Count to Three: Part 6

[l_s_d_me]

Title: Count to Three
Part: Part 6 (end)
Author: l_s_d_me
Pairing: Brad/Nate; Ray and Walt

The path they were on was rockier than before, but almost better as it held more shaded areas with rocks and plants spotting the route.

"So we're basically right back where we started," Ray said. "Only coming from a different direction?"

"Basically," Nate said while they rested, passing water back and forth.

Brad stood up to stretch, raising his arms above his head and bending back and forth. Nate couldn't help but notice where his shirt rid up, his eyes not straying from that patch of skin.

"Get a room you two," Walt said, immediately followed by Ray doubling over with laughter.

"Oh my God, Walt!" Ray choked out. "You have definitely been hanging out with me too long."

Nate couldn't help but smile too as Brad crouched down looking very serious as he said, "I'm so disappointed in you, Walt."

For fun Nate ruffled his hand through Brad's hair, standing up to stretch his own legs. "It's alright," he mumbled as he continued smiling.

It didn't last though; as he straightened his gaze fell on a creature just reaching the crest of the hill in front of him. It walked like a human, but it looked as if it was some sort of beast.

"This is not good," Nate said calmly before pulling his knife from its sheath and throwing it forward before anybody else knew what was going on.

The knife hit its mark fifty yards out. It sliced through the Beast's skull right between its eyes. The cry that came from its throat sounded like steel being dragged on top of gravel; it bubbled through the air.

The other three were on their feet torn between staring at Nate and where the Beast lay.

"What the fuck was that?!" Brad asked.

But there wasn't time for an answer as two more rose up the hill coming after them.

"Move!" Nate yelled.

They all took off running with their weapons and bags in hand, flanked by the two other Beasts. A low growl sounded from behind Walt, he turned just in time to see the creature drop to the ground, a gunshot echoing to his left. They all picked up speed, willing each other to move faster when Ray got tackled.

“RAY!” Walt yelled, skidding on the sandy rock as he turned around just in time to be thrown backward by a blow to the chest and a Beast standing over him.

He hit the ground with a thud, all the air squeezing out of his lungs. A cloud of red burst through the air as the Beast’s head disappeared by half. All of the Beast's that had charged over the horizon were scattered, lying face down in the dirt, Ray struggling to get out from underneath one.

“Jesus, Brad,” Ray said as he stood, wiping his hands off on his pants. “I realize Nate is your Princess Buttercup or whatever, but try not to wait so long next time before killing those R.O.U.S.’s. That one almost had Walt.”

Walt huffed as he threw his arm around Ray’s shoulder. “Yeah, no thanks to you; try not to trip next time, Person.”

"We should leave here," Nate said, surveying the area. His eyes stopped on Walt, a needle thin strip of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "Are you okay, Walt? You're bleeding," he said, pointing to where the blood was.

Walt's tongue darted out making contact with it. He frowned looking down at his body. "It's just a cut," he finally said. "I must've bit myself when I fell. Don't worry about it."

Ray handed Walt a handkerchief to wipe his face as they began to move out of the area, walking through the bloody path to pick up the items they'd dropped: an empty gun here, a bag there. Nate was dusting off a pack when a foreign noise pierced his ears. It was a strangled cry mixed with crunching. He whirled around at the same time as Ray and Brad to see Walt frozen in place, and inch off the ground, the fist of one of the creatures that had been chasing them through his chest. On instinct Nate drew his revolver and shot the Beast in the head, killing it for good.

Ray reached him first, cradling Walt to the ground as he slid off the Beast's arm; a hole straight through his chest. Nate wanted to throw up, to crawl into a hole and never come out. He had never hated himself as much as he did in that moment. Brad was at his side, his hand holding Nate by the elbow. "I thought it was dead, I thought it was dead" he was muttering over and over again, his mask breaking down by the second.

They walked up to Ray, his chest covered in blood as he held Walt. The tears on his face leaving clean streaks through the dirt that had caked on in the past few days. He was talking under his breath.

