Dead USA (DrTrollinski and Elwin)

[Elwin]

Luna looked over at Clayton and gave him a sympathetic nod. "That would be for the best, dude. Sleep it off.." She took a sip of her coffee, feeling good inside. She turned to Greg. "Are we running out of supplies or anything?" She asked, casually. The group was rather large so food didn't last an awful long time regardless of how much they brought back after a trip.


Beth drank her own coffee, groaning a little at her headache. She could also do with going back to bed for a few hours but a hangover was hardly a good excuse.


~~


Keeva pushed her hands into her coat pockets and wander over to Jacob. "Sure, we should get that done soon before someone vomits." She was ready to go whenever he was and she was quite desperate to rid of the disgusting body pile that had accumulated.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Clayton instantly stood up and went out of the room without another word. He dragged himself upstairs and then collapsed into his bed, shivering as he pulled his covers over his head and shut his eyes. Ah, that was better. He was in the peace and quiet, and now he could get a little more rest for a couple of hours - it was only early, anyway, and it's not like the group had any use for him right now. He sometimes thought about that, and he always wanted to help more, but his father always insisted that he did enough.


"I think food's getting a bit short, yeah." Greg scratched the back of his head as he sipped his coffee, before he could say another word, Phil spoke out with a smile.


"We could pick up some stuff while we're out." He said.


"We?" Greg questioned.


"Myself and Beth - We planned to go into town today to grab some stuff. We could get some food from some of the stores or whatever. I know that there's some places that aren't empty just yet." He offered, smiling as he looked over at Beth and then back to Luna and Greg.


--


"Alright..." He sighed and then started wandering off down the street towards where the nearest gas station was. ".. We'll need at least two Jerry cans of fuel to burn all of that - we don't want to risk leaving a corpse behind. We don't know if they can spread the infection when they're dead, although I imagine that they can." Jacob said.

 

[Elwin]

Beth groaned a little, but secretly she was really excited to go Christmas shopping with Phil. It was a great idea and she couldn't wait to see people happy on Christmas morning.


Luna stood up. "Well if you guys are going then I could come too?" She questioned, picking up her dishes.


Beth shook her head violently. "No! I mean..no it's fine we can do it ourselves.." She hadn't meant to sound rude but it came across that way accidentally.


Luna froze, raising her eyebrows. "..Okay..just an offer.." She mumbled and as she started washing everyone's dishes as she spoke. She got so bored in the day time stuck at the base, there was never anything to do.


~~


"You can't be too careful with anything these days.." Keeva murmured back, both guns in hands. She felt slightly on edge after the mutant walker they had seen last night. Nothing was safe.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Phil slowly rose up and then watched as Daniel took a few mouthfuls of the honeyed tea. Mm. Tasty. The last thing a little kid needed was sugar - he'd be bouncing off the walls, at this rate. Oh well, if it was going to help his voice recover, then it was worth it. With a smile he gently patted the little boy on the head and stretched his back.


"How's that drink?" He asked.


".. Good.." He choked out in a croak. Phil almost jumped through the ceiling.


"Hear that, everyone? Daniel's gettin' his voice back!" He said, happily. ".. I sure hope you ain't too loud, kiddo." He said as a joke in a friendly tone. Daniel just grinned at him and laughed a little; he then went over to Coden and patted him on the shoulder. He lowered his voice while he spoke to him. ".. Code, now that he's getting his voice back, while me and your mother are out, do you think you could try and talk to him about his parents and where he came from?" He asked. He was going to go and wash his face and get dressed as soon as he was done talking to Coden. He looked over his shoulder at Daniel again, whom of which was happily munching away on his cereal.


--


"Yeah, ain't that the truth." He sighed a little as they walked onward. It only took them a couple of minutes to get to the said gas station - this place was way too quiet for Jacob's liking, but there wasn't really much they could do about that. Until the world became populated again, most places were going to be like that for a long long time. There was a little shed beside the gas station, and it was locked with a rusty padlock that looked like it would break if someone flicked it. It must have been worn by all of the miserable Winter weather.


"Hell, this is some Silent Hill kinda' shit right here." Jacob shuddered as he looked around. ".. The Jerry cans will either be in the back of the station store, or in that little shack. Your call on what we check first." He said.

