.


He started wandering up and down the hall, knowing everyone was in bed. He didn't know what he could do. He just hoped that someone would find him, or he'd be here all night, just walking up and down - his footsteps made enough noise, but not enough for anyone who wasn't awake to hear him. He was in such a State. He wanted to cry out for help like he did before his life was saved, but he couldn't. Now, he was just wandering the hallway, ever so slowly, just like he was when he was trudging through the snow.
 
Beth fluttered her eyelashes blushing. "Thank you!" She said, her voice a sweet melody. She felt lovelier than she ever had. "I propose getting royally tipsy tonight, what do you say?" She held up her glass to press against his, spilling a little bit of the drink over the side. It didn't matter though. Nothing mattered, except that moment.


~~


Keeva sat, swinging her legs on the edge of the roof. It was nice to relax, go over some thoughts and plan her next moves for the future. She noticed a silence in the air that was desperate to be filled. As she sat contently, she began to hum a song she remembered that her Father used to play. The sound of her humming and the slow whistle of the wind set a relaxing atmosphere, perhaps unsettling for a stranger, but nevertheless perfect for Keeva.
 
"I'll drink to that." He laughed as he swept his glass back and gulped down a little of it, squinting for a moment as he did so. He didn't cough, or anything, the whiskey was strong, but he didn't care. He was used to it by now. He smiled at Beth once he'd drank some of it, and then took a deep breath. ".. Christ... Isn't it weird how things changed since five months ago?" He asked, chuckling a little. ".. Five months ago, things were rough, but now look at us." He laughed again as he sipped some more of his drink.


--


Daniel was wandering up and down for a good five minutes until he decided that now would be a good time to make a move. He started going by all of the doors, peeking through all of the locks. He finally found Coden's room. He couldn't see if he was awake or not, but Coden was grown up, so it was a possibility every older kid stayed up late. He pushed through the door, still sniffling and sobbing as he scanned around in search of the boy who had cared so much for him.
 

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