"I'm here Walt, I'm not going anywhere. You were there for me, and I'm gonna be here for you. We'll get through this. Don't worry. Don't worry. It'll be alright, everything will be alright. It's fine...It's fine," Ray told him, his voice growing weaker. "I'm not going to leave you."

Both Brad and Nate knelt down opposite Ray, their hands resting on Walt's body. Nate's eyes locked on the blood puddling beneath him. He watched as the sand around his body turned dark with blood, so incongruous from the land around them. It didn't look right and it hurt Nate's eyes to see.

"I'm sorry," he whispered before kissing two fingers and placing them on Walt's brow. "I hope you find peace somewhere."

Brad remained silent, but his face, for once, displayed everything he was feeling. But more than anything Nate couldn't take the look on Ray's face. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. The despair he saw made his stomach churn again, only this time he couldn't hold it back any longer. He turned, moving a few feet before vomiting into the dirt.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. He didn't know what to do. They needed to move, needed to be away from all this death, but Ray was holding onto Walt's body so tightly, a lost look in his eyes, that Nate felt like a monster for wanting to suggest anything other than mourning. He moved back to them to see Brad with his hand squeezing Ray's shoulder.

"Get away from me," Ray said in a voice calmer than it should have been.

Brad didn't move.

"I said get the fuck away from me," Ray practically growled, his body seeming to shrink in on itself; His hand pushing the hair back from Walt's ashen white face with a shaking hand.

Nate squatted beside him. "Ray, come on," he said, resting a hand on Ray's thigh. "We can't..." he gulped back the bile threatening to rise in his throat again." We can't stay here."

Ray turned on him, his eyes red and puffy. "I'm not leaving him here. I won't leave him. I won't, he wouldn't leave me, and I won't leave him. I won't leave him. I can't."

"There's nothing we can do for him now," Brad said, his voice quiet. "Let him go."

"Fuck you, Brad," Ray spat, pushing him away. "Walt's fucking dead! And neither of you give a shit. Fuck. You just want to leave him here so the crows and God knows what can eat him, watch him fade into nothing."

"Nate," Brad said, getting up and motioning for him to move a few steps behind Ray. "What are we going to do? Ray's losing it, and fast. I'm worried about him."

Nate looked down at the pair. Ray looked like he wanted to disappear as he held tightly to Walt's hand. He was sitting as still as Nate had ever seen him before, unnaturally so. And Nate didn't know what to do.

"We need to leave, Brad," Nate started, almost pleading, hoping he would figure it out while speaking. "Fuck, we don't even have a way to bury Walt," he whispered as he ran his hand back through his hair. Brad's hand closed on his shoulder at the base of his neck. Fuck. None of it was supposed to go this way.

He closed his eyes against it all, willing his mind to clear. He breathed deep, but the smell of Walt's blood filling the air did nothing to calm him. Nate opened his eyes, Brad still at his side but his gaze was focused on Ray, his brow creased in concern.

"Come on," Nate said to Brad as he moved back to Ray. "Ray," he continued. "There's nothing we can do for him. He's somewhere better now, you have to believe that."

Ray remained silent.

"Look at me," Brad whispered as he squatted down beside him. Ray tilted his head in Brad's direction, not meeting his eyes, but staring down at his body, like he was unable to face anybody even if they were his brothers. "Walt's gone. I know how you feel, I feel it too. We need to move though, it's not safe here." Brad's voice was soft, not patronizing in anyway, but still it held a lilt to it that one could tell he was being careful with how he spoke.

"No," Ray's voice was wrecked.

"We have to get out of here," Brad told him.

"No."

Nate stepped to the other side of Walt so he could face Ray directly. "Don't let this defeat you Ray. Remember, you're stronger than you think."

"I'm not strong," Ray began speaking. "Walt was strong. I'm fucking weak, a useless piece of shit just like my father always told me. I'm nobody. Walt...Walt was somebody and now he's dead."

"Come on Ray," Brad said as he stood.

"I said no," Ray reiterated. "I'm not leaving."

"You'll die out here on your own Ray," Nate told him. "Come with us, we need you still."

"No."

Brad bent and slid his hands underneath Ray's arms to pull him up off of the ground. "Get up, buddy."

"Get off me, Brad," Ray's voice was lethal as he tried to pull out of Brad's grasp.

