The land was dark and desolate; a barren field with the only evidence of humanity being the rubble and debris of buildings as far as the eye can see. That was all the world was now; just shattered remnants of what once was. Humanity destroyed itself. It all started with the Gloom; it changed humans and made them evil and attack one another. First came the panic. Then the riots. After that the wars broke out and the anarchy until most of the humans were wiped from existence along with everything else which was blown to bits. Now, there's only few humans left who are struggling to survive.

 

A young boy of age five with markings of bones on his body and a sugar skull on his face was searching through the ruins of what once was a two story building. The Gloomified wildlife was too busy trying to kill another poor soul so the boy had time time to search for supplies. He needed some kind of medication for a dying man he called his father. With nothing but tattered pants and a satchel the boy was on his knees searching through the rubble for some kind of item he could give to his father so he could feel better.

"Por favor..." The boy sniffled, wiping away thick tears that ran down his face as he searched. The tears dampened the ends of his scruffy brown colored hair.

"Por favor... Por favor... Mi Papa..."

Edited March 17, 201510 yr by Awuwa7KH

 

"Of course! No need to hurry! I don't want to end up giving you a panic attack or anything...haha." Mother Nature said rather nervously as she waved at the two. "If you need me, I'll be here all day checking on some of the medical plants." Mother Nature said, giving a soft nod and walking away to check on the many plants that were grown here. "Aw come on man, you don't need to be like that...I know you care for me but you're too much, Miguel~" Jack teased, smiling as he nudged against Miguel. He glanced up. "You guys will need some plants to plant in the farm you're going to fix up, right? Seeing all of this reminds me that we have some seeds saved up. I can sneak out a few for you guys when you leave. I've been piling up the materials in your room's bathroom so all of the needs are there whenever you're ready." Jack murmured.

 

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Ash asked as she pulled on Grim's hair. Grim groaned as he turned to see the horses that rested on the plains of the Farm District. "Those are horses." Grim murmured. "Can we ride them, though?!" Ash asked. "Of course you can!" A random worker smiled as she rested against the fence. "They'd need the exercise anyways." She added. "I want to!" Ash went off, climbing over the fence. Grim looked down at Nicholas and rubbed his head. "What do you think, Nicholas? Would you like to ride a horse too? I can ride it with you?"

Miguel watched as Mother Nature left to tend to the plants. The thought still lingered on his mind. Should he really go? He looked over to Jack and playfully nuged his shoulder.

"Are you kidding?" Miguel asked with a grin. "I'd do anything for mi amigos~" His eyes widened however when Jack told him about the seeds. He wasn't expecting such a thoughtful gift.

"Jaque..." Miguel said, using the Spanish name he made up for him. "YOU didn't have to do that! Dios mio, Guada is going to be so happy once he finds out! Los niños too! Even Stiles. I believe he's going to stay with us too. The barn was his camp."

 

Meanwhile Nicholas looked over to the horses in awe. Never did he see such beautiful creatures before. The thought of riding one however made him scared. But he had to do it. Especially since Ash was going to do it.

"I'll ride..." Nicholas said softly. "I could do it alone too..."

Jack smiled as he hugged Miguel back. “You kidding? You guys are some of the bravest and craziest people I’ve ever met! Besides, you guys are going to live outside the walls. You might encounter more survivors and threats, so you’ll need all of that stuff to at least gain a head start.” Jack insisted as he rubbed Miguel’s head. “We’re all getting too comfortable behind the wall of this city. You guys are willing to try to depend on your own, which is good…nothing fair lasts forever.”

 

Grim smiled and jumped over the fence with Nicholas, walking over to one of the horses that had a saddle on it. He sat Nicholas on it and then climbed up behind him, making sure to hold Nicholas so he wouldn’t fall off. “There we go.” Grim said, looking over to see Ash having a blast of her own as she was riding one of those miniature horses. Grim clicked his tongue, the horse reaction as it began to walk along. “Hold on, Nicholas!”

Miguel chuckled and patted Jack's back. He did have a point. If they were going to live and fend themselves on their own they were going to need all the help they could get.

"I thought places like this could last forever..." Miguel admitted. Then again after he thought about it he never saw an instance when it was true. As a Wolf he took out a lot of safe camps. Camps that one would think would never fall.

 

Meanwhile Nicholas wasn't expecting such movement from the horse. It startled him at first, causing him to whimper and hold onto the saddle tightly. "A-Ah!"