 

[Elwin]

Coden sighed. It was a pretty big ask. Him and Daniel had had fun since they met, he had managed to cheer him up and keep him happy. He didn't want to upset him whilst he was recovering. Coden frowned a little and looked at Phil. "Come on, Phil.." He mumbled, feeling nervous about the protest. "He has only just got his spark back..do we have to ask now?" His voice was low, as to make sure Daniel heard nothing of the two talking.


~~


Keeva looked around, suspiciously. The mist made the place a lot more frightening than it had to be. "Erm.." She thought for a moment. Probably better getting over with the scariest place. "The shack first. I don't think I could hang the tension if we wait around any longer." She shuddered a little, partly from nerves and partly because it was absolutely freezing.

 

[DrTrollinski]

He thought for a moment and took a sigh as he looked back at the happy little child that was sat at the table. He frowned and then looked back to Coden. "Yeah, you're right... You've done a good job at keeping him happy and helping him get settled in. Now ain't a good time to start questioning him on that stuff... We'll leave it a little while, then. As long as you think's right, or until he says something about it." He gave a half smile and then patted Coden on the shoulder. "Good work with him, by the way. You two looked too cute last night, all cuddled up, and stuff." He winked at him and then made his way to the bathroom so he could take a shower; that left Beth enough time to get dressed and ready to head out.


When he was done in the shower, he got changed into the clothes that he had worn to bed, and then went and got his rifle from upstairs, alongside a knife and his revolver, and then went and stood by the front door to wait for Beth. He was quite excited about doing some Christmas shopping for everyone - it'd really uplift everyone, he was sure.


--


"You got it." He said with a sigh. He went up to it and tugged on the padlock - he didn't need to do much. The wood was so worn that the lock just pulled it to pieces - it all came apart in damp splinters. He looked back at Keeva and took a sigh, and then slowly creaked the door open. There was indeed some Jerry cans in there, but there was also a frozen body with a rifle in its mouth, and a hole in the top of its head. It was a man, by the looks of it. Christ knows how long he'd been here, but his body was shriveled and decomposed, and there wasn't a stench to him at all.


"Lovely." He said with a shudder. God, this just got better and better.

 

[Elwin]

Beth didn't take too long getting ready, she wasn't exactly feeling her best today so she just wore the warmest clothes she could find and tied her curls into a little ponytail. When she was finished she grabbed a pistol, as she hadn't really had any practice with rifles. Hopefully she wouldn't have to shoot anyone or anything. When she was ready met Phil at the front door, flashing him a bashful smile. "All set?" She asked, gently.


~~


Keeva covered her mouth with disgust. "F**king hell.." She walked into the shack and looked around, inspecting. It was pretty much a dump with nothing useful other than the Jerry cans. "It is bizarre what you come across daily.." She commented, letting out a bit of a fed up sigh. She remembered a time when that kind of sight would have had her breaking down in tears. It was something just saved for the movies. But this wasn't a movie, it was reality and she was living in it.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"All set." He said in agreement, alongside a smile. He lead her out of the door and up the ramp away from the gas station, and then looked off towards the town. He could faintly see the pile of bodies off to the side, but he didn't want to upset Beth. He stood in her line of sight so that it was blocked of the bodies, and then pointed off towards a street that lead into town. "We'll head that way first." He said. "So. You want to do the shopping for all the kids before we do it for the adults? I think it'd be easier that way, but it's up to you." He smiled at her and tucked his hands into his jacket pocket. It was cold out here today.


--


".. Yep..." He sighed and went in there, grabbing hold of one of the Jerry cans, and then handing another one off to Keeva. ".. Let's get these puppies filled up, and then head back... I don't want anyone to panic." He said, a little sheepishly. Despite everything that had gone on, the sight of the body shocked him a little bit. He was sad that someone had turned to suicide in the middle of all of this - perhaps he was a father and lost his children like he did himself. Whenever he saw a body like this, he always thought about what sort of person they were before the apocalypse happened.

 

[Elwin]

Beth nodded and smiled. "Yeah, that would be easier I think." She sighed a little, frowning. "Have you got any ideas for the adults? I didn't have much time to think last night.." She blushed a little as they walked. She looked at her feet, kicking some trash. She felt like a bashful little girl. "Do you think we will have to kill anything today?" She mumbled. "I haven't had much practice with a gun..only what Luna showed me once or twice.."