It was Brad's turn to say "no." as he continued to try and drag Ray to his feet.

Nate saw the movement a moment too late, heard the bang a moment too late, and the spray of blood that shot across Brad a moment too late. Nate saw everything too late for the first time in years and it scared him almost as much as what he was seeing.

Ray.

Motionless.

Brad’s rosewood revolver still tight in his grip.

Blood streaming down what was left of the right side of his head.

His body slumped down on top of Walt’s.

A look on his face that said he knew what he was doing and was happy to be with his friend.

Nate didn’t know how it had happened; how Ray managed to kill himself without either he or Brad noticing the movements as they occurred. But then Ray always was more clever than them by half, he would have known which angle to draw at, and the precise moment, that would go unnoticed. Leave it to Ray to figure out a way to best Nate.

“Oh shit… oh shit… Jesus Christ, Ray,” Brad’s voice cut through the fog in his brain.

Brad was kneeling on the ground next to Ray with a look of such a profound sadness on his face that Nate was scared of what Brad might do too. He couldn’t lose Brad now. Not now. Not when everything was breaking into pieces before his eyes. He stumbled to the ground next to him, his hand gripping Brad’s forearm tight enough to bruise. Brad has his hand pressed to Ray’s chest, a little below the heart and was muttering to himself. He kept repeating “you didn’t have to do this, we could’ve helped. You didn’t have to.”

Nate moved to cup Ray's face in his hands. "Don't worry anymore, Ray," he whispered between them. "We'll make everything alright again." He bent and leaned forehead to forehead against, visualizing sending Ray to a better place.

There was a low rumble in the distance. A warning. Like the night was waking up and telling them to leave this place. Brad stood and stared it down; watching as lighting broke across the sky. "We should leave," Brad said in a voice that seemed to not quite belong to him.

Nate stayed where he was, his head pressed to Ray's.

"Nate," Brad said louder as the lightning grew more frequent and the wind picked up. "We need to go. Now."

In one movement Nate pulled the revolver from Ray's hand, sliding it into Brad's holster as he stood.

"Run."




*

“They’re dead,” Brad said beneath his breath after they finally stopped running.

Nate looked up at him, the sand stinging his eyes as it blew around them, the wind causing his coat to billow out. “I know.”

“They’re dead,” Brad said stronger, his eyebrows creasing in confusion and pain.

A million things needed to be said, but they were jumbled with the million other things that Nate wanted to say like “motherfucker,” and “I quit,” and “this was a fucking fool’s errand.” All he could do though was agree with Brad. He felt like the part of him that had been made whole by their ka-tet was breaking; half of it left behind on the desert floor.

“They’re dead!” Brad yelled, inches from Nate’s face.

Nate jolted and shoved Brad. “I know that, Brad!” his chest rattling. “I was there too. And don’t fucking yell.”

He was screaming.

Brad grabbed his arm, staring down at him. “What was this for? Why did they have to die for this? Did you know this was going to happen?!”

“Fuck you, Brad. I’d rather have died than have to watch that.”

He watched as Brad’s eyes closed, his nostrils flaring. “Don’t…don’t say that,” Brad spat out. “Not you.”

Nate could feel the tears forming in his eyes, everything coming down on him at once. His knees buckled and instead of trying to hold him, Brad fell to his knees as well. The fight gone out of both of them. Nate was hot and tired, and thanking God that the night was falling. He unbuttoned his coat with numb fingers, pulling it off his now bruised arms. Brad did the same; their stuff strewn about the ground around them.

As if afraid to spook him, Nate leaned forward slowly to rest his head on Brad’s shoulder. He felt Brad exhale the breath he had been holding and give in to Nate’s touch.

The desert was silent around them as they moved. Spreading out on Nate’s duster, the pair shifted around each other as they touched. Brad’s hand came up, wiping a tear off Nate’s cheek before leaning in to kiss the spot. Nate wrapped an arm around Brad’s neck, forcing their faces back together. He could taste the salt from tears on Brad’s lips as they kissed, holding back nothing. Nate’s hands ran down Brad’s back, fingers dipping underneath the waistband of his pants. They pressed together, hard, and in that moment Nate thought of Ray and Walt, their deaths and what life had done to them. He could hear Brad muttering “it’s okay, Nate…. It’s okay,” as he kissed his face. Brad’s hands were everywhere; a reassuring presence up against his skin.