 

Jack shrugged. “Maybe this city will last for a long while. For years. Maybe generations. But history tends to repeat itself a lot. Empires rise and fall. Then other empires will rise and fall. One by one. What we can make sure is that those who will be gaining it after we die are ready for anything that might come their way. Heck. Half of the adults here expect us to get married for the sake of humanity.” Jack stuck out his tongue, scratching his cheek playfully. “Surely this place will outlive us, though! There are some threats here and there but…we’re ready to fight back.”

 

Grim held Nicholas, making sure he wouldn’t fall. “I won’t let you fall, Nicholas. Don’t worry about it.” Grim assured, smiling as the horse walked on, picking up the pace as it walked around the large area. Ash was having fun riding her own miniature pony, following Grim and Nicholas from behind. “No fair, Nicholas is higher than me!” Ash complained. “Don’t worry, when we return to the ranch you can ride as many horses as you want. Maybe you’ll learn to properly ride them.” Grim explained, looking down at Nicholas.

 

Miguel rubbed the back of his head, and nodded. "Sí, Sí..." Honestly it all sounded stupid. He didn't like thinking about the future like that. He just wanted to think about himself now, and his family. Everyone else could go to hell. The more Miguel thought about it the more he felt like he shouldn't be here. This wasn't somewhere he should be. Yeah it'd be nice for the city to last for generations. But he didn't want to be apart of it.

"I hope you guys are ready..." Miguel said.

 

Meanwhile Nicholas still seemed fearful of the horse. It wasn't until Grim's assuring words and Ash's complaints that Nicholas gained some courage. He was higher. And he needed to pull himself together if Ash were to still like him. With a small sigh and a fast heartbeat, Nicholas loosened his grip. "I... Got this..." He uttered.

 

Jack shrugged. “We are surely.” He turned to look down at the plants and then looked back up at Miguel. “So, what’s on your schedule, besides thinking of your whole mission situation? I’m going to help out to fix up some machines. When machines don’t work how they’re supposed to we tear them apart and save the nice parts to fix other stuff. It’s like solving a puzzle.” Jack smiled, walking off as he waved at Miguel. “Have fun working~” Jack teased. Though it was honestly one of the few interesting things to do in a city where everyone had to do their part.

 

Grim smiled at Nicholas trying to gain confidence in himself. It was always a struggle, but he was brave enough to force it through in the end. “You’re so brave, you’ll soon end up becoming a knight in shining armor, Nicholas.” Grim teased. “I want to become a knight too!” Ash called from her horse, who payed less attention to Ash and more attention to the grass and other food that could be around. “You both could end up being brave knights! When you grow up, you can be whatever you put your head into. Knights, doctors, teachers…adventurers. Anything really.” Grim went on. Before the apocalypse you had to go to school and gain a diploma and pay for school in hopes to become that for which you desired. But in a world where if you were alive was more important than anything material, you could be whatever you wanted. “You still have a lot to grow up before you decide though.”

 

Miguel shrugged. He really didn't have anything else to do as of right now.

"I don't know. Wait to see if I'm dead within the next few hours or not I guess." If anything, perhaps he could just go fight again. Once Jack left, Miguel looked down. He really didn't know what to do with himself. Perhaps go look for Grim.

 

Meanwhile Nicholas sighed softly and looked down at his hands. What he wanted to be when he grew up?

"I... Don't want to be anything." He muttered. "I... I just want to be alive." That was all he could ever ask for. There was other things too obviously, like be with Ash but nothing else really mattered.

 

Behind Miguel, a familiar May began to poke him around from behind. “Peek-a-boo!” She squealed, giggling to herself as she crossed her arms. “Hey, you’re the latest infected, right?! The one with the brother named Grim? Oh you two don’t look alike AT ALL! You’re kind of handsome though!” May went on, walking around Miguel in circles as her gloom scales gleamed off from her arms and legs. “Ah, I don’t think you know me. I’m May. I went with your brother on that mission while you were sick. He infected you to save you, but since he’s your brother then it means that you might turn into a Hound too, right?” May went on, as talkative as ever.

 

Grim looked down at Nicholas. To live. He had almost forgotten about that word. It brought back senses that he had completely ignored since the moment he stepped into the city. The thought of wondering if that way would be your last. Where would your next meal come from? Would you be infected and die? Would you be killed by a bandit? Would you die by an accident? The city seemed like a utopia that had made Grim forget that just a few months ago he wondered if taking his own life would be better than to live in a world as dammed as this. “To live…that’s the most important goal of all.” Grim said, clicking his tongue as he brought the horse to a stop. He jumped up, picking up Nicholas and helping him down. “You’re going to live a very long, long life! Until you’re as tall as this horse, and your hair as white as the snow!”