~~


"Yeah..let's leave this guy in peace.." She murmured, saluting the body. She walked out of the shack, waiting for Jacob to follow on. She thought about what had happened a couple of days prior and wished she could get it off her chest. Maybe she could tell Jacob some time, if she was here for much longer that is.

 

[DrTrollinski]

He looked at her and smiled. "I hope not. You just leave any killin' to me, okay, sweetheart?" He joked and gently nudged her shoulder. "Don't worry... These things are slow. Plus, it's been pretty quiet here. We should get things done just fine. Just keep an eye out and be aware, eh?" He smiled at her again and then looked off down the street, his feet crunching the snow harshly as they advanced. ".. I haven't thought much about the adults." He admitted. "But I know one thing, we can't get 'em clothes unless it's a huge warm coat, or something. You want somethin' meaningful, I guess. Like... Novelty coffee cups, or something." He laughed a little and looked around - now that the bodies were out of sight, it was a peaceful morning once again. ".. Let's talk kids, though. For the little one, I think some toys would be alright for him. Maybe some books, too. For Jackson, the pens, pencils, paint, and so on... Clayton and Coden, though? They need something a little more mature... I vote their own rifles, and some jewelry. Like... you know, silver chains, or something. Something small and meaningful." He smiled.


--


The snow had picked up in the slightest, but not by much. Jacob sighed as he looked up at the sky while they walked on. It was just as beautiful as it was depressing. "Jesus... I thought Winter was bad last year. I'm gonna' place a bet and say that things ain't gonna' get better until around late February. Even then I bet we'll have snowfall." He said. ".. Spendin' time out in the wild has its traits like that... I saw snow, but this...? This is somethin' else." He chuckled, hoisting up the Jerry can a little more. "Still, not a bad view, is it?" He smiled.


--


Daniel slid his now empty bowl and cup away from him and smiled up at Coden. He needed to use the bathroom again, but not to pee. He didn't say anything about it, though. He was only four, and his 'thoughtful' parents hadn't even fully potty trained him. He felt kind of embarrassed, because he thought that there was no one here that would be willing to help him get cleaned up after he'd been - He liked Coden, but he had the suspicion that Coden wouldn't want to do that.


"Code, why don't you go and help him get some clothes sorted for today? It's a cold morning. Last thing we want is him getting sick." Greg smiled. "Or you can leave it and me and Luna will sort him in a bit. Up to you." He said. Daniel didn't mind, but he'd rather have Coden help him. He looked at him and smiled again.


Greg turned to Luna and decided that he'd make some conversation. He sipped his coffee and smiled at her. ".. How did you sleep, Luna?" He asked.

 

[Elwin]

"Hmm.." Beth thought for a moment. She never had pried into Coden's business before everything kicked off. "Some jewelry would be nice.." She thought about all the times Coden had gotten angry at her for not being able to afford things for him that other kids had at his school. She had always felt guilty, but never realized how important it was for him to fit in. His school had been pretty rough. Beth smiled. "Coden likes Geometry. He always doodled triangles and all those other polygons or whatever, allover his stuff. He was good at maths, especially Geometry." She nodded to herself. "So something quite shape involved, but simple. If we can find something like that..we might just have to go with whatever is there."


~~


Keeva smiled, keeping silent. She watched the sky as he did. It truly was beautiful, one of those things Keeva felt she truly lived for. She remembered when she would sit on the roof with her Father and make shapes from the stars. His would always be silly and she would get mad, but not really. She couldn't have ever been really mad at him.


~~


Coden shrugged. He didn't mind sorting Daniel out, he did really like the kid. "Come on dude.." He said, with a yawn. Coden held out his hand for Daniel to take it so he could lead him upstairs.


Luna turned to Greg. "I slept wonderful. I have so much energy but no where to use it.." She sighed. "How did you sleep?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

Throughout the day...





Phil lead Beth around numerous stores and was quite enthusiastic about the shopping. The first stop was the jewelry store, where they picked up some stuff for Coden and Clayton. The thing he picked up for Coden was a simple silver chain, but he got Clayton a fine silver chain with a pendant on it - it was a Saint Christopher pendant. He also picked up something nice for Beth, but he made sure she didn't see that. After the jewelry store, he took her to a little pharmacy and discreetly got a box of condoms, just in case, and also picked up four packs of nicotine inhalers, and gave two boxes to her. He promised that he'd quit using these, if she promised to as well - this would help keep the urge at bay, and eventually they could kick the addiction, and then the habit.


