Run This Town (Rory+Ishu)

She thought about what he was asking for her. She couldn't just point things out and expect him to know what she was saying. She felt the need to explain almost every action she made. Nonetheless, she stood up and wrapped her arm around his and placed her other hand on the inside of his arm.

The girl showed him around the library. Most of the books were thrown about in their own sections, though a few could be found in random locations. Like The Native American History in the section mostly known for Dungeons and Dragons.

She liked almost all of the books, but a few genres tended to stand out. She wanted to show him something, but she didn't know if it would hurt her in the end. Ishu decided that if she was going to trust him, she should trust him fully.

Ishu led him to a hallway with bathrooms on each side. She led him to a maintenance closet just outside the womens' restroom. The door shut behind them, blocking out all of the light.

After a few moments of quiet, she knelt down and tinkered with a metal sheet until it unhinged and a faint hint of light illuminated dust falling at their feet. Before the Gamatom, Cade, could ask her what she was doing, she began crawling through a little space until she found another sheet.

Her eyes pierced into the metal, making it shake until it gave in to her commands and it fell to the floor. Her small body squeezed through the vent and fell, instantly, to the floor of the room on the other side.

Luckily, she had managed to get a mattress into the room some time ago. She used it to catch her when she fell from the top of the wall. The room she had led him to was on the B1 floor. The stairs that actually led down to the room, way on the otherside of the floor, was sealed off by broken furniture and masses of rubble.

The B1 floor had more books in storage, but this specific room had been sealed off by bookshelves that had fallen into the archway where the door was, making it impossible to get in unless you were really strong or you were small enough to get through the space in the wall.

There were a few tiny windows with metal bars on the outside at the top of one wall, allowing faded light to seep through in the mornings.

Ishu stood up and dusted herself off, then turned around and looked up at the vent, waiting for him to fall out.

The room became an adventurous journey with her as she took his offered arm and they proceeded through the old dusty place together, tomes and endless titles seeming to loom over them from their seemingly ancient and forgotten perches. As time went on, her silence became less awkward to deal with as he found himself paying more attention to her facial expressions and body language. Not to mention that the small contact linking them together had him practically purring like a tiger, her slender feminine hands resting on his biceps and felt through his black jacket.

Then she was leading him someplace new and he went willingly, trusting her completely even when she closed the maintenance closet door behind them. In the darkness, Cade's eyes could make her out as she crouched down and began to fiddle with something at the bottom of the wall, his eyes dilating as slivers of light came into the small space through the hole she'd made. Then she was gone, crawling through it and into somewhere else, and he bent at the waist to peer down at the lighted hole.

With a small quirk of his lips and feeling just a hint of nervousness, he removed his jacket and set it aside in the closet - not really caring about where, afterall, the article of clothing belonged to one of the others - before moving down to slide feet first through the opening, following her like Alice after the White Rabbit.

The fall wasn't that much of a big deal, as gravity swallowed him and he let himself land on the mattress easily, his boots bouncing upon it and kicking up a cloud of disturbed dust around him. Looking around, he smiled when he set eyes upon her again, a playful smirk touching his lips. "Curiouser and curiouser," he intoned with a small laugh, straightening his slender gray shirt from the fall. "Nice hide-out you've got here."

And it was true. From the way things were closed off from the outside, it'd definitely cause even the most determined Gamatom a great deal of trouble if they'd wanted to get through for whatever reason. And it pretty much kept anyone within the room, hidden and free from being disturbed. But why had she brought him here? He tried not to glance down at the mattress which he'd landed on or let the amorous thoughts that followed when he looked at her, proceed beyond the starting point, but he quirked a questioning eyebrow at her.

"You come here often, I suppose? You don't live here, do you?" It was a small possibility that had occurred to him suddenly and the bed brought it up. Not that there was anything wrong with it - it was as good a place as any to stay naturally protected from the enemies that plagued the world now - but it didn't seem all that accommodating as a living quarters. And of course, he was slightly excited to see and know where she lived and spent most of her time. It'd make meeting up with her later a lot easier if he could find her again.

She smiled at him when he landed and she grabbed one of his arms, helping him up to his feet. When he asked if she lived it, it made body language more difficult. She stepped aside so he could see the room better before she explained herself.

Piles upon piles of books were littered around the room. Most of the books were a fantasy genre, unicorns and elves were noticeably visible on some of the covers. Then there were biographies and books that could teach you things, like medical books, books about gardening and animal health.

There was one pile of books that had a blanket draped over it and she was exactly trying to show it to him or anything. There was a noticeable outline of dust on the top of the blanket, where the book she was reading before must have come from.

I... like to come here. She found another lantern in the middle of the room, surrounded by a beanbag chair and a few lounging pillows. She sat on one of the pillows but did not light the lantern as the room was fairly well lit.

Nervous about showing him her "secret club house" she began stroking her hands over the entirety of her hair, I keep my favorites here. A subtle smile came to her lips as she looked at the room, admiring her collection.

Allowing her to help him to his feet, he gave her a small thankful tilt of his head before he was once again watching her with an avid eye. Stepping aside, she indicated the room and he took a closer look at some of the things here and again, at first, he saw nothing different - it looked much the same to him as the above sections of the library had; namely, that it was full of dusty books that hardly meant anything to him.

It didn't fully dawn on him why he was here and what she was trying to tell him until her "voice" echoed once more in his head, shocking him again at the intimacy of "hearing" it, his dark eyes widening just a fraction as he took another look around. There, upon a coverlet of some kind, obviously one of the books was missing and he was instantly reminded of how he found her this morning, sitting alone in the main hall of the library reading a book clothed cover to cover in dust. Her favorites. Her special, secret place.

Looking back at her, he noticed the modest smile and the way she glanced fondly around at the clustered and piled volumes and it spoke to him more than the foreign words entering his head had. In his mind he imagined her, sitting for hours snuggled cozily in one of those bean bag chairs with a book in her lap, surrounded on all sides by more carefully laid piles, turning pages as words blended with images in her head, taking her away from this harsh reality.

At the same time as he found himself growing fond of this image of her, he also felt a bit humbled that she'd share this with him as he realized he really hadn't done much to earn her trust yet - except not attack and eat her on sight, if that counted. Now her acceptance upstairs in the main room took on a whole new gravity than it'd had before and he promised himself right then - even for just a small thing such as her bringing him into her favorite, private place - he would never betray that trust.

"I can definitely see why," he said with an appraising nod, watching as the light cascaded through the windows and illuminated certain piles. Walking over to one of them, he rubbed a hand gently over the first cover he reached to clear away the curtain of dust obscuring the art underneath. An exciting and detailed picture of a man fighting a dragon adorned it's cover, his face a grimace of righteous anger and his upraised shield blocking a threatening flow of flames from hitting him. And below him, a maiden in flowing gowns with fair skin and hair, crouched behind him, fear etched into her face as she stared past the man protecting her to the scaled and mythical beast intent on ending both of their lives.

Nothing stirred within him at the image of the woman, but he didn't take that to mean much - afterall, it was just a picture of a woman and it made sense that the hunger didn't assault him - and he thumbed through the curled and browning pages briefly before setting it back upon it's "bed" amongst the others. With a small intake of breath, he moved on to a different pile of books, coming upon less fanciful topics and more about the real world that had been replaced and left behind. Books describing the life stories of old celebrities and leaders who no longer held any merit in this reborn America, and other books about histories forgotten and past.