 

Miguel wasn't expecting a girl to appear out of f****** nowhere but that was alright. He didn't mind the chatty girls. They were always fun and had a lot of energy~! Miguel had a lot of energy as well so energetic girls were the only ones able to keep up with him.

"A-Ah Sí~!" Miguel said with a smile, his gaze following May as she made circles around him. "I might be a Hound too~! Woof! I'll be a cool perro~"

Meanwhile Nicholas couldn't help but look down as he heard Grim's words.

"How can you say that?" Nicholas asked, his feet touching the ground. "You don't know what'll happen... My mommy told me everything was going to be okay before we were hanged... I could die tomorrow a lot of ways. I could be burned... Eaten... Stabbed, shot- buried. A bandit could mutilate all my limbs before throwing me away to the side of the road. But you can't do anything about that if it happens. Not matter how badly you want to stop it, it'll happen." That was the most Nicholas ever said in his life. Even he himself was surprised by what he said. Still, it was true.

 

May smiled at Miguel’s enthusiasm. Most people, like Krampus for example, were full of dread when they had become infected, not really seeing any point in living any further. To see someone actually remain his happiness even after being infected was a great change in May’s eyes. “Yeah! Your brother told me so much about you, and I’ve heard how you fight in the arena. You’d definitely be quite the addition to our group! It’d be so cool! We’re only 5 if we count your brother. The more the merrier, you know! Also it’d help to have more Hounds so that old mean Columbus doesn’t keep pushing us around. He’s so mean~” May complained, but smiled anyways. “Do you have any plans today? Maybe you’d like to have some fun? I know a place that usually we aren’t allowed to go but we can totally sneak in!” May offered.

 

Grim couldn’t help but to frown at the morbid words that came out of Nicholas’ mouth. They were sad yet true words. Anyone could die at any moment, and once you died, there was absolutely nothing that you could do about it. “You’re right. There are endless possibilities to end up dying at any time. But the fact that you are alive means something big, you know? It shouldn’t mean that if the time does come that you should give up the fight. If death comes for you, you have to fight back and tell him that you aren’t ready yet.” Grim rubbed Nicholas head gently. “I promise, Nicholas. I’m going to fight for you and Ash. I’ll help you live, and I’ll fight whoever means any of you harm. I’ll…make sure you live longer, ok?”

 

Miguel had to admit the secret place May was talking about had him deeply interested. A place he wasn't allowed to go to? That was Miguel's favorite kind of places. The rush of going somewhere restricted was great. He always did what he wanted anyway in good fun.

"I don't have any plans! Take me to your secret place~" Miguel said with a chuckle.

 

Meanwhile Nicholas sighed softly as he looked down. No matter what happens, he did have to fight. And if Nicholas had to fight, he was going to do it for Ash.

"Okay..." He muttered softly. "What are we going to do now?" Nicholas glanced at the other people around, feeling his heart speed up in the slightest. He still disliked large groups of people.

 

“That’s the spirit!” May cheered, grabbing Miguel’s hand and the two running off. Of course, being a Hound had its privileges. For one, you couldn’t just be killed off for breaking non-important rules. You were rare and needed in case something were to happen because you could not get infected any further and die. So of course, May enjoyed this privilege a bit way too much. May ended up taking Miguel in a rather unusual place for it to being off limits. It was an amusement park. A small and old amusement park. The reason for it to be off-limits was reasonable. After years of being unused the place and its rides were practically a disaster waiting to happen, and the last thing anyone wanted was for a kid to walk in and try to use one of the machines only to end up gravely hurt or dead. However two young adults could totally handle to have some fun without getting themselves killed…right?

 

Grim hummed at the thought. Nicholas wasn’t one to like crowds at all, and he couldn’t seem to get used to such no matter how much he was exposed to it. Quickly an idea popped up, and Grim cooed over to Nicholas. “Hey, Nicholas. How about we try to find ourselves a library? You know, a place full of books that we can read. The libraries are always supposed to be quiet, so there won’t be any loud noises.” Grim assured. “Sounds boring though!” Ash complained. “It’s actually pretty fun. We can find some information on stuff neither of us know about. Come on, I’m sure there must be one around here.” Grim said, offering his hands as Ash took one, and they began to search for a library.

 

Miguel followed along, still deeply interested in what May was talking about. After a while of walking he found himself in an abandoned amusement park. He had to admit the entire thing was beautiful. Even if everything was broken down and rotting, it still left a mysterious air around the place. Miguel grinned and ran right up to a small Ferris wheel.

"Fantastico! This is amazing! How did you find such a place?" Miguel asked, turning around and waving his arms all over the place. "I never seen one of these!"

 

Meanwhile Nicholas signed softly and took Grim's hand with his shaky one. He tried to stay as close to Grim as possible, trying not to look at any of the people nearby.