Following that, he took her to a toy store where he picked up numerous books and nice little toys for Daniel. They weren't anything special, but it was going to be enough for a young kid like him - action figures, toy cars, toy planes, trains - the whole deal. He was certain he'd be happy with them. Phil got Beth to gather up every decent arts and crafts kit that she could, while he went and picked up an RC Monster Truck for Jackson. He was sure he'd like that. After that, it was to the gun store, where he grabbed both Clayton and Coden a fancy polished bolt-action scoped rifle each - there were also gift boxes, which were convenient. They needed to make a trip back to the station and sneak by everyone, but they managed it, and they hid everything under the desk in the room, then it was back out to get the shopping done for the adults. He got a coffee mug that had cartoony words of 'I'm The Doctor' printed onto it for Greg, and he got some books for the girls - he wasn't good with shopping for women, so he let Beth help out with that - in fact, he let her do the vast majority of the shopping for the girls - all the presents would be labelled 'From Phil and Beth' anyway, so it didn't matter too much.


That was pretty much it - he got a few rolls of gift wrap, some gift tags, a pen, and some sticky tape, and kabam. They had it right there. On the way back, they found that the pile of bodies outside was now ablaze. The smell was vile, so he ushered Beth inside so they could get away from it. Clayton spent most of the day in bed, but he felt better by the evening time - Speaking of the evening, by now, no one knew about what Beth and Phil had planned, so in the early evening, Phil took Coden out on his first hunting trip so they could hunt a wild turkey in the forest. He only said that this was for Christmas, but said nothing about the gifts, or anything.


When they returned, the dead turkey remained out back. It was in the snow, so it pretty much froze overnight after he'd skinned and gutted it. It wasn't going to go bad out there in that bitter weather. Phil spent the rest of the night wrapping gifts up and putting tags on them with Beth. They blocked the door off with the desk, just in case someone tried to come in.


--


The Next Day...





Daniel woke up early. He didn't know it was Christmas, but he needed to use the bathroom pretty badly now. He went in and slept with Coden last night after he had a nightmare, so he woke up right beside him again. He tugged on his sleeve and tried to wake him up - He'd had a stomach ache since last night, but didn't mention it. His voice had come back a little, and now he could croak out full sentences.


".. Coden--.. I gotta' use the bathroom but I can't do it myself..." He admitted in shame. Coden might have been a bit puzzled by this, seeing as Daniel had been just fine when he went to the bathroom before. Daniel just hoped that Coden knew what he was talking about.


--


Jackson was the next one to wake up. His father was sprawled out across the bed, so he went and shuffled over to Luna's bed and climbed into it beside her. He knew it was Christmas day, and like most children, he woke up super early at seven o'clock. He shook her arm and snuggled under the blanket with her. ".. Luna... Are you awake?" He asked her after shaking her arm for a few moments.


--


Phil was curled up in bed with Beth again, and once more, he didn't wake up in the middle of the night. He was quite a heavy sleeper, but had became more of a lighter one since the start of the apocalypse. He was half sprawled out on bed, one arm around her, and one leg over her. It was sort of undefined who would wake up first, but it was obvious who was most uncomfortable. There wasn't any funny business the night before, just some kissing and snuggling.

 

[Elwin]

Coden turned over, awakening from his sleep. He grumbled something, but it couldn't really be made out as actual words. "Daniel.." He moaned as he opened his eyes, rubbing them violently. "..It is so early.., what do you need help with?" He let out a big yawn and climbed out of bed, just wearing a pair of jogging pants. The little boy had a desperate look on his face, with a hint of embarrassment. "Oh..do you need a shi-number two?"


~~


Luna fluttered her eyes open, greeting Jackson with a sleepy smile. "I am now..what you so excited for?" She asked him, pretending not to know. She winked at the little boy and pulled him closer for a cuddle. "I think you should jump allover your Dad to wake him up.."


~~


Keeva had been up early again that morning, watching out on the roof with a rifle. She hadn't been able to sleep that night as things had ran through her mind so she had watched the sunrise instead. It was a sunnier day, but still freezing.