There were also instructional books in the next pile and Cade paused again to look through them, making note of the different subjects - one thin book with a shiny cover talking about how to make paper flowers, another about the intricacies of film and photography - all of them declaring a naive and innocent hope that had been lost over time. Who worried in this age about how to take a good photo of something or how to fold paper into fun and g a y little shapes, when your life was on the line and you didn't even have to leave the comfort of your home to be threatened?

A somber look came over his features as he thought of these things, things he'd never once considered in his entire life but suddenly seemed important because...they were important to her. "We've taken so much..." he murmured, not without a hint of guilt, but just stating aloud something that had seemed inconsequential before.

The world had always been the Gamatom's for taking what they pleased, the humans being weaker and necessitating domination and destruction of everything they'd once aspired to and held dear. But now there was a sense of responsibility attached to it and he wasn't fond of the feeling, but didn't want to let it go if it meant he'd have to leave her to be free from it.

Turning back to her, his smile was serious but his eyes softened as he looked her over. "Thank you for bringing me here and showing me this," he said with a sense of sincerity echoing in his raspy voice.

As there was the sense of vulnerability coming from her to allow him into this private place of hers, Cade had the urge to return the favor and open up about himself. But then he came to an abrupt stop as he searched and found nothing. He didn't have a special, secret place that he went off to be by himself in. He didn't have any hopeful desires or interests to share with her. His daily life was consumed by a greedy hunger that was never satiated and a desire to harm others for the sake of spreading the color red. And in the face of her own hopeful interests and fantasies, it made him feel incredibly hollow.

She watched him finger through her books, her hands wringing her hair gently from her nervousness and her anxiety. She didn't like to open up, especially not to... well, someone who could so easily hurt her. But she was trying.

She wondered if he fancied any of the books or the things inside of them- because she automatically thought about sharing more with him. Paper cranes were one of her favorite crafts, which could be noticeable by the few hidden around the room.

What struck her though was when he admitted... he admitted that he had taken something from her and everyone else. A lump caught in her throat and her eyes began to sting as she fought back the tears. She was holding her hair so tightly her knuckles had turned white.

She watched him and felt him argue with the guilt and he sense of not feeling good enough. But compared to what? She then fought with herself, refusing to prod into him. Her lip had quivered but when he looked back at her, she stopped it by biting down on the inside.

He smiled at her. His soft, sharp edged lips. Smiled. She smiled back at him, though her gaze quickly turned down and she continued to wring her hands down her hair until the fingers met and tangled together.

She felt so open and exposed, it made her nervous. She felt naked. Her arms moved across her chest, her hands gripping the sides of her coat just under her arm. She nodded nervously to him, registering his words while one of her feet fidgeted over the other.

There was a fear about her and an anxiousness that he found distressing as he was once again facing her, her hands running through long white strands of hair and getting knotted within them as if she were struggling internally with some unnamed burden. At first, he wasn't sure if he'd said or done something wrong, but automatically assumed it was this place and who and what he was that was the cause of her apprehension. His smile grew to a more sympathetic one as he approached her with smooth steps, coming to crouch before the seat where she sat so he was level with her eyes.

"Hey, don't worry," he said gently, one of his strong hands ghosting over the hair on her right side, desperately wanting to touch her, but scared of making her feel even more vulnerable and exposed. "I don't...have anything like this of my own. But I'm fond of this place and fond of being here with you." The urge to take her in his arms was getting stronger now, but she still seemed wary of him, so instead he stood and walked back over to the first pile of books he'd encountered before, scooping up the one he'd looked at before, the dragon still launched in a silent battle with the knight on it's cover.

"Would you mind if...if I borrowed this?" he asked, looking at her for approval, holding the book in both hands. "I know how to read, but it's been so long since I've found anything that's caught my attention. I promise to take care of it and keep it safe until I return it - plus I'll be bringing more books to you next time to hopefully add to your collection. They're just sitting around in a pile back home, so I'm certain they'll find a better use being here than rotting away where they are now."

Beside one of the nearby piles, something caught his eye and he glanced down for a moment, his brow creasing curiously. Then long fingers were picking up what at first appeared to be a crumpled piece of paper but upon closer inspection, it was actually folded intricately. Holding it in his palm, he looked it over and smiled as it's shape became clear. It was a bird. A small paper bird, folded and made out of a light blue and weathered parchment.

The smile faded for a moment as he glanced at the pile where the paper flower book had been and it suddenly hit him, his dark eyes widening again in dawning awareness. Her favorites. The hope and optimism for the future that existed in these books was NOT forgotten and the past was not dead. They'd all been collected and harnessed together and were living IN her.

Looking at her again, he smiled in understanding, wanting more than anything to partake in this with her. To feel that innocent hope that she and these books possessed, and to have something to fill the hole that he hadn't realized had been there before.

Coming to stand before her again he showed her what he'd found and asked, "Did you make this? ...Can you show me how?" It seemed such an odd thing to ask her to do, but even so, he found himself growing excited by the prospect of learning how to do something like this. His world didn't need to revolve around hate and despair. He could have a bit of that hope too.

She could feel him walking towards her, each step quiet and with a sort of remorse or apologetic tone. She couldn't tell which one it was and before she knew it, he was infront of her, his hand hovering over her hair. She looked up at him, into his eyes as he spoke to her about his dilemma.

He walked away from her again and picked up one of the fantasy books, one she had read many times and had finished re-reading just recently. She did not think he would ask, but he had! He asked if he could borrow it. This thickened her nerves, a soft cream pulsing through as she smiled. Of course he could borrow it!

Ishu saw the wave of mesmerization flowing over him. She didn't know what he was looking at, but she could see the epiphany birthing in his skull and...his heart? She was going to get up, but he came back to her, holding a paper crane.

He asked if she had made it and she nodded. When he asked if she could teach him, she looked taken aback. He wanted to learn how to make it? Of course she would teach him. She smiled up at him and nodded more than once.

The girl pushed herself up from the beanbag chair, being careful no to fall back in like her clumsy self did so often. She hurried over to one of the piles and took out a book, with great care, and turned around to face him, the book pressed safely against her chest, Did you want to start now?

It was like the sunrays coming out after a rainstorm to see her smiling again and he found the feeling to be incredibly contagious as she rose from her seat and fetched another book. Turning to him questioningly, he was not surprised this time as her voice rang in his head, the echoey sound of it becoming as familiar as his own internal voice.

"Yes, most definitely!" he said before thinking about it. Then for a moment, he glanced at the window with just a hint of worry, trying to see how far the sun was in it's daily traveling cycle from the windows high on the walls. They hadn't been here for too long and they had at least until late afternoon/early evening before the brethren officially roused themselves for their nightly revelries. They had time. Turning back to her the smile was back and he nodded, "No time like the present."

Uncertain of where she'd want him for this particular task, he glanced around at the different lounge chairs and selected one close to the bean bag she'd sat in by the lantern, setting his book by his feet so he'd remember to take it with him when it was time to part ways for the day. Looking at her expectantly, he once again glanced down at the bird in his hand and pointed at it.

