Chapter 7

chapter 7 of Red Dawn. No #TRIGGERWARING this time round

Chapter 7

Having been knocked out by the handle of a gun, each of them had a pounding head. While they were pasted out, the young children had managed to carry them all the way to an abandon shop that had one window and rack of clothes hangs everywhere within it.

The shop was covered in dirt and dust and any nice looking clothes would now be horrid. Outside the non-broken window was two tall figures �" boys from the looks of it �" holding rifles in their arms.

Milly sat in the corner of the shop near a rack of �" once �" beautiful dresses. Her eyes trained on the roof of the building �" glaring. She was removed of her jacket and was left with nothing more than her singlet and pants �" even her shoes were gone.

Tommy stood a bit of a distance from her, leaning against the wall of the building. His arms were crossed and his eyes glared at the ground with hatred. He too was removed of his jacket, jumper and boots. He stood on red fabric, his toes scratching at the ground and his fingers scratching at his skin.

Felix sat on the opposite side, leaning on the wall. He held his hand in his lap and his eyes were trained on the ground, but not glaring, just: emotionless. He had no jacket or jumper and he �" like the others �" had no shoes. His twirled a piece of glass in his hand in boredom, but he just seemed: detached.

The air was stale and the sound silent. There was no movement, everything was still: dead.

~

Hours seemed to pass, nothing had changed. Milly stilled stay seated on the ground, glaring at the roof. Tommy was still against the wall glaring at the ground and Felix stayed unmoved on the other side of the room.

The silhouettes of the two watches were still laid against the window and the door still locked. Suddenly there was a third shadow, shorter than the others but seemed as if commanding them. The larger silhouettes started to move off and the third came towards the door.

They all looked towards the door as they heard the handle rattle. Milly’s glare shifted to the window as the door creaked open, than quickly shifted back to the figure that stood in the doorway.

It was the girl.

Her sickening grin over her face, her eyes narrowed and gun in her hand, finger resting on the trigger. A second later the boy walks in behind her, gun over his shoulder but his hair tousled and his eyes exhausted with bags under them. Tripping on his own feet, he comes up next to her, his face in a frown and exhaustion.

Milly stands in a second as they enter the door, Felix staying seated on the ground. Tommy pushes off the way and faces them both.

The girl pulls up her gun till its softly resting against her shoulder’s skin, as she speaks:

“Care to spill now?” The girls sickening grin just grows as the boy’s eyes drop with exhaustion.

They stayed quiet at the question and just stood their ground, watching the girls movement and forgetting about the boy, who looked as if he would fall down within seconds. Her smile just stays placed on her lips as they keep their silence.

“Nothing to share? Nothing at all?” She speaks sickly sweet.

Tommy shifts on his feet at her words and just looks past her and the boy, out towards the light of the sun. The girl picks up on his eyes train of sight and looks over her shoulder, looking outside at the glaring sun. She turns back to them and drops her arm with the gun.

“Do you want to go outside?” she asks, her eyes narrowed and her smile like that of a snake.

Tommy un-crossed his arms and looked at Milly who shifted next to him �" Felix still motionless on the floor, the glass cutting and chipping at his fingers as he toyed with it. The boy’s suddenly widened as he finally clicked as to what she had said. He turned to her and whispered something in her ear in a hushed but stressed voice. Her face just drops at his state, she seemed as if she wanted to kill something.

As they had their hushed argument, Milly walked over to Felix and tapped his shoulder, and just seemed to walk from a trance as he blinks several times before looking up at her and standing. They stand with Tommy and watch the two continue to argue. But then:

SLAP!

The boys head twisted to the side and his cheek turned red, but he went quiet. Getting a startle from the sudden outburst of violence, they take notice of her quick switch to a smile from her horrid grimace before.

She reminded Milly of a snake.

“Come along then.” She said with that sickly sweet voice.

She stepped out the door the boy following behind her, his eyes quickly flicking their way before back to the girl. Cautiously they follow out after them, they take careful steps out the door, watching everything outside the small shop.

The suns bright rays blind them as they take their first steps outside the building. Felix and Milly stood behind Tommy as they took a step towards the girl. Her snake grin stared straight at them, her eyes like that of a cat.

“You can stay out here as long as you answer our questions, alright?” her voice was so sweet, it made Milly cringe.

“If we get our clothes and guns back, we’ll consider.” Tommy answers for the first time.

The girl seems to be shock for a second but then just lets it disappear behind her smile again.

“Sounds good~.” She snakes “Michael will keep watch over you, ask him if you need something.” She says as she grabs the boys arm and pull him in front of her. She then retreats and walks away from them, Milly watches her all the way until she disappears behind a wall.

The boy stands there before them with a bright red cheek, his eyes looking completely dead, as if he were the one that had risen from the grave. He made a sluggish hand movement as a sign of ‘follow me’ and started to walk in the opposite direction that the girl had taken. Keeping to their word they followed after Michael, who was a few paces in front of them.

Walking around the city, they slowly came to the conclusion that there wasn’t a single adult here and they were the eldest in this city.

They came to a park that was half destroyed by a fallen building. Rubble laid all over the grass and had smashed a play set. However the park was full trees and bright green grass. Michael walked over the grass and headed towards the fallen rubble, climbing up and sitting at the top.

He looked down at them from his position and called:

“Do what you want. Just don’t cause any trouble.” He says and leans back on the rubble on his back.

They just look at each other with confusion dancing in their eyes, but let it slide and go their separate way. Milly goes over to a non-destroyed bench and sits down on its cold wood, leaning back against it. Felix just goes over to a tree and sits down leaning against it looking up at the leaves of the tree.