Nate rolled, pushing Brad down against the earth as he straddled him. “What was any of this for, Brad?” Nate whispered as he leaned his head down against Brad’s chest, his back curving up into the sky. His breath slowed as he felt himself being centered by Brad, a hand resting on the back of Nate's neck. They stayed like that, saying nothing, not moving, and barely breathing. Eventually Nate relaxed his posture and slid up Brad's body. They didn't talk about it, talking wouldn't do any good at this point anyway, but it was obvious that their path was nearing its end.

Everything was ending.

Nate's mouth connected with Brad's in one fluid movement. A quiet sound came from Brad's chest as Nate's tongue made contact with his own. At once the sound was locked away in Nate's memory forever; or however long "forever" was for them now.

It took but a minute for them to remove their clothes and come back together; their skin a mixture of cool and hot from the night air coming in contact with the sweat drying on their skin. They lit no fire that night because they didn't want to draw attention to themselves, but it didn't matter. Nate could see Brad perfectly in the moonlight, the blue light reflecting off yards of skin. He slid his fingers into Brad's mouth. The way he sucked on them, wetting them caused all of Nate's muscles to tense at once. His eyes closed and he could feel them begin to tear. Nate's fingers slid out of Brad's mouth, shining wet. He trailed the back of his hand down Brad's chest, grazing over his erection before moving lower and pressing in.

Brad thrust his hips upward, his eyes on Nate's. He moved his fingers in a circular motion, a smile tugging at his lips as Brad's mouth dropped open and his eyes fluttered.

"I need you," Brad whispered as he turned his head to place an open mouth kiss on Nate's wrist. "Please."

Everything was still as Nate pushed forward, moving as slowly as he could with nothing but spit to smooth the way. But Brad took him; both of them shaking with restrain and want. Their faces were inches apart and Nate could see it all in Brad's eyes, the loss of their brothers, the connection between them, and the road they were speeding down.

They were one now, forever.

*

Nate slept, lulled into darkness by the sound of Brad’s breathing next to him. He found himself in New York City, a small apartment full of all the things people should have: a couch, chairs, television, dining room table, food, pictures on the walls.

Ray and Walt.

A home. Together. Happy.

His eyes fell onto the two men sitting on the couch smiling and laughing as they watched the party on television. They had half empty pizza boxes open on the table in front of them with beer cans scattered around.

Seeing them made Nate feel like he was standing in the sunlight.

“Why did we need champagne?” Walt asked Ray, the smile never leaving his face.

“It’s New Year’s Eve, dude,” Ray said, looking at him like he was special. “You have to have champagne on New Year’s Eve.”

“That’s what you said when I asked why we were wearing these ridiculous glasses,” Walt muttered.

They were each wearing a pair of bright pink glasses covered in glitter. One pair had a large 2-0 over the eyes, and the other had 0-0. And they were sitting there so that if one looked at them as a pair their glasses would read 2000, the coming New Year. The crowds yelled and laughed outside in the street, the celebration reaching a fever pitch. Yet they just sat with each other, happy and having their own celebration.

A sound on the television caught their attention and they jumped up as they began counting down.

10

9

8

7

The yelling outside got louder. The number seven giving the countdown a greater force.

6

5

Ray threw his arm over Walt’s shoulders.

4

3

2

1

Walt yelled “HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!” as he and Ray hugged, holding on tightly to each other while the new millennium chimed in. They were happy and together again, no pain in their eyes, no injuries, with life flowing through their bodies.

Nate blinked hard as he watched them, peace finally settling in his mind. It was okay. Everything would be okay because no matter what happened to them in this life, they will find a way to make it in another. A better life.

The two of them picked up their champagne glasses and clinked them together.

“Happy New Year,” Ray said his eyes bright as he smiled.

“Happy New Year, Ray.”