"I want to make one just like this," he said with a small burst of excitement coursing through him at the idea of it. Always destroying things and ripping things apart. Now he'd actually get the chance to create something and he was eager to get started.

Ok. She sat down next to him on the beanbag chair, making a small squeaking sound as she felt stuck and had to squirm in her seat until she was comfortable. Ishu opened the origami book and took out a few pieces of faded color paper. What color do you want? There was red, orange, blue, green, purple, the basic colors. They were not as bright as they were when they were first made, that time having been years ago, but they were worth just as much if not more by bringing in a token of hope- a faded feeling from long ago.

After he picked a color, she picked yellow and set the book between them so he could see the steps. Fold this piece here, She folded her own paper and pointed into the book as well as it explained differently and had more pictures of steps that he could expect to do. Then this. She folded it into another direction and continued the steps.

She didn't know if it was the simple act of making something with him or the enthusiasm that beamed from him so purely, but she found herself in a happy place. Her home was nice, but it dwelled too deeply in sickness and past pains. She loved her brother, but she felt weak and helpless when it came to his health. Here, she could be anything. She could be the Joan d'Arc of medicine and she could cure him.

Of course, such fanciful dreams were not to be taken lightly. But as long as she dreamed, she could have hope for tomorrow.

And then you fold it here... and gently pull this. Her crane popped it, rather quickly but still with the finesse that could almost match that of the true bird. She set her bird down and reached over, carefully touching his hands, and she coached him on how to pull it without making it fall apart.

When she offered him a selection of different colored sheets of paper, he automatically picked out a faded red one, not even thinking about his natural affinity for the color as he watched her patiently select her own weathered sheet and began the lesson. During her instruction, his tongue, of it's own accord, peeked out between his lips in a gesture of firm concentration as he watched her fold and refold the page in her hands and glanced at the book before copying her with his own sheet of paper.

Her hands were so small and delicate and his so large in comparison, unused to this sort of careful task that a few times the edges of his folds went beyond their mark and the intricate pattern he was making came out a little rougher looking than hers did or even that in the ending page in the book. With grave seriousness, he watched as she popped the tiny bird, which he now knew was a "crane" from the book and her own instruction, and looked at his own with a bit of eager apprehension.

Alright. The last step. He hoped he didn't screw it up. Deep breaths. And then she was there, her hands guiding his gently, her touch silky smooth against his skin and causing confidence to course through his muscles and bones. Allowing her to lead him, slowly the paper crane popped as hers had and his eyes widened with intense satisfaction.

"Huzzah!" he crowed triumphantly, abruptly standing and holding the bird above his head proudly. He had conquered paper and made it into something else! Paper was now his bitch! Ha!

Still smiling delightfully, Cade calmed down and returned to his seat looking over his new creation with admiration and wonder. None of the brethren could do that, he bet! And none of the others would even be interested to try! But he was and he did! And it was something none of them could take from him or try to make their own. Cade had his own special, secret thing now and the best part was, it hadn't cost him a thing except time.

Turning to Ishu, he gave her that warming grin, his canines standing out in a gruesome parody of youthful joy. The bird in her hands and the previously discovered blue crane were much neater, the folds more practiced than his own was, but it did not take the value away from what he'd accomplished in his eyes. What she'd helped him do. Reaching forward, he slipped his arm around her shoulders, fitting close to her as if the gesture was the most natural thing in the world and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Thank you," he said, beaming again. Then he was carefully flattening the wings on the bird so that they could be opened again later and he bent down and slipped the folded and neatly flattened crane into the first pages of his book, so that he could take it with him as well. Once that was done, he rubbed his hands together and eagerly looked back at the book again.

"I want to make another one!" he said, glancing at her questioningly as he reached for another sheet of paper that had once been white but was now a faded creamy color. When it seemed it was okay, he tried again, practicing his newly learned skill with the dedication of a student eager to learn and consume all the knowledge he could get his hands on. When this one was finished, popped on his own without her help, he was excited again, especially since his technique had improved...well, a little, at least.

When he glanced up at one point, he saw the shadows of the stacks of books were getting longer as the sun made it's way to the early afternoon. His face fell slightly as the real world remembered him and he realized he'd need to leave soon if it was going to continue to be safe for her to be away from home.

"I...need to go..." he said reluctantly, turning to her and trying to smile again. "But I'll be back tomorrow. Can we meet here again? Same time?"

She smiled when she felt his overwhelming joy. He made something with her help and he could keep that precious feeling via the token in the shape of a crane. She rest her hands in her lap as he moved to his feet and, in his own way, hurrah'ed his achievement. He came back down and put his arm around her, making her skin warm. She started to look up at him, so she could watch his eyes as she communicated with him, but her thoughts were interrupted when his lips touched her forehead.

An explosion of warmth and nerves swelled in her stomach and her cheeks became pink. Her smile had faded briefly but came back, now more timid and quiet. She curled some hair behind her ear and nodded after he thanked her. She quickly gave him another sheet of paper when he showed he wanted to make more. She was happy to see that he was beginning to enjoy something she did.

Although they had their fun, it was evident that he would have to go. When he asked her if they could meet again, she told him, Yes, with a smile on her face and in her eyes.

Before he could get ready to go through the vent, she asked him to wait. She walked over to one of the shelves that was part of the wall and found a few sheets of paper. She brought them to him and carefully put them into the book he was going to take with him, In case you... want to practice. She fidgeted with her fingertips and looked away from him, but her lips were still modestly curved into a shy smile.

When she agreed to meet with him again, his depression about having to end their visit today subsided as Cade became excited about the prospect of a new day and other things they could do together. Calmly he bent to pick up his book and headed towards the vent where they'd entered the room, before her internal voice stopped him and he turned back to look at her. Patiently he waited as she got some more paper and inserted it into his book for him, offering up another internally spoken explanation causing him to smile gratefully.

"Thank you, I will. It might not seem like that big of a thing..." he didn't know how to finish that sentence without making this small day more than it actually was. But it DID mean a lot to him and he could feel different parts of himself opening up in ways he hadn't known existed before. More importantly, he didn't feel alone in these new discoveries either and he was extremely happy for once. Genuinely happy. Again, the urge to sweep her up in his arms came over him and although the pulse that ran through him was a lot more passionate, when he actually put his arms around her, the gesture was small and quiet, folding around her gently and pulling her body to rest against his chest.

Looking down at her seriously, he wondered again about the feeling of attraction he had for her, his dark eyes wandering unabashedly over lightly blushing cheeks and her delicate facial features, taking her in fully with that physical desire burning brightly in his heart. Then the moment was gone and he stepped back smoothly, the hand that had been cradling her back leaving her as he smiled over his shoulder and turned to the vent.

"Tomorrow, then," he said with a nod and climbed up through the hole in the wall and disappeared from sight.


When night fell, the hunt was intense, Cade's small pack of 7 joined by a larger pack from the south end of the city making them an army of 16 in all. The target was an old church where several humans gathered regularly at night to find comfort in their faith and their numbers, families and neighbors huddled together and praying for salvation and relief from the fate that had befallen their world. But the 30 men, both young and old, were not enough to hold off the beasts and neither was the barricade set up against the entrances of the tall and once grand, holy building, weapons and doorways cast aside like sand in a harsh wind.