~~


Beth stirred a little, mumbling to herself. She said something on the lines of Phil, but it wasn't much. As she tried to move in her sleep, she struggled as there was a weight on top of her. She slowly woke up, moaning as she did. "..Phil get your heavy ass of me.." She groaned, lightly trying to pull out underneath him.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Uh-huh, but--.. I can't do it by myself." He sat down on the bed and faced away from him, his head still bowed. Coden hadn't picked up on what he was trying to say - he was too embarrassed to say that he needed Coden to help wipe him after. He could have gone and gotten Phil to do it, but he was right beside Coden and had a pretty bad stomach ache. He just wanted to go and get it over with, as humiliating as it may have been.


--


".. I dunno'." He hugged her and set his head down beside her own, smiling gently. ".. I mean... I know it's Christmas, but... There's not gonna' be any presents or anything fun today. Phil and Coden got a turkey last night, and that's nice, but... it's not fun." He whispered and then sighed a little. He really wanted to do something fun for Christmas, but he didn't know about all of the gifts that were all stacked up and ready to be opened in one of the empty office rooms just down the hall.


--


Jacob didn't really sleep too much, either. He was thinking about a lot of things. The food shortage, Christmas, his family. Today, he'd have already been arriving at his wife's house to spend Christmas with the girls. That was the one thing he never spoke of - his divorce. His ex-wife was decent enough to let him go and spend Christmas with his children, though, and they all got on alright. Personally, he told himself that the reason he and his ex never got with anyone else was because they missed each other too much. It might not have been true, but it made him happier to think like that. He wandered up to the roof after checking Keeva's room, and he found her there, of course.


"Morning... You're up early." He said. ".. How did you sleep?" He yawned as he went and sat down beside her.


--


"Hm--.." He grumbled and then rolled off of her, but then rolled over to face her and then playfully planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. ".. Sorry, Missus Claus..." He joked. He'd been making Santa jokes for the past 12 hours, ever since they got the presents sorted. He picked up his nicotine inhaler from the side of his bed and took a couple of deep breaths of it, and then put it back down.

 

[Elwin]

Coden smiled at the boy, rolling his eyes. "You need some help?" he asked gently, trying not to sound patronizing. Coden stood up from the mattress, cracking his back with a stretch. "Come on then, It's nothing to be ashamed of, man.." Coden held out a hand for Daniel to take hold of.


~~


Luna sighed and pulled him close. "We could think of something to do.." She said, pulling a 'thoughtful' face. "We could make some Christmas cards for everyone? Or some nice decorations.." She stroked his hair, softly. It was getting very long. "Don't be sad though, we will have a fun day I promise." She smiled at Jackson and took hold of his hand, kissing it.


~~


Keeva didn't turn around and continued to stare into the horizon. "Good morning.." She replied, leaning on her knuckles. "Not too well.." Keeva lifted her head a little, towards the sky so she could feel the wind in her face. "Yourself?"


~~


Beth rolled her eyes at his joke, he'd been at it for hours the night before. She yawned, rubbing her eyes. "One thing I never liked about Christmas was having to get up before the sun even rose.." She smiled a little. "God, Coden used to be such a lively boy.."

 

[DrTrollinski]

Daniel felt a little more confident after that. He took hold of Coden's hand and let him lead him out of the room and downstairs to the men's restroom. He may have been happy that Coden would help him after, but that didn't mean he wasn't nervous. When he looked at the stalls that had the toilets within them, his grip on Coden's hand got tighter as opposed to looser. He wasn't sure about this one bit. He gulped quietly and didn't say a word, his head half-bowing in worry while he gently tapped one foot on the ground in discomfort.


--


"Making cards sounds fun." He smiled at her and snuggled up. Jackson and Luna had become much much closer over the five months. She made Greg happy, and that made Jackson happy as well. "When can we start? We can use my pens and pencils and paper to make the cards, if you like." He offered.


--


"Better than the night before." He replied simply. "Merry Christmas, by the way." He chuckled a little and sat down, pulling out a small canteen of whiskey from his pocket. "Feel like a Christmas drink with me?" He asked as he held it out towards her.


--


"Heh. I bet. I'd imagine all kids are like that... I personally never had that good of a Christmas before. Today might be the best one yet." He chuckled and gave her a soft kiss.

 

[Elwin]

Coden gave him a gentle push towards the cubicle, holding the door open for him. He grabbed a roll of toilet paper ready and knelt down. "Do you want me to turn round?" He asked, softly, taking his little hand. "Don't worry, I'm not going to think bad of you.."