Nate awoke for a moment, his head clear, a renewed hope that he and Brad would succeed. He reached out the few inches between them and grasped Brad’s hand, feeling him squeeze in return.

It would all be okay.

*

In the morning Nate shared everything with Brad; what he saw and how his dream felt. It gave them solace as they ate their breakfast, crouched around the small fire they built at dawn.

"And they were happy?" Brad asked, some of the darkness lifting from behind his eyes.

Nate nodded, letting his face tell Brad the answer.

Brad exhaled and pushed himself up to stand. "Good," he said before stamping out their fire. "Now let's finish this."

*

The sun didn’t set for the next three days.

*

They pushed harder and faster through the desert as it began fading behind them. Nate knew they were close, he could feel a drumming in his skin willing him in the right direction. It pulled at him until he felt as though he wasn’t even himself anymore, but some unearthly creature that moved for one purpose and one purpose alone.

But when he truly started to lose himself, Brad was there, reeling him back in and making sure he didn’t run himself, or both of them, dead.

Nate knew he wouldn’t die in that moment though. He knew that this is what he was born to do; why he was the way he was. Everything in his body was screaming for him to move and do it now!

Two days before, they had left everything that wasn’t a necessity behind. They carried their water, what little food they had, and evenly split up carrying the weapons Ray and Walt had before their end. Nate kept the key safe on a necklace around his neck. They left their coats, extra packs, and anything that would hold them up behind.

“What is it?” Nate asked as they paused for a minute beside an outcropping. Brad was looking at him like he had never seen him before.

“You’re changing,” he said bluntly. “It’s your eyes. It’s almost as if there’s gold burning through them. I know that makes no fucking sense Nate,” he paused. “But I can see it.”

Nate moved into Brad's space, their chests touching. "What do you see?"

Brad took a deep breath and reached out to hold Nate's face. His eyes roamed over Nate before finally settling on his eyes. The fingers gripping Nate tightened as Brad just stared at him. It was like the first time they ever touched outside of Brad's apartment in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Life," Brad whispered, surprising Nate. "It's like this power that...that holds life."

It took Nate approximately two seconds to press his lips against Brad's once he realized that he could give Brad a taste of what he was feeling. The power. As their mouths moved in unison Nate let his mind clear, one; he fisted his hands in the sides of Brad's shirt before relaxing his body against him, two; he felt Brad's grip tighten as he released part of what he was carrying into Brad, three.

Nate was fully aware of when it hit Brad; his gasp as his whole body straightened spoke volumes. He had never shared this with anyone before; he hadn't even tried until now, but a lot of things had changed and part of Nate didn't want this world to end without having shared it with somebody.

He waited a few minutes before pulling it back, kissing Brad through it.

Brad was shaking slightly when they broke apart. "How did you do that?" he asked breathless.

In truth Nate didn't know, so he just shrugged and told him, "I counted to three."

The smile that curved on Brad's lips was the first that he had seen in a week. With everything going on there hadn't been much to smile about. There actually hadn't been much hope; at least, not until now. Nate could see it in Brad now though just as Brad had seen it in him.

They spent the next hour with their backs pressed against the shaded rocks beneath the outcrop. Nate idly polished his revolver as Brad stared off into the distance, scanning the horizon. They did nothing but rest. It amazed them how much not having any respite from the sun bearing down on them could change their whole mind-sets. Every hour worsened for them, but it was also one very clear and unmistakable sign: they were close.

When they finally started moving again it was with renewed speed. They ran through the point where the desert faded into grass and suddenly it was easier to breathe; they sped up. The world was silent still except for the swish, swish of their pants against blades of grass, and the crunching of rocks underneath their boots.

Three days and nothing. Not one sound, not one animal, not one word of warning or signs that the world outside of their bubble even existed. There was nothing until Nate turned north and saw it: the Cradle of Civilization.

The air smelled rich like summer as they closed in on it. Suddenly there were trees everywhere seeming to thicken around them as they ran on, and on, and on. The top of the structure was visible over the line above the branches; it looked a dull brown in the distance, innocuous. Nate slowed them down to a walk as they approached a thicket of bushes that reached at least two feet above their heads.