12 women were captured and killed, dragged off into the night amidst bestial laughter and hollers, while several of their husbands laid beaten and raped for trying to defend against the hungry pack. Back at the headquarters in one of the ground floor rooms, they fed together in several gruesome lines, each digging teeth into dead and unmoving flesh, womanly screams halted quickly as their life forces drained liberally from them and stained the floor dark scarlet.

Cade was among them. His brothers. His kind. Dressed nude as they were, body slathered in sweat and blood, short dark hair spiked inhumanly, as he ate with fangs and hands, his mind lost to the whims of that wild gluttony. Several others, growing excited by the desire to kill, kissed each other with blood-drenched mouths, sharing meat and bones between them as they fucked harshly and without love or emotion, instincts and animal desire consuming them. At one point, breathing heavily, practically panting like the wild dog he'd become, Cade's eyes trailed down to look at the broken and torn muscles and flesh of the body before him, his dinner staring up at him with empty feminine eyes.

Blue eyes. For a moment, he blinked in shock, coming rapidly back to himself as he realized, No, this wasn't Ishu. It was some other young woman with black hair and olive tinged skin, oceanic, tropical blue eyes, the color dulled by the spark of life being snuffed out. Gaping, he stared at her corpse, his eyes wandering down to limp hands and fingers that curled slightly with her palms facing upwards. Small, gentle, crane-folding hands...

Her body jerked as if suddenly filled with life as one of the others tore into her, ripping away parts of her with his teeth, and Cade swallowed the bile that threatened to spill forth from his mouth, clenching his jaw and willing that sudden illness to go down.

"Ya alright?" one of the others nearby growled at him, and he grunted hazily in response. But by that time the other had turned his attention back to the rabid feast, already ignoring him and Cade was left alone with his reason amidst the beasts in men's skin surrounding him. Glancing around wearily, Cade backed silently away, unnoticed by the pack as he left the room, closing the door quietly and shutting out the awful wet and guttural sounds of their feeding.

Finding an old cloth in the hallway, he wiped the blood from his chin, neck and hands, suddenly loathe to be painted with it, and glanced around himself to make sure he wasn't being followed as he crept into one of the rooms upstairs. There, hidden in a small crevice behind an old beaten and broken chair, he found where he'd hidden the book Ishu had given him, still safely tucked away and undisturbed. Slowly easing himself down to sit in the corner, hidden by the large, broken remains of the arm chair, he opened the pages and took out the small crane, turning it over in long fingers, thoughtfully.

He pulled her body against him in a hug and... she couldn't explain it at first. Everything was warm, like a giant blanket that just came out of the drier. She felt safe. She closed her eyes and pressed the side of her face against his chest and let her hands rest on his shoulder blades. Once he pulled away, she felt different. A sort of cold whisper rushed down her body, little goosebumps multiplying.

She tried to ignore the sensation in his presence and she watched him leave, smiling until he made it out of the vent and she was alone.

Her stomach lurched and she touched her forehead, feeling ill but wonderful at the same time. She was so used to being isolated that she had forgotten how people could be. Not to mention a Gamatom. Their emotions were so extreme and the electricity in their bodies was different. She would have to learn how to control herself when she was around him. Well, not really herself but her abilities.


Ishu spent an hour or two reading one of her books. When she was done, she made her way through the vent and went to one of the main rooms. She collected the lantern and her book, leaving them in the maintenance closet for the next time she came to the library; hopefully the next morning.

She made her way home, passing by people who were rushing to stores and back home. How people could have jobs these days was beyond her. At the rate things were going, money should be obsolete by now. The bartering system would take over any day now...

Once at her apartment, she unlocked the door and went in, hearing a rasped voice call her name questioningly the moment she had locked everything.

"Ishu?" The voice coughed and groaned in pain.

She dropped everything on the table across from the kitchen and hurried to the room, seeing her brother try to get up, No! Energy pulsed in the room as she panicked and his foot slipped, keeping his large form pinned on the bed and in the air. She rushed to his side, apologizing over and over and she helped him to lay back down, You can't, you-you can't get up, ok? As she panicked, her muscled quivered and her limbs began shaky. You need your rest- you are not feeling well.

Her brother did not fight her, though he grabbed her arm after she tucked him in, "Where did you go? You know it is not safe outside."

It is the day time, they were still sleeping.

"Ishu-" he winced in pain and looked around for his medicine, his hand fumbling through a drawer next to the bed.

Stop, I will do it, just let me. She moved his hand back onto the bed and opened the bottle. She took out a pill and walked out of the room. It only took her a few minutes to crush it up and stir it into a vat of brocolli cream soup. She brought it back to him and helped him sit up, I know it is a lot, but you have not eaten and you need to-

"Acacia."

She paused and looked at him. She had not heard him speak in such a long time, much less her formal name.

"Do not worry so much," He touched her face to reassure her before tracing his thumb over her forehead, "You will get worry lines, like Father."

Ishu smiled and nodded, Right. She stirred the soup absently and lifted it, some soup dripping off of the side, Will you eat?

"Of course." He let her spoon-feed him, knowing it would make her feel better about his condition as well as herself.

For the most part, he was left undisturbed, the large numbers of brothers gathered together and the drunken high of the feast keeping them preoccupied and forgetting he was not there to enjoy it all with them. So, while the sounds of animal orgasms and violence continued to emanate from below, Cade stayed in his corner and quietly read the book he'd borrowed, drowning out the endless orgy that racked the house on it's foundation.

Most, if not all, Gamatoms had a rudimentary knowledge of words and literature, at least enough to get by reading old signs, maps and such left over from when the humans ruled. And Cade was no different, realizing right away that the book in his hands possessed something above his level of expertise from the first page onwards. But he pressed forward, struggling through it, each page inching by as he sought out the meanings and hidden contexts in words he was unfamiliar with, gathering them together in a bin in his mind and slowly becoming accustomed to them as each new page was conquered. Slowly but surely, he had enough of an understanding to flow by at a quicker pace and found himself getting lost in the hidden world within these pages.

At one point, his absence was noticed by the brethren as two from his pack wandered upstairs -either curious in their drunken ecstasy or actively looking for him - either way, when they came upon his solitary spot, they did not leave but approached him with friendly and cajoling laughter.

"Heyyy, there you are!" Bast cried in exaggerated hilarity, taking his arm from around his fellow, a thin and pale Gamatom from the south pack, named Goren. Bast came into the room wobbling on uneven feet as he side-stepped rubble and broken furniture to plop himself down next to Cade, nudging him roughly as he did so.

Doing his best to ignore them, Cade tried to bury himself further into the book, hoping that if he did so, they'd get bored and leave him be. This appeared not to be the case as Goren leaned his naked body against the arm chair and leered over it at the two of them sitting in the corner.

"You're missing one hell of a good time, eh!" Bast said loudly, laughing with Goren as they recounted a moment of brutality when one of the women downstairs had still been alive and attempted to escape after her "pretending to be dead" ruse had failed to work. Bast leaned in close over Cade, the blood still sticking all over his body getting on Cade's own form, the smell of death on his breath causing the Gamatom to shove him away in disgust.

"Fuck off!" Cade ordered, giving each of his brethren direct glares before shaking his head and returning to his book, his brow still creased in concentration. Bast, taken aback by this behavior but clearly amused, shared a look with Goren before looking back at Cade with a mischievous grin spreading over his features.