~~


"Well how about we get up and get a bit of food before we get started?" Luna suggested, rubbing Jackson's tummy. "I went past Keeva's room the other day.." Luna said, smiling. "She has one of your pictures on her wall. Are you two friends?"


~~


Keeva gave a nod, taking the whiskey. She swigged it, wiping her cold nose after. "I didn't know it was Christmas.." She spoke, passively. "I've lost track of dates."


~~


"It'll be great when everyone sees that we got gifts.." Beth said, a little bit of excitable squeak in her voice. She smiled up at Phil. "I think this could be one of my best Christmas' yet.." She squeezed his hand as she said this.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Daniel thought for a moment as he looked behind him at the toilet, and then back at Coden. He gave a sheepish little nod and then a smile. He was happy Coden was being nice about it. He waited for Coden to turn around and then lowered his underwear - he had to literally jump back to even get onto it, seeing as it was a bit too high off the ground for him. Regardless, he stayed in silence for a minute and didn't do anything, but once he was certain that Coden wasn't going to turn around, he started doing what he needed to - he wasn't kidding about needing to go, either. He was sat there for at least a few minutes before he was done, and he instantly felt much better after. God. What would he have done at this place if Coden wasn't here to take care of him. He leaned forward and tugged on Coden's shirt just to tell him he needed help now - he didn't look at him, though. He still felt ashamed, as needing help with this really did knock his confidence quite a bit.


--


"Sure. I gotta go use the bathroom before we start, too." He smiled at her and sat up beside her, yawning a little. "Yeah, me and Keeva are friends. I told her she could keep the picture of the bear 'cause it was her favourite. She draws stuff, too." He smiled warmup and then stood up and held a hand out for her to take so he could help pull her up.


--


"I've kept track right from the start." He smiled and took the whiskey from her, swigging it. "A thought goes out to my little girls today. I hope they're having a nice Christmas with their mommy upstairs." He smiled a little as he pointed up at the sky. He was happy that they were at peace and not living the hell down here. He missed them, but losing them while they were under his care would be too much.


--


"Good to see we're both on the same boat. Remember, kids get the gifts first." He winked at her and slowly sat up and stretched his back, yawning. "So, how about some coffee?" He smiled.

 

[Elwin]

Coden reach for a handful of Beth's wet wipes and quickly aided him with his business, taking care but being swift. He didn't want to lengthen the little boy's embarrassment any longer than it needed to be. When they were finished, Coden put the wipes into a disposable bag and smiled at him with relief. "All done, little man.." He said, with a cheery tone. "I think it is breakfast time now, what would you say?" He held out his hand and waited for Daniel to take it before leading him downstairs. "It is Christmas today, Daniel.." He reminded him softly as they walked. "We should do something fun.."


~~


Luna took Jackson's hand and pulled herself up, smiling at him sweetly. "Maybe you should Keeva if she wants to make some Christmas cards.." She suggested. Luna hadn't really seen Keeva hanging around at all, she seemed to be everywhere everyone else wasn't, so it'd be nice to try and get her to actually appear so people could speak to her.


~~


"To your girls," Keeva repeated, reaching out for the canteen of whiskey. She swigged a little, before passing it back. Keeva ran her hand through her hair, pulling out knots. "I forget to keep clean most days.." She said randomly. Keeva turned to look at Jacob. "Everyday things are so hard to remember."


~~


Beth smiled, sitting up and looking at Phil. "Coffee sounds great.." She yawned. "God, I really need it at this time in the morning.." Beth grumbled a little, but remained with a sleepy smile on her face. She stood up and slipped on a warm cardigan. "Let's go.." She demanded and strolled out of the room, stretching.

 

[DrTrollinski]

(The bathrooms are downstairs )


Daniel didn't really say anything, but after he'd washed his hands and he walked out of the restroom with Coden and took a deep breath. He felt so humiliated, but being clean was better than being in a complete mess and crying out for someone to come running to him, and for that he was grateful. He squeezed Coden's hand as they walked and then looked up at him once they reached the kitchen.


".. Thanks, Coden..." He whispered softly, putting on the best smile that he could, but Coden could clearly see that he was still a little upset about needing help with that. ".. And... Happy Christmas." He smiled while he was disposing of the bag and then hugged his leg.