"This is it," Nate said with a look to Brad.

Brad nodded, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When they opened Nate saw resolve and power there; he knew everything had lead them to this point in time.

"For Ray and Walt," Brad said.

"For Ray and Walt," Nate repeated, closing his hand around the back of Brad's neck.

Nate felt like he needed to thank Brad, to give some sort of speech to give them hope, but that wasn't him and it certainly wasn't Brad. So he simply squeezed Brad's neck once more and nodded at him. Brad smiled at him with a look that said he was ready and that whatever was in their way had better beware; and in the end that was all the two of them needed.

At the same time they pushed into the thick brush, twigs and thorns scratching at their faces and hands. It got darker the further they went. Pretty soon Nate could see only a couple feet in front of him. He stopped when he realized Brad wasn't beside him anymore.

"Brad," he yelled in a little more than a whisper.

Nothing.

He tried again and listened. To the side he thought he saw the flash of an arm pass by; it was all he had to go on so he followed. He sped forward always watching for a glimpse. Everything was getting darker and then he saw him standing there, his back turned to Nate.

"Are you okay?" Nate asked as he closed the distance between them.

When he turned Nate nearly dropped to the ground.

It was Walt, or at least, some form of whatever was left behind in this world when he passed.

Nate mouthed his name, not trusting his own voice. Walt smiled and tilted his head to the side, motioning to the right. Nate followed the movement with his eyes, peering into the darkness. When he looked back to Walt he was gone. With little thought Nate tore off in the direction Walt pointed to, his trust in his brother still strong in death.

He followed the path for what felt like an hour. Finally, light was streaming through the brush letting Nate know that he was moving in the right direction, whether it was to Brad or to the Cradle, he knew it would take him where he was meant to be. He slowed as he entered a clearing, hearing rustling to the left of him. Without warning Brad passed into the clearing, not seeing Nate at first.

"Nate," Brad rushed out and pulled him into a hug.

Nate froze for a second before responding. Brad felt shaky to the touch.

"Ray," Brad whispered directly into Nate's ear. "Ray led me here."

Something pulled deep inside of Nate. "'Til the end," he said.

"I don't know how we got split up," Brad started as they broke apart. "I was right next to you, and then suddenly you were gone."

"There's darkness at play here," Nate said. "He'll be waiting for us, Brad, we have to be ready. I have no idea what we're going to see when we pass through, but it won't be easy."

Brad shook his head. "Don't worry," he said. "Nothing can stop us now."

And Nate believed him. "Check your weapons, in five minutes we move."

*

The breath nearly left Nate's body when his eyes fully set on what he had been striving to reach for what felt like a lifetime as the Cradle rose above him. Part of him was surprised by its appearance, for it looked like nothing more than a simple three story wooden house. Nate remembered seeing pictures of houses just like it on farms in the earlier years of the English settlement in America. It had a porch that wrapped around it, shutters, railings, and paned windows. But up close, standing in its shadow, it rose up as if it had a pulse, breathing life.

The grounds looked empty except for the two of them steadily walking forward, trying their best not to disturb the world around them more than necessary. The longer they went unnoticed, the better. Nate's eyes were examining the Cradle, noting the doors and windows, how the planks on the porch looked used and half warped, when Brad grabbed his arm.

"There's something up there," he said, keeping his eyes forward. "The light is bending in an odd way about forty yards ahead."

Nate focused his eyes that distance and saw it. Now that he knew what he was looking for he could see them everywhere, beings cloaked by some spell.

"What are they?" Brad whispered as they continued their slower pace.

"I don't think they're here to harm us," Nate said. "I think they're guardians of some sort, or maybe they've just come to watch the show."

"Maybe they're a warning," Brad said, his fingers dancing on the side of his holster.

"No," Nate stopped. "But they are," he said as his two men stepped into view.

They looked ordinary enough, dressed in black pants and white t-shirts, but they moved like snakes. It took mere seconds for more to appear, and before they knew it there were fifteen men in groups of twos and threes.

"And so it begins," Nate said before drawing his gun and firing.