"Eh...what ya got there?" Bast asked slyly, peering at the book in his comrade's hands.

Before Cade could utter another warning or even offer an explanation, the book was yanked from between his fingertips with Bast carrying it away, jumping and screeching in maniacal delight. Anger darkening his features, Cade was instantly on his feet and chasing after the other, Goren stepping in between them and acting as an obstacle while Bast skipped from the room, waving the old pages at him tauntingly before disappearing.

Drop kicking the Gamatom in his way, Cade pursued the other only pausing when he reached the empty hallway, coming upon freshly torn pages littering the floorboards. Feeling like his heart had been ripped from his chest, he gaped for a few seconds at the discarded pages, crinkled at the edges from where a rough hand had carelessly shredded them from their bed in the book, the urge to scream tearing through his whole body. Red seeped into the edges of his vision as further in the house, down the stairway, he could hear Bast's annoying voice still hollering cheerfully and he gave chase, jumping the banister and landing heavily on his feet in the middle of the main hall.

Bast saw him coming and laughed like a naughty toddler, weaving to avoid him as more pages were discarded from his fingertips to land rustling to the marble floor. But the anger bristling in Cade's hackles and filling his muscles propelled him forward, faster than the intoxicated Gamatom, his fist lashing out and slamming heavily into Bast's face, knocking his head back and stunning him. Instantly, the hilarity in the brother's face disappeared as a ribbon of red dribbled from a burst lip, but Cade did not stop, landing more and more blows, breaking bones and bruising organs indiscriminately in a frenzied flow.

Unknown to him, a crowd of brethren had gathered at the edges of the hall, standing in the doorways to the rooms as Cade screamed in rage and uttered an endless stream of obscenities, pounding home with fists and the bottoms of his feet. Quin stood near the opening to the common room where the others had been feeding, smoking languidly and leaning on the doorframe as he watched the beating. Eventually, it was clear that Bast wasn't fighting back and wasn't going to get up to do so.

"Cade," the dominant Gamatom said, the word ringing clear and forcefully through the hall, amidst the wet, fleshy sounds of the other's attacks. When Cade refused to stop, intent on killing the bastard for destroying the one special thing given to him by his new friend - he'd fucking promised her he'd take care of it! Now the fool would pay with his life for what he'd done! - Quin's voice came again, practically a growl, echoing harshly. "Cade!"

Hearing the tone the other used, Cade halted the rush of blows he'd been savagely dealing and stood straight, staring down at the other and breathing heavily before turning to look at Quin. And his eyes took in the rest of them with a sneer, their faces blank as they watched apathetically, not understanding the reason for the fight, but enjoying the "show" nonetheless. And Quin, emotionless as ever, regarded him with an intolerant look that warned him to back off. With a grimace, Cade turned back to Bast and gave him a swift kick to the gut before bending down and picking up what was left of his precious book, grabbing up the pages as he stalked angrily away.

Alone once more upstairs, he shut out the sounds and talking from below, not caring what they thought or what they assumed had happened - sometimes the brothers had their individual squabbles, so it wasn't unheard of, what he had done. Still, for the moment, he was not worried if they started asking more questions about him, gingerly cradling the book and attempting to find all the parts of it that had been torn away to correct what that idiot had done. Looking down at the cover, it was torn diagonally across so the knight in the story was nothing but legs anymore but leaving the maiden and the dragon whole. In this version of the cover, it almost looked like the beast was winning the fight.


Cade stayed far away from the others for the rest of the night and he was not bothered again, sleeping soundly in a corner by himself with his patched up book hugged tightly against his chest. When dawn arrived on the backs of chirping birds outside, he dressed himself and went hunting for the library, finding it on the east side of the house where the brethren hardly frequented. The door had been blocked off by debris piled in front of it, but Cade moved everything out of the way like a treasure hunter searching through a mine or tramping through a jungle to reach a hidden temple.

The room itself was filled with a musty smell and left much as he remembered, shelves that had been positioned along the walls torn down and ripped apart, books piled in the middle of the floor carelessly, but otherwise seemingly unharmed. Like a pirate coming upon buried treasure, his face brightened as he approached the pile, eyes licking over the different volumes with a voraciousness that bordered on obsessive. Books! So many books for Ishu!

The moment of pleasure was only halted with disappointment when one of the first books he picked up appeared to be covered in cum, it's pages slathered and stained with dried and crusted layers of semen and urine. Tossing it aside uselessly - Ishu couldn't read the book, tainted as it was like that - he found several others had been similarly vandalized, the brethren apparently rebelling against the system by rendering the material unreadable by their seed and urine one joyous evening. Searching through the pile, he was relieved to find a few tokens untouched and gathered them together in a neat stack beside himself as he made his way to the bottom of the pile.

One book, full of old paintings, caught his attention as it lay open, the pages revealing a particular piece depicting Renaissance-esque women dancing in a forest setting while a man with goat legs and horns played some kind of flute nearby. "Dancing Nymphs" the caption read and reminded of Ishu's interest in fantasy things, he closed it up and added it to his pile, hoping to have something to show her to make her smile again today.

Loading the books in a duffel bag and hauling them to one of the trucks parked outside, he used a pair of keys he'd found and pulled away from the old house, heading towards the library, his new sanctuary of sanity.

Her brother wasn't awake long enough to finish his food, probably because she added in something to help him sleep. He would have wanted it that way. She left the bowl next to the bed, in case he woke up while she was sleeping or while she was out the next morning. She sat on the bed, right next to him, and watched him sleep for some time. A part of her wanted to touch his face, go into his dreams to make sure he was ok.

However, she knew it would cause some type of strain on him and she knew he could not handle that right now. She gave him a hug while he slept and walked out of the room, soon curling herself up on the couch. From where she sat, she could barely see through the shades that cascaded down the large window. She could see some stars and the bottom edge of the moon.

The girl sighed, wondering why the moon did nothing. The mother of the Gamatoms, in a sense, did nothing but spur them on. She wondered if they noticed a difference in themselves on the full moon, kind of like werewolves. Humans were kind of like that; crazy things always happened more often on nights with a full moon. Such a thing had been proven and recorded many times over.

Somehow her brain registered that this is why she could never have pets. She hoped a Gamatom wouldn't go after an animal, but why wouldn't they? The level of psychological torture a Gamatom could cause with a childs' hamster, tearing open its' stomach slowly with one finger and sucking out it's intestines like it was spaghetti.

Ishu grimaced and put her hands over her face. Why was she thinking about this? That was so disgusting, and vile. Her lips curved downward as she choked back a sob. She hated this. Getting things and thinking things that she shouldn't.

She shook her head and sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. She lay down on the couch and pulled the blankets up on her. She needed to rest.


Peeling. She could hear it. Bugs, taking off the shells and dancing. It didn't make sense. Why was there a flute playing? Dancing. Dancing bugs with no skin.

She woke up in a box, lines of light passing over her, over and over. But she was standing and everything around her moved, but it looked like she was moving. She looked down at herself, nothing under her feet as she wandered through darkness.

Where was she? She looked around her and paused as a gray mist puffed onto her and continued past her, like a ghost of some kind. She turned around and watched it dissipate, then turned back to see a sharp edge slice through her fa-


Ishu jerked, her eyes snapping open. She touched her hand over her heart and sat up, panting softly while wiping sweat from her face. Her nightmares weren't making sense any more. Plus, she hated giant bugs.