--


".. Maybe I can." He smiled. "She's a good drawer. Let's go get some food and stuff first, though." He smiled at her and then held her hand as they walked out of the room and down the stairs. ".. I'll be in the kitchen soon, don't go anywhere!" He grinned and then shot off and into the bathroom. Judging by a smell in the air, he could tell someone had been in here recently. Oh well, he was actually in here for the same reason Daniel was, so he went to the stall furthest away from the one Daniel was once in so he could do his business. God, he was really excited about Christmas now - he sort of knew that Luna would be able to make it better.


--


"Yeah, we tend to forget the simple things." He smiled a little and shrugged. ".. I forgot to shave at one point during the five months that went by... Hell, when I actually did shave, I thought I was going to need a hedge trimmer." He chuckled a little and then scratched the stubble that was further developing on his beard.


--


"Yes, ma'am." He said sarcastically, following her straight out of the room until they got to the stairs. He grinned once they were at the top and looked at her as they began making their way down. ".. Merry Christmas, dear." He clicked his tongue and winked at her, and then took hold of her hand.

 

[Elwin]

Coden looked down at Daniel and gave him a warm smile. "Happy Christmas, dude.." He picked him up when he had disposed the bag and gave him a quick cuddle before setting him down to say good morning to everyone else. Coden himself sat down at the table, yawning profusely. He noticed the older he got, the less he cared about Christmas and the tireder he felt on Christmas morning, as if it were any other day.


~~


Luna quickly slipped into a warm knitted sweater and a pair of khaki jeans. She tied her hair back into her usual braid and headed over to Jackson's mattress where his coloring tools surround. She decided to collect them up now, but them into her backpack so they could make Christmas decorations together in the lobby.


~~


Keeva smiled a little, staring into horizon. It had started to mist, giving the atmosphere that same eery Silent Hill feeling that they had seen previous nights. It was thought-provoking, more so than a sunny day and really hit home about their situation. Keeva huddled into her sweater, which was over-sized and comfortable. It reminded her of when she would wear her Dad's sweaters that reach to her knees.


~~


"How do we go about getting the gifts?" Beth whispered, putting a couple of fingers on her lips. "Everybody seems to be up already by the sounds of it.."

 

[DrTrollinski]

Daniel walked over and then climbed up onto Coden's lap, smiling as he snuggled up to him and then darted his eyes around. Poor kid, he was used to having a load of presents on Christmas morning. Oh, if only he knew what was in store for them. Daniel tilted his head back to look up at Coden and then gave a soft and sweet little smile. ".. Coden... You're kinda' like a big brother... 'Cause... a big brother helps to look after their brother, right?" He grinned at him. The whole 'big brother' idea was quite exciting.


--


Once Jackson was done he flushed the toilet and then went and washed his hands, and then went out into the hallway and went down into the lobby. He was planning on going through to the kitchen, but he saw Luna was already here. He smiled and went up, pulling two chairs and a small coffee table over so they could sit down and draw and write cards out. "Okay... I'm good." He smiled. "What are we gonna' make first? Should we make the cards first seein' as there's people awake?" He asked.


--


".. Quite a sight, ain't it?" He muttered as he chugged on his whiskey and then took a deep breath. The rough woody and earth-like taste combined with the fresh cold air burnt his lungs, but it was a nice feeling to let him know he was alive. "Feel like heading inside and gettin' something to eat? Or some coffee, or something?" He asked.


--


"Well, sweetheart... Quite simply, we don't." He smiled. ".. I was worried this would happen, so that's why all the gifts are all together corresponding to names, but still in the pile." He chuckled a little. "We'll get everyone up there after we've had some breakfast, and then we can sit back and watch." He whispered as he turned the corner with her to head towards the kitchen, squeezing her hand. He was glad Beth helped him out with that - it sort of brought them closer together.

 

[Elwin]

Coden pushed his knee up and down, bouncing Daniel a bit. "Absolutely, lil' bro.." He said, casually and ruffled his hair. Coden had never really taken a liking to any children before but this boy was one of the sweetest he had ever met. Coden wondered if Daniel would liven up when he got back to full health.


~~


"Yeah', Good idea.." Luna said and started pulling out some of Jackson's colored card from her bag. She took out his felt tips, but they were slightly scuffed on the end. Oh well, they'd have to do. "Do you wanna' do one for your Dad, Clay and Jacob?" Luna asked, passing the colored paper. It was a bit crumpled but the thought was what mattered. "I'll do one for Beth first.." Luna chose a red colored card to match Beth's lipstick and started to draw some mistletoe on the front with a black pen.