"Oh..." Nicholas uttered. "Stiles wants to give me a test I guess... He said he was going to talk to you about it. It'll see if there's anything mentally wrong with me I guess...."

May smiled as she skipped around. "Its a big city! When people started to clear it up they found this place and they locked it down to avoid accidents but OBVIOUSLY I need my fun so I sneak in here all the time even though everyone says no." May explained as she walked around with Miguel. She saw the spinning tea cups and quickly ran up, sitting inside. "This one spins!" May said, quickly turning on the wheel in the middle as the cup began to spin. "THIS PLACE IS GREEEEEEEAAAT~ There's a maze of mirrors and something that they call a roller coaster."

 

"Oh?" Grim hummed. He hadn't seen Stiles in a few hours or so. If he needed to check up on Nicholas then it was important. "Then lets go get you checked up." Grim said, smiling as they began to walk back to the hospital, hoping they would find him there. "When I grow up I'm going to be like Stiles!" Ash went on. "A doctor?" "No...strong!" "Ah..." Grim looked down at Nicholas. "Well we will only be here for a bit longer and then we can head back to the farm. Does that sound good?"

Miguel looked on in awe at the ride that May was on. Never could he imagine such a contraption, especially one that was made for fun. With a large grin be jumped right into the cup with May, spinning it even faster than before.

"You better hold on tight~!" Miguel called out playfully. "Rapido Rapido~!"

 

Meanwhile Nicholas looked up at Grim and nodded. The sooner they were out of the city the better. He didn't want to spend one more day stuck in the city.

"Can Stiles come with us...?" Nicholas asked with a frown. "I want him to come with us..."

May laughed as the two spun rapidly. It was fun even as it began to make her a bit sick to the stomach. "Yeah yeah! Ra-pee-doh!" May said, trying to repeat Miguel's words. Soon enough she jumped off the teacup, spinning on her own accord as she waited for the world to return to focus, giggling all while at it. "Miguel! Mirror Maze!" May called, running into the outdoor maze of mirrors. Each one set up to create multiple reflections of the people who walked in, creating illusions of someone being in one place when he or she was actually further away. Along with mirrors that seemed to distort reality, making the reflection look as if their heads were too big and body to small and so on. Some were dirty, others broken, but most stable enough to make it work. On be ground dirt with a teddy bear or two casually thrown to the side.

 

Grim nodded down at Nicholas. "Of course he can come! He can decide to stay or come along, but he's always welcomed to stay with us. He's family now, you know." Grim said. It was practically true. Out of the countless of people they had met, besides Cupid and Jack, Stiles was the closest friend that they had, and thus, a part of the small family of their own. Once they got to the hospital, they began to search for him around. "Stiles? Are you around?"

Miguel looked around in the mirror maze. He had to admit it was rather interesting and silly. This was how people back in the days had fun. There was nothing to worry about. The only a thing one used to worry about was relationships and schools or work. Miguel wondered what such a feeling was like. As Miguel looked around, he made faces in front of one of the mirrors.

"Aye! I'm so fat in this picture! Muy gordo!"

 

Meanwhile Nicholas smiled in the slightest. That was good news. Hopefully Stiles will want to come.

"Okay..." Nicholas said. "Good."

Once they got to the hospital, Stiles poked his head from underneath one of the desks in the offices.

"Ja? Oh! Hello again." Stiles said with a smile. He got up and went to greet Grim and everyone. "I was just tightening some screws in the desk. It feels like it has been forever." He reached down to pat Ash and Nicholas' head. "I've been meaning to ask you if I could perform mental evaluation tests on Nicholas and Ash... Obviously there's going to be problems due to the fact that we're trying to survive, but it's always good to know any specific issues such as Attention Deficit Disorder and whatnot."

May laughed brightly as she played in the maze with Miguel. "Look! Look! I look like one of those weird animals with the very long necks! How are those called again? I forgot..." May murmured, trying to remember the name of the animal that she learned about so long ago. She shrugged the thought away, instead exploring further into the maze. "Hey Miguel. Will you and your brother stay with us here in the city? This place is the best place after all." May cooed.

 

"If means to make sure he's healthy, lets do it." Grim said as he followed Stiles. "We want to return back to that farm once Miguel is given permission to leave. You can come with us if you want."

Miguel thought for a moment about what animal May could be talking about. Sadly he was stumped. The only animals he knew about were the ones he ate. Any other animal was blank to him.

"I don't know..." Miguel said with a shrug. Was there even an animal with long necks? He never even heard of an animal with such a feature. As Miguel ventured further into the maze, he shrugged once more when May asked him if he was to stay.