After properly waking up and dressing herself, she tucked a few things into her pockets, including her breakfast, and headed out to the library. It was around four in the morning and she figured getting to the library a little early wouldn't hurt. She could easily log in some reading hours while she waited for Cade.

As she thought about him, she really hope he liked the book. It was very good, although it was written in old English and it had longer, more precise words. She worried about his reading level, but he did say he could read... she assumed he would tell her if he had any difficulties when he showed up later.

Once she got inside and got to the closet, she took the lantern and the book with her, falling carefully onto the mattress and moving to the center of the room. It was still too early for the sun to illuminate her space, so she moved the chairs away and lit the lantern with a match, then crossed her legs and opened the book after putting on her glasses.

The further he traveled from the old mansion on the hill, the more tension and stress drained out of his muscles and shoulders, suddenly feeling like he could breathe once the house was out of sight. Dawn spread her shining gown over the still sleepy cityscape, heralding a bright new day, further calming and relaxing him as Cade drove to the library to meet with Her again. At that thought, a smile graced his lips a warm, comforting glow flowing through him to remember the bliss of being in her presence. Everything that had happened, everything that he and the brethren had done seemed to melt away when she was around. He could become someone else...someone worthy of a friend.

With hands on the wheel, he idly played with a crane between his fingers, the white one rather than red, having lost the other when Bast had stolen his book. Since it had been his second attempt, he found he preferred the white crane anyways, the folds still not perfect, but neater than his first try. Thinking of Bast however, made his features darken again angrily before they softened with sadness and he glanced down at the book resting on the seat beside him.

The cover remained torn as he'd found it and he felt grief ripple through his body all over again to see the beautiful art and majestic scene ruined now as it was. And even as he felt hate burn within him to remember the way Bast had stolen it, that haughty, moronic grin plastered on his drunken face, guilt battled with it to realize he'd officially broken his promise to keep the book safe. He'd thankfully gotten back all the pages that had been ripped from it, but in his attempt to fix it back to normal - with tape he'd found in an abandoned desk drawer - it left it so the book would no longer close properly, the extra binding causing the covers to lift away from each other like an overstuffed suitcase.

It was ugly and ruined now but it had been his fault and he felt the need to own up to it to her right away, hoping and praying that she could forgive him. He knew the bag of new books he'd also found for her would replace the old one completely - it had been one of her favorites she'd said - but hopefully it would help ease the pain of what had happened to this one.

Parking beside the library, he took the steps two at a time and took a deep breath before entering the doors again. Not finding her in the main hall, he instantly made his way to the maintenance closet, closing the door behind himself and shoving the bag through the vent first before following after it and dropping down on the dusty mattress.

As soon as his eyes laid upon her, his expression brightened and he got to his feet while grabbing up the bag of new books he'd brought, the one she'd lent him held in his other hand and tucked against his side. "There weren't as many as I thought there were," he said, setting the bag down beside her and opening it up, carefully taking out each of them one by one. "The guy who owned the house, the old mayor, was really into psychology and stuff and I wasn't sure if you were interested, but I brought those along anyway." He removed several titles and dissertations by Freud, Jung, Gestalt, etc. and put them in a neat stack beside the bag.

"But there were also several books of mythology and fables that I thought you might like and art books as well," he removed a few thick volumes with designed and embroidered covers with titles like Greek Mythology, The Gods of the Ancient World, and Troy: The War, the Legends.

Once the bag was clear, he set it aside and brought out the book of paintings he'd found, rubbing a hand over the cover which was a print of a painting with the title overlayed in bold lettering, and opened it to the page he'd liked, moving it across to show it to her, watching her face expectantly.

She looked up from her book when the bag dropped from the ceiling, followed by a well muscled body of a Gamatom- the one she knew as Cade. She smiled at the scene and carefully closed her copy of Red Riding Hood and put it back in its' normal place. Before she could move much more, he came over to her and began to dissect the bag.

Her eyes lit up when he mentioned psychology books. She immediately picked one up and opened it, reading the first paragraph she could find without caring what part of the book she was in. She still listened to him though, mentioning other mythology books and something about the mayor.

However, she caught a glimpse of an image while she read the words infront of her, tempting her and making her shut the psychology book and look over at his hands. She saw it. A beautiful book fill with beautiful pictures. Her dainty hands used great care as they took the book from him, setting it in her lap.

Her expression was filled with awe and wonder, the sensation filling her as she turned the page and saw even more beautiful art. This inspired her to paint, but she didn't believe she was much of an artist. She felt that was more of something her brother would enjoy. These are... so beautiful. Thank you!

While having completely forgotten about the book she lent him, with all of the beauty and inspiration now before her, she couldn't help but feel a strange hum. Ishu looked at Cade, her expression concerned, What is wrong?

She remembered the cranes they made the day before and wondered, Did you have trouble making another crane? I can show you again- or you can take a book to study with. She didn't realize how naive her visions of negativity could be.

Satisfaction and pride blossomed within his chest as he watched her look over her new gifts, especially the smile and awe when she saw the picture that had reminded him of her. It felt like he could leave all the heartache and his past behind when he was here, like this, making her happy and pleasing her. But, her abilities or her natural intuition allowed her to see through him and her echoed, mental voice inquired about his well-being, obviously sensing that he was troubled. Cade smiled sadly at her when she assumed it was about the cranes, loving her for the purity and optimism of her thoughts as well as the fact that he could not ever hide completely from her.

The smile did not stay as his eyes trailed down to his side where he'd been holding - or rather, hiding - the book she'd lent him, and hesitated, brushing a tender thumb over it's cracked spine before he brought it up and revealed it to her. Swallowing the knot in his throat as he looked at the cover again, he gently handed it to her and tried to look her in the eyes but found he couldn't.

"It...it was an accident," which wasn't entirely true, so he licked his lips nervously and tried again. "I know I promised to take care of it... I should have been careful... I should have waited until I was alone before sitting down to read it... I'm sorry...."

His eyes danced worriedly over her face and trailed back over the cover, his gaze growing distant to remember the way he'd foolishly tried to ignore the other two brethren and the way Bast had stolen it right from his hands. Anger began to fill him then, his nose crinkling like a wolf baring it's fangs as he stared off into space, imagining what he'd do for revenge.

"It was all that idiot's fault!" he said vehemently through gritted teeth, smacking his fist down on one of the newly made stacks. "I should have tried harder... been faster... if we'd been alone, I would have fucking finished the job!"

Breathing heavily with the exertion of his threat, he looked up at her with shining and wet eyes and promised her, "I'll kill him." his voice cracking slightly with rage and other clouded emotions. He might not have been able to save the book, or replace it, but ending the life of the man who'd ruined it would surely be enough to show her how sorry he was that it had happened. That he'd let it happen.

She noticed something behind him and focused on it when he brought it closer, the light from the lantern illuminating the destruction that had befallen the book that she had lent him. Her eyes shook as her mouth gaped and she took the book from him like a mother would take the body of her child whose limbs had been disheveled and their intestines tangled on the outside of its body.

His words echoed in her ears like a trying to hear a voice from underwater. She traced her hand over the cover, choking on a gasp when a part of it cracked under the pressure that she was not aware she was applying. The front was completely destroyed, but the inside...