~~


Keeva sighed, getting to her feet. "Yeah, I guess so.." She paused and looked at Jacob. The dull wind felt good as it danced gently through her hair. It reminded her of simpler times. "What the sky like this..I makes me crave adventure. Just free adventure though, with no goal.." She frowned a little and started to walk away from the edge of the roof. "I don't think I want to stay too much longer, Jacob.."


~~


Beth didn't reply, but smiled slyly. She was so excited for when the group found out that her and Phil had made Christmas. Maybe it wasn't just about the presents, but they certainly helped.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Daniel smiled and hugged him as tight as he could. He was glad it was Coden who was the one to help him out the most and not anyone else - He'd gotten a bond with Coden that was set in stone now. He liked Phil and Greg equally, but everyone else was going to have to warm up to him a little bit first. He wanted to meet the other kids that were here, seeing as they were a little closer to his age.


--


"Sure." He smiled and then took some of the colored paper and then grabbed a green pen. He'd do one for Clay first, seeing as he'd been sick over the last couple of days. He smiled and started drawing a green Christmas Tree on the front of the paper, and then grabbed some numerous colors of pens so he could draw the baubles and tinsel. At the top of the card, he wrote 'Happy Christmas!' in big bubble writing, and on the inside he wrote down a nice little message.


'To, Clayton.


Happy Christmas to the best big brother ever!


Love, from Jackson.'





"Do you like this one, Luna?" He asked after applying some finishing touches. He slid it over to her and smiled, and then instantly started working on his dad's one. He started drawing a snowman's outline in black pen on the surface of some folded white paper.


--


"Why not...?" Jacob asked as he opened up the door that lead back into the building. "You're getting on alright here, ain't ya'?" He asked. He didn't really want Keeva to leave. Aside from Jackson, she'd been the only person that had really had a full conversation with him in recent times - there wasn't anything except the boy he was so close to that was stopping him from leaving.


--


Phil walked Beth into the kitchen and saw that Coden and Daniel were already sat at the table and enjoying a nice hug. He smiled and walked up to them, gently ruffling their hair from behind; it was nice to see them in such high spirits - he wanted today to be the day when they all relaxed and spent some time together. It was nice to see Daniel getting along with Coden, too. He didn't really expect Coden to end up being this close with him, but he was glad he did.


"Morning, boys. Happy Christmas." He smiled at them and then walked to the cupboards, taking some beans out of it. May as well make a nice big Christmas breakfast of beans, and such. "What have you two been up to this morning? Anything interesting?" He asked. Oh, if only he knew what Coden had done for Daniel, he'd be doing backflips.

 

[Elwin]

"How are you feeling today, man?" Coden asked Daniel, casually. He wanted to make sure that he was settling and happy with everyone, considering he was now living permanently with a group of strangers. Coden dreaded the day he would have to ask Daniel about his parents, but he hoped that wouldn't have to be any time soon.


~~


"Oh Jackson, that is great!" Luna beamed, equally showing him her card for Beth. She wasn't wonderful at crafts but Jackson probably wouldn't notice. She moved on to making Phil's card, where she drew a little illustration of a woodcutter in winter. It was actually pretty good, for someone with hardly any artistic talent. Luna laughed to herself, she felt like a ten year old. She then did Coden and Daniel's; Coden's involved a silly sketch of batman dressed as Santa and Daniel's was a picture of a Christmas tree with toys around the bottom. This disheartened Luna a little, but it didn't matter. The last she remembered was Keeva. She hesitated at this, but made her a quick one anyway doing a simple type style card with Christmas themed lettering. "Jackson I've finished my cards.." She said, feeling proud.


~~


Keeva stood there, looking slightly blank. "There isn't anything here for me.." She mumbled with a sigh. "There isn't really any challenge, everyone is lovely but..I have a mission and I'm sticking with it." Keeva had been comfortable the last few days, the last thing she wanted to do was forget the sole purpose she was in Georgia in the first place.


~~


Coden smiled at Phil. "Just lazing around, chatting and such.." He replied, squeezing Daniel a little. Beth walked over and planted an unusual kiss on Coden's head, which made the teenager frown. "Mom.."