While Tommy just climbs up the rubble towards the boy, but sits a bit away from him, looking over at the sun and cloud filled sky as he blurts out:

“So how old are you?” curiosity getting the better of him.

“Why does it matter?” Michael says as he turns his back to Tommy.

“That girl said your name was Michael right?” Tommy says ignoring the other question.

“Yea, so? What does it matter?” Michael sits up with a frustrated look over his face.

“I’m just curious is all.” Tommy states bluntly

“Why?” Michael asks with a tone of confusion

“Just like how you’ve been asking us about our life.” Tommy comments with irritation edged into his voice.

Michael just looks at him with a frown and doesn’t say anything, turning his back to him again, his eyes looking over the area.

“19.” Michael grunts out quickly, but Tommy catches it.

“Oh... Not as young as you look” he says with a laugh as Michael looks back at him with a frown.

“My names Thomas. I’m 22.” Tommy continues on. He stands and walks over to Michael who seems to stiffen at the sudden movements of Tommy. He sits down next to him, noticing Michael’s stiffness he just simply ruffles his hair and looks over at Milly who was watching the clouds drift.

“Why?” Michael brings Tommy’s attention back to him. When he looks back at Michael, he sees him looking directly at him.

“Why what?” Tommy questions

“Why tell me.” Michael asks

“You look like someone we can trust �" I hope.” Tommy says simply

“That down there” He points to Milly “That’s Michelle and him “he moves his towards Felix “Felix.”

“We came here, because Felix said he saw a light in this direction and considering we didn’t know where else to go, we came here hoping for the best.” Tommy states to Michael, who just looks at him.

Michael looks down at the grass that blew against the rubble and spoke:

“You chose a bad time to come.” He says

“We noticed.” Tommy huffs out as he leans back on his hands, looking behind him at the upside down world when he notice’s the girl walking around yelling at people. He sits up and turns around watching the girl Michael notices Tommy sudden interest in something behind them and turns as well, taking in the sight of the girl who walked as if she controlled the place.

"Who is she?” Tommy asks, watching her scream at the top of her lungs at a pair of children probably not much older than 10.

“Marybeth. She the one that controls the city.” Michael says as he turns back around to face the opposite direction.

Suddenly her eyes glance up at Tommy and Michael and she grins with her snake mouth and continues on. Tommy turns back around.

“She seems like snake.” Tommy said nonchalantly, his fingers playing with glades of grass that had sprawled from the rubble.

“More like a demon witch” Michael states under his breath.

“Then why listen to her?” Tommy asks as he looks at Michael

“Cause when she arrived everything was in chaos and she fixed it. So, everyone just naturally followed her, simple as that.” Michael says with annoyance. “Now the powers just gone to her head….”

Tommy just looks at Michael for a few seconds but then his eyes drift towards the sky and the horizon with the setting sun in the distance. The temperature in the wind turn to ice and the blue sky turned purple, it was going to be cold and brutal that night.

~

THUMP!

Their clothes fell onto the dirt covered floor sending layers of dust into the air. Michael stood there for a second before turning his back with an emotionless look over his face and walked past the Marybeth, who stood leaning in the door frame, but then closed it when Michael was outside �" they both left.

Standing Tommy walks over to the pile and grabs Milly’s jacket and throws it to her, as well as Felix’s. He grabs his own and pulls it on, then grabs his boots and walks back to the wall to lean on pulling his boots onto his feet.

“How was your conversation with the boy?” Milly asks as she tightens her boots.

“Michael. It was… intriguing. Though it seems that we have an ally here after all.” Tommy says strapping his boots properly and standing up straight.

“Ally?” Felix pipes up, his arm half way through his jacket’s sleeve.

“Yea.”

“How do you know he’s an ally?” Milly asks with a bit of irritation.

“Does it matter?” Tommy questions her back.

“Yes. Yes it does!” Milly stands straight and walks over to Tommy “We don’t even know these children!”

“He’s not a child, he’s 19.” Tommy pitches in.

“So what! That doesn’t matter �" just means he can trick you even better, being older!” Milly yells and just as Tommy goes to comment back Felix intervenes

“Are you sure?” Hope seemed to flick through his eyes for a second just before he blink.

“Yea.” Tommy answers simply

“Don’t be daft Felix! We don’t know anything about this boy! He’s playing Tommy like a fiddle!” Milly yells, earning a bang on the door.

“We don’t know that Milly. This boy, could be our way out of here.” Felix states calmly to her.

Milly just throws her hands in the air and walks away from them mumbling about ‘idiots! The pair of them!’ to herself. Felix and Tommy stand and watch her angry explode and her threats increase. Pissing her off may not have been the best idea.

“Are you really sure about him?” Felix asks just one more time.

“I am. He even told me that girl’s name, Marybeth.” Tommy says while looking at Felix.

“That doesn’t mean anything!!” Milly turns and yells at him, but Tommy just ignores her. Narrowing her eyes Milly glares straight at Tommy and does the motion of strangling him in the air. Felix just watches her from the corner of his eye, blinking several times at her antics.

“Tomorrow you can talk to him yourself” Tommy aims at Milly, she just glares at him from of her shoulder �" she looks ready to kill.

Felix just went back to his original spot after pulling his jacket up his arms. He sat down and picked up another piece of glass twirling it in his hand and disappearing into his own world. While Tommy went and leaned on the opposite wall with Milly talking to herself in frustration as she walked back and forth.

The room turned dark as the sun set behind the buildings and distant trees. The wind carried leaves through the sky and stars shone through the clouds as the sun disappeared and the moon appeared, shining its faint light over the land and people.

Author's Note

I haven't edited it yet, i just wanted to get it up cause i had a bit of a writers block on this chapter and didn't want to keep you waiting.