Before she could open it, her body shook when he yelled and she looked up at him. Instinctively, she held the book again her chest, the new book with the drawings laying absently in her lap. She swallowed her tears and her sadness as she witnessed his rage. There was no way he would have wanted this to happen. His death threat made it even easier to believe.

Her eyelids fluttered as she registered his rage and what he meant to do. She didn't know how to respond to this- to this pure rage. Her eyes closed and she reached out, touching his arm before looking at him, It is... you don't... Please.

As she paused, she stroked her thumb on his arm, Don't... kill. She did not know how his people handled such customs, but she didn't want him killing someone over a book. Although, worse things have happened. I mean... you don't have to. She removed her hand to hold the book close, None of the pages are missing. She looked down rather sadly, Just the cover.

She didn't want him killing someone for her possessions. But she would not command him to do or not do something either.

The storm boiling within him, practically causing his body to tremble with the full force of it instantly calmed and quieted when she touched him, her inner voice echoing inside him and soothing away the wounded hate in his heart. Looking at her, he gave her a small confused look as she told him NOT to kill the one responsible. He could see it and practically feel it physically as she gently cradled the book to herself sorrowfully - what had happened to it had hurt her greatly. Someone had to be held accountable. Someone had to pay.

It was the way things were done. Wasn't it? Even though her request went against the accepted rules and natural order of things he'd been born and raised to follow, he nodded and the crease in his brow vanished. As much as he wanted to choke Bast to death and tear him inside out for the crime against the both of them, Cade respected that it wouldn't do much good as "recompense" if it was not something she wanted.

"Alright, I won't kill him," he said calmly although his voice was still sore and bitter. "But that asshole isn't my friend anymore."

Then he let out a long sigh and looked again at the book in her hands. "I tried to fix it as best I could... It's not as pretty as it once was - and if I find the rest of the cover, I'll try to put it back together - but you can still read it." Cade shrugged a bit lamely and scratched the side of his head with a slender finger, hoping that would be good enough for now.

Looking at the other books he'd brought and especially the one in her lap, he asked, "You like the pictures in that one? Do you know how to make pictures like that?"

It wasn't too much of a leap, considering how she could make things out of paper to assume Ishu was otherwise creatively inclined. Thinking about himself, it was something he'd never tried, not really having a reason to do so before. But he thought if he'd want to put anything to paper, he'd want to make it a picture of her, much like the soft flowing paintings that adorned the pages of that book.

She nodded when he said the person who destroyed her book was no longer his friend. She accepted that completely as it was his choice and did not involve much bloodshed. When he said he might be able to find the cover and fix it, she nodded again, It is ok. It isn't crying any more. Her statement was obviously strange, and I think... it has more character now. She smiled at him, although she was still sad.

She stood up and put the book away on one of the shelves, moving a rag from the corner and laying it over the book, as if it would keep the book safe. Ishu went back to Cade and the book,. sitting beside him. He asked her if she could paint or draw and she shrugged, I don't know... I mean... I am not as good as my brother. She chewed on the corner of her lip as she flipped through the pages.

I mean- nothing I could make would ever look like this. She hardly got to finish her classes before the Gamatoms took over the colleges in the area and, very likely, in other cities. I supposed I am... ok. She blushed as she felt her modesty was over-obvious and she decided to stop talking about it. This art is very beautiful. I really do like it. She looked at Cade and smiled, hoping he would believe her when she spoke to him about how she felt, especially since she did not want to dwell on the pain of having one of her books torn apart.

Did you want to read? Another book, I mean. She felt silly, thinking her words sounded like she didn't want him touching that book over again. On the contrary, she forgave him and she did not think he was responsible. She rubbed her forehead and frowned. She needed to stop worrying so much. I'm sorry. She felt rude. Are you hungry? She began to dig through her coat pockets until she found a few plastic fruit cups and a few spoons, I brought some food. It's not alot- for you... I think.

Ishu frowned as she just began to blab more and more, increasing her chances of offending him, but she still gave him a pathetically anxious smile.

Oddly enough, even as out of place as her statements were, he understood what she meant, talking about the books as if they had feelings or souls. There had been a connection when he'd looked at the cover for the first time and it had only grown to a full-blown fondness as he'd read the tale within to the point where he too felt ripped apart whenever he looked at it now. Mostly, the reaction had been because it was something of hers, something special she'd given to him, the first secret thing in his life he'd ever owned that made him feel different from the brethren. But the real and actual connection to the book and story itself was there as well. So, in a way, her words made perfect sense and he was a bit humbled by the gesture of putting the cloth over it before she came back to sit beside him.

At mention of family, he blinked at her curiously and asked, "You have a brother?" unable to hide the shock from his voice and features.

All this time he'd thought she'd been alone, and it had never occurred to him that she was surviving in this day and age with someone else. Mixed feelings swirled inside him, a little gladdened and relieved that she had someone other than himself looking after her but also a bit of jealousy that there was another man in her life. He knew humans handled sibling relationships differently than the animal indiscretion that the Gamatoms used with all familial relations, but still, there was a slight possessiveness that he tried to wrestle down before he spoke again.

"I'd like to meet him someday." He hoped that feeling of rivalry wasn't apparent to her because he definitely didn't want her to feel like he was pressuring her or attempting to threaten the guy. And strangest of all, he found, was that at mention of another man, despite the undercurrent of defensive violence he felt...there wasn't any sexual desire towards this unmet male. Always, around her, his attraction was focused upon her.

As she continued to "speak", he began to get the hint that she possibly did have a bit of artistic talent and he found himself eager to see some of it. "If I brought you some paint...would you make me a picture? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I'd love to see you make something." His eyes lit up as he grinned at her fondly, hoping that the request wouldn't embarrass her.

At mention of him borrowing another book, he looked around the room and the stacks assorted there, with apprehension, suddenly unsure of himself. He wanted to say yes and to look around for something else to read, promising himself again that he'd take extra EXTRA care not to let anything bad happen to anything of hers...but he'd said that last time. There were too many things he couldn't predict and he knew, so long as he lived with the pack, he wouldn't be able to sufficiently cover all his bases or foresee what might happen. The brethren were a wild card and would always be a constant threat to anything he considered "his" and his alone since everything in their community was shared. Only the dominants and leaders got the first pick of something and sometimes even had their own private stashes of booze, cigarettes, sex slaves, etc.

"I don't think I should," he said with a shake of his head, his expression solemn until he looked at her. "Besides, it'll be better if I keep them here to read from instead of taking them off somewhere else."

At her question about hunger, Cade instantly tensed, not only recognizing it as one of those "taboo" subjects between them, but also harshly reminded of the hunt last night and how his meal had been interrupted by thoughts of her. But curiosity got the better of him as what she pulled out from her coat was not what he expected. Blinking, he gave the things in her hands a blank look and then quirked an eyebrow at her.

"You like to eat fruit?" he asked, recognizing by smell and sight what was in the small containers. Then he smiled and realized that sounded a bit offensive. "I mean, not that it's a bad thing... I just thought of something you might like, is all. I know of an orchard outside the city that is untended," because his gang had raped and killed the farmers and their families when they'd first came passing through into the city a few years back. But he wouldn't tell her that. "I could take you sometime if you like?"