He made sure to aim around the guardians and checked that Brad was doing the same. He wouldn't hurt them; they weren't there to cause anyone harm. Within two minutes the fifteen men were dead, blood sprayed around them. Brad looked at him with confusion and Nate knew exactly what he was thinking: why hadn't they put up a defense? The bodies laid there motionless as Nate and Brad stepped around them.

The first step up onto the porch was inches away when a hiss rose behind them. Brad lurched to the side as one of the men grabbed his ankle, pulled it to his mouth and bit. The sound of the bone in Brad's ankle snapping cut through the air like a gunshot.

Brad grunted in pain, but stayed upright. Nate shot the man off of Brad's ankle without even aiming; its head disappearing into a burst of red. The others began crawling towards them like some sort of demented form of lizard, arms and legs bent at angles that aren't possible in humans. But then, they weren't human. It wasn't like they were moving fast, but with their steady rate they crowded quickly into Brad and Nate's space, closing in on them.

Nate grabbed Brad's arm and began helping him move back towards the steps, his foot bent at a distorted angle.

"Fuck," Brad muttered under his breath.

And that's when it happened; the creatures swarmed them like flies, grabbing a hold of the pair, tearing Brad and Nate in different directions. Nate elbowed one in the face and heard its nose crack, giving him enough time to draw Walt's shotgun which he kept strapped to his back. Brad was fighting his own battle beside him, doing his best to keep the upper hand.

One, Two, Three, shells pumped and fired into the faces of their attackers, making sure to get their heads. When it emptied Nate flipped it around and used the butt of it to crush their skulls. Immediately he saw It over the creature's heads - the Traveler - practically floating toward them. He looked like nothing more than a man. Nate needed to get inside and he needed to do it now.

"Go!" Brad yelled from beside him, shaking off the beings that were still coming, still trying to overpower him in his weakened state. There was a bruise already forming on Brad's cheek and a line of blood streaming from the side of his mouth. Nate shook his head in refusal.

"If It gets the key and opens the door, it'll have all been for nothing; now go!" Brad told him, his eyes flaring. Then, thrusting himself up with everything he had, Brad tore off of the porch, the human-lizard hybrids desperately clinging to his body, trying to pull him to the ground. Nate watched as Brad drew his rosewood revolver and began shooting at the Traveler, hitting It once in the leg, and again in the arm.

The last thing Nate saw before he turned was Brad being dragged to his knees and taking aim with his last bullet. All Nate could do was hope, somehow, that Brad would make it through.

Nate pushed in the opposite direction, slamming the front door open with a loud bang. Inside was dead silent as the door shut behind him, sealing him off from the rest of the world. The smell of flowers and moss reached his nose as he ran straight up the stairs, taking them three at a time. He pulled on the leather strap around his neck which held the key. It snapped just as he reached the top of the steps. There. At the end of the hallway was the door he had been searching for. Nate used all his strength to push the final few feet. In his mind he saw a quick succession of pictures: remembering the first night they were all together, Ray humming that song to himself in quiet moments, Walt looking up happily when he felt a hand on his back, and Brad's...well...everything about Brad.

His fist punched the door as he slid to a halt, sliding the key in as a hollow scream arose from below; but he couldn't think about that now. He had to turn the key.

Click.

The door opened slowly in front of him, bright light streaming in from the windows.

Nate walked with confidence, looking around him. Sometimes he forgot what it was like to just be himself; to just be. He'd never felt anything like this before; a sensation so absolute, so strong within himself. The noise around him was comfortable if not a little overwhelming.

Nate could feel it everywhere, there were eyes on him.

He moved further, shifting his shoulder and slightly changing the set of his hips; disappearing within a crowd. He was surrounded by people, traffic, buildings. The asphalt beneath his feet felt solid and strong.

Nate was hyper aware of the man on the motorcycle watching him. A horn blared and Nate turned to look, thinking he would see the motorcycle moving past him in the road. But he was still sitting there, his bright blue eyes piercing right through Nate's guise.

Nate's breath caught in his throat, knowing at once that he was one of them; one of his.

So this is how it starts, ran through Nate's head over and over again. The first of the three.




END

"Go, then. There are other worlds than these."
- John "Jake" Chambers

Footnotes