"I... I don't know." Miguel said. "We want to take los niños to the farm..."

 

Meanwhile Stiles happily agreed to what Grim was saying. "I would love to come with you." Stiles said. "Originally I was planning on stating due to how many people were here... I thought they would need my help more than anything. But it turns out they're fine on their own." He liked down at Ash then Nicholas. "Alright. Who would like to go first?"

Nicholas looked up to Grim in a small panic. He didn't know if he should go first or not. He gripped at Grim's hand tightly. "Uh..."

May wondered around, looking at the multiple reflections in the mirror. "Right! Jack did mention something like that. Sorry if the question annoys you." May admitted, spinning as she felt the scales of gloom on her skin. "Allow me to visit you when you guys set up the farm! You guys could use some help fixing up the building anyways!" May offered. It was highly unusual for someone who joined the city to simply walk back out on their own. It was amusing to think of how the small group would create a home of their own. "...ohhhhh Miguel!" May gasped, pointing over at the tallest ride in the place; the ferris wheel. "How much you want to bet that I can climb it faster than you?"

 

As always, Ash wouldn't be sitting around when something was offered. "I'll go first!" Ash declared proudly, hurrying over to Stiles. Grim held Nicholas' hand gently, rubbing his thumb on the palm of his hand. "You have to learn to defend yourself one way or another, Nicholas. Ash won't bite...well at least not to you." Grim chuckled.

(For the evaluation test, do you want to skip it and have Stiles diagnose Ash with something or nothing and then do the same with Nicholas? If so tell me what Ash has if she has anything)

Miguel looked through all the mirrors. It was so strange to him. Did people in the past really have nothing else to do but look into these mirrors for fun? Were their only worries seriously about relationships and school and whatnot? Such an idea was ridiculous to Miguel. To only worry about something so little... To worry about something that wasn't a big deal at all. It was absolutely strange to him. He walked along with May, deeply happy that she wanted to visit the barn after they left.

"Sí~!" Miguel said with a smile. "You can visit any time you want! With your help the barn will be all nice and cozy~" he was going to continue, but as soon as May challenged him Miguel broke right into a sprint towards the Ferris wheel.

"Last one there is a... Rotten huevo!"

 

Meanwhile Stiles smiled down at Ash and gently took her hand.

"Come on now." Stiles said. "It'll only be a few questions ja? Just sit down in the office and I'll ask you them. Just make sure you answer truthfully and accurately.

Nicholas looked down. He knew he had to learn to defend himself. He knew just as well that he couldn't. He was at the mercy of the world and those around him. And that wasn't good.

"I know..." Nicholas muttered softly.

 

(whichever you want because in all honesty in a few posts from now the ferris wheel will come off its rusty hinges and roll down the nearest street)

 

May took a few seconds to realize that Miguel was already off and going. “Rotten what?! What does that mean…h-hey wait for me!” May called, running after Miguel. This kid was fast. He truly was unique. Most kids his age like Jack and Jacko and Cupid were usually terrified of doing things like these. They would follow rules, even now they were busy trying to help the city grow. Cupid alone was helping in the orphanage to help the kids out. Miguel was wild and rowdy and strong and brave yet the stupid kind of brave. The type that was desperately needed in times like these. Soon enough they reached the wheel, and May began to climb it up, jumping from bar to bar, almost slipping a few times.

 

Grim smiled as he rubbed Nicholas’ head. “You’re what people call a gentle soul, Nicholas. There aren’t many people like you. You are very special.” Grim cooed.

 

(What does Ash have? I'll just have Stiles explain what Ash has to Grim in the next post. She doesn't have to have anything either. No mental illnesses or disorders is always cool)

Miguel didn't even respond to May. He was easily going up the wheel already. It was as if Miguel was a monkey with fishhooks for hands. He grabbed each and every metal bar, pipe, or cable with ease. He launched himself up after every grab, chuckling as he looked down to see May.

"What's the matter?" He asked with a laugh. "Rapido~!"

 

(Ash would have ADHD.)

 

While May struggled, she couldn’t help but to feel amazed at Miguel’s skill. He had yet to cease to surprise her, and it was aspiring. She wondered if it was because he was born into this world where it was survival of the fittest. Or if he was born in another time, then maybe he would’ve been one of those athletes or trouble makers. “I’m fit but not that fit! Wait for me!” May called, trying to catch up. Unbeknownst to either of them that their weight was already making a strain on the rotten hinges that kept the wheel from falling apart where it stood. May stopped at one of the carriages, panting to catch her breath. As she did she smiled at the view. “Pretty nice view from up here, huh?”