Ever since the uprising, farming production outside of meat and dairy had slowed down. Factories and meat plants were kept running as most of the time Gamatoms ate the proteins that humans did, but as far as organic and naturally grown foods went, a few farms were left open to tend to their wares, but they were few and far between, since the brethren saw no usefulness in keeping them around other than to feed the human population.

Looking again at the food she offered, he tried his best not to turn his nose up at it, but again curiosity got to him and he gingerly took one of the cups from her hand, watching and waiting as she opened hers before following suit with his own. There were a few moments of awkwardness at the first taste but he was pleased that it wasn't terrible like he'd assumed. Texture was an odd thing to rediscover with this, none of the fruits having a feel in his mouth that he was familiar with. But it was an odd thing to realize, since not finishing the feast the night before, his stomach responded to what he gave it now, rumbling in needy approval until the whole of it was gone, leaving him smacking gratefully.

She nodded, Yes. I have two brothers actually. She let her eyes trail back down to the pictures in the book. She sort of regretted mentioning her brother due to his state... and how he got into it, but she could not changed what had been said. He said he wanted to meet her brother and she up, Um... Before she could go on, he offered to bring her paints. Ishu smiled again, Alright. I mean, I can try.

She did not say anything about the books, honestly glad he thought the same thing she did. They were safer here, where his companions could not find them.

As for the fruit, she waited for him to go on and lit up when he mentioned the orchard. If it was unoccupied, as he said, then it could be the perfect place to gather food. For herself anyway, unless she crushed it all into a liquid. Yes. I would like that. She instinctively pushed the glasses up on the bridge of her nose while thinking about the bright red colors of fresh apples.

Ishu opened her own fruit cup, noticing that he did not know how to open it himself. She smiled and made a strange noise, like she was trying not to to laugh. She was also trying not to make it obvious that she knew that he was having trouble. She did not want to embarrass him by the fact that she found his endeavor cute.

Have you never had fruit before? She ate a spoonful and looked up at him, her blue eyes watching him inquisitively through the glass hanging across her face. I have some beans if you don't like it. Or some cream corn. She looked over a corner of the room where a few cans were piled in a neat stack.

Things definitely picked up after the tragedy of the destroyed book faded and he was pleased to know that in the future he'd have other things to show her, to give to her that would make her happy. And he hoped to continue to find more, new things everyday. When she asked him about the fruit, he smirked down at the plastic container in his hands and shook his head.

"No, actually. This would be my first time. Never really had an attraction to anything other than...meat," that was an okay word for it, wasn't it? She wouldn't think he was trying to objectify or get out of an emotional attachment to the hunt and killing women for food, would she?

Clearing his throat, he skipped over the brief mention of what his diet usually consisted of, shrugging as he turned the empty container idly in his hands. "I must admit, I'm a bit surprised. This was pretty good." When she brought up other things he could try, the names sounded familiar, but rolling through the imagery Rolodex in his head, he could not attach a specific picture to what she was talking about. But he instantly knew she was referring to "plants" and green things. Green was the color flesh turned when it went bad and was no longer safe to eat...

But once he'd gotten started on this course and been proven wrong about the fruit - which, rumors among the brethren always said was some bland, sickening thing that no one had ever tasted but knew someone else who had - he was open and willing to try what else she had to offer. "Sure, I'd like to try a...a bean..." that was another word that was unfamiliar but kind of new and fun to say. "I mean if you're going to have some and want to share, that is. I don't want to eat up all of your food, heh."

Cade's gut silently berated him for such foolish considerations with small, hungered pains that should have been eased if he'd finished eating with the brothers last night. Thinking about another hunt filled him with confusion as he felt both excitement and nausea at the same time, when imagining the blood-letting that would happen again after nightfall. Either way, the prospect of other food now - even "green" things - was very attractive at the moment.


Quin took a long drag of his cigarette as he stood in the master bedroom of the mansion, peering out the balcony window to the grounds below. His large, muscular body was illuminated by the morning light, painting him in golden yellows and blending perfectly with his honey blonde hair. Smoke drifted lazily around him like an incorporeal snake seeking to constrict him in it's vapor but it's ghostly threat was ignored as it slowly evaporated into nothingness. Green eyes so light as to almost appear yellow scrutinized the blank spot on the lawn where one of the trucks had been parked next to two others, his gaze distant as he pondered the meaning of the missing vehicle.

The sound of the truck leaving had roused him from slumber, but he hadn't made it in time to see who was driving it. He'd soon found out who it was when he'd searched among the pile of brethren - those in his gang and their guests from the south end of the city all tangled together in knots and grumbling softly in their sleep - and found the only one missing.

"Cade," he murmured softly as he took another puff of his cig and stared at where the road met the bottom of the hill and disappeared into the maze of tall buildings. The other Gamatom was a bit known for his tendency to branch off from the group, but he'd always been willing to join up in their revelries getting as hot and heavy as any of the others over the hunt and prospect of raping human men. These morning excursions weren't necessarily worrisome by themselves and honestly, Quin didn't give a fuck what the Gamatom did so long as he obeyed and respected his authority.

But last night and the fight with Bast...

When Bast had regained consciousness, he'd been unwilling to talk about the incident at first, seemingly offended and shamed by getting his ass kicked in front of the others. Quin had loosened the man's tongue with a bit of seduction, however, it hadn't really illuminated anything when the full "truth" came out. According to Bast, he hadn't done anything wrong and Cade had attacked him for no reason. And the book that appeared to have been caught in the middle only further confused things - Bast had no clue about it's importance or why Cade had gotten upset. He'd just been fucking around.

It was definitely a hard lump to chew on and even as Quin was tempted to let the whole thing go and just regard it as simple temperamentalness or miscommunication, something itched at the back of his head and tried to piece it together with these dawn adventures his fellow kept going out on. Fingers, painted black by permanent ink, held up a triangle of torn paper and he blew a stream of smoke out his nose as he looked at it again.

There was a picture on one side of a man surrounded by fire, his face etched in a defiant snarl staring off to the right as if facing some unknown foe. Turning it over lightly in his obsidian stained hand he regarded the back and read over the words there for the fiftieth time. In bold, black lettering, somewhat faded, were stamped the words "Anderton County Library."

The black, tattooed fingers of his other hand pinched the cigarette as he held it to his mouth, the end glowing bright red as he inhaled through the small filter once more. What did this mean and how did it fit? It was the key to a bigger puzzle and he knew it.

It's ok, I don't mind sharing. She got up, draping her hands over the back of her dress as she stood. She went to the corner where she had piled up some cans and grabbed one filled with beans, then brought it back to their seats and sat down.

It is "baked" beans and it has some honey in it so it will be sweet, like the fruit. Her fingers latched onto the circular metal ring at the top, lifting it and forcing it into the lid, piercing a hole. She pushed it in and then pulled it out, the metal lid scraping across the container.

She removed the lid completely and set it aside, then stuck her spoon into the beans, lifting it up and allowing the gooey excess to fall before putting the end of the spoon in her mouth, being careful not to drip anything on herself.

After removing the spoon from her mouth and licking her lips, she held out the can to him, It's good- I promise. She smiled and swallowed the food, hoping that since he saw her eat it that it would trust her, and it, more. She couldn't wait to see him try it and for him to, quite possibly, love it.