apocafics

[apocafics]

~~*~~

There was so much more to said about Felix, especially between the two of them, but as luck would have it the universe intervened. There was something in that. Even Ash had said that Felix likely wasn't a menace to everyone and it seemed that even fate would intervene on his behalf when there was a chance someone could put more pieces together. He would go on scaring the living shit out of the both of them...for now.

That sound.

It was back.

Sera stared out the window at the growing swarm and her breath caught with each inhale and exhale. It was how she finally realized she was crying. Fear was a normal human emotion but it was one that was considered a liability with both Silver Linings and her own family. So Sera would do what Sera always did, she would do it scared.

"No," she finally said breathless even as the tears shone on her cheeks, "No that hallway is overflow during emergencies like this and we won't be able to get in without endangering the patients there we need to get to the loading dock. It's...a little further down but..." she sniffed and resisted the urge to press her hands to her ears...that sound...

"If you think the car can take a hit, we'll make it."

[apocafics]

~~*~~

Sera's hands clenched on the supplies in her pockets but she worked hard to keep her face as smooth as possible. The small smile still in place. There was no way she would let Daphne sign up for anything that Afterglow was doing. Whether she was an ideal test subject or not. The feeling of protectiveness bloomed in her chest so quickly she was almost scared of the thoughts she had on what she could do to prevent it. It was a joke. Sera didn't share her suspicions with Daphne about that, even with everything else she'd told her. She only gave her facts and evidence. That's what she needed.

"I don't know as giving Afterglow anything they want is worth it. But you can sniff around here whenever you want. Just say you're looking for me and it'll be fine." That was about the extent of the discussion she was willing to have. She already had to contend with the fact that her brother was still stuck in their clutches, she didn't want her friend in there too. "Topher doing ok?"

[apocafics]

~~*~~

It was inevitable after she finally realized that he was just as invested in this as she was and still, after trying to imagine every possible angle, the feeling of his lips on hers blew her away. The feeling of his complete solidness under her hands makes her almost desperate for more. Yet another example of why she shouldn't try to plan everything out because there was no way she could have come up with anything better.

There was a moment where she was certain that her heart had stopped and yet, there he was, between the beats. Completely enveloping her with that feeling of being loved and at peace. As long as she lived, she would do everything she could to try and make him feel the same. It wasn't even an emotion she could describe if she tried. It was a state of being. Even before she knew him, she had been his.

The air fills her lungs as he pulls away and she sucks it in with an entirely new perspective on life. One that he is so essential to. Now that she has what she considers permission to touch him, there's no way she's letting him go and her arms slide around his waist tightly. Was the world this bright before? Was everything so soft and beautiful? Or is this what happiness truly felt like?

"Yea," she answers him with a grin, even having no idea what the rest of the night entails. Something about the not knowing is thrilling and, as long as he's there, she has absolutely no hesitation. She had offered him dinner but now, after that kiss, she feels hungry for something else altogether.

HE WONDERS IF HE'S been too obvious. he's always been terrified that by making his intentions known that he'd scare her away -- cause her to run for the hills. most people would, considering what he does. what he's spent a lifetime making money doing. frankly, he doesn't know anything else. and yet, she doesn't. she stands right there in front of him -- looking as beautiful as the day he met her. perhaps he's thankful in this moment for the protective glasses he's forced to wear when he's in the confines of the club, for the good of his eyesight. but right now, they conceal half of his face. just how much his eyes reveal. how hopelessly in love he is with this woman. without any kind of questioning or hesitation.

the pull is still there, tugging at him. the one that he knows all too well -- just kiss her, you fool. and yet, he tries to remain the gentleman he knows is somewhere inside of him. the last thing he wants to do is rush her.

she's looking at his lips. she's looking at his lips, and the ache only continues to grow louder. how lucky is he to have fallen head over heels not once, but twice? he used to question if shit like this was real, if people who had left this world could have sent someone to fill the hole in their loved one's heart that they had left. the familiar warmth that overcomes him, however, tells him everything he needs to know. gloria really did send her. sent her to keep his heart safe from becoming even more battered than it already had been.

he could listen to her ramble all day long, if he was lucky enough. he pulls her closer into his embrace, his hand coming to rest on her cheek before he speaks. " hey -- hey. listen to me. there's no shot in hell i'd ever be stupid enough to let you go. "

he means it. with all of his heart.

he gives the hand he's holding a gentle squeeze, before he gives a security guard nearby a gentle nod. they're leaving. and considering atlas' mom has jordan for the rest of the night ( as she usually does whenever he's working ), he knows this night is far from over. and most certainly doesn't want it to be. " c'mon. " he whispers gently. " lets get the hell out'a here. "

the moment they finally vacate the premises and he's able to remove the protective glasses, it's like he's seeing a black and white world in screaming color for the very first time. he positions himself so he's leaning against the outer brick wall of the building next-door, pausing and just taking her in. he needs her. desperately so. perhaps it's why he pulls her closer again, but this time -- they're so close, he can feel her breath on his bottom lip. he's not hesitating because he doesn't want to. it's because he's careful, and she there are very few things in this world that are as precious to him as she is.

fuck it.

he gives into the call. he closes the space between them.

it's a passionate crash, saying so many things he had once thought would be better left unsaid -- not for any other reason than his own fear. believing he couldn't let her get close enough because one of the few things he's remarkably good at is losing people. he never wanted to expose her to the danger he brings, the danger of the life he leads -- but the one thing about loving someone? you don't really have a choice how or when you start to fall. you simply do.

when he comes up for air, he realizes something: rarely ever is he breathless. but he certainly is right now. his smile is gentle, clearly having forgotten any other thing in this world that he could possibly be stressed about.

" ready? " he whispers, lips connecting with her forehead for a moment, arms still wrapped around her. " i can't think of any better way to end this night then with you. "

[apocafics]

~~*~~

She was rushed and that was always terrifying. There were too many people again. Just like when the bugs attacked the first time. Back to fighting the exhaustion and the hunger but at least this time, she wasn't in so much pain. But Atlas was, and Connie, and friends that she couldn't live without. She was trying not to think about it, at least while she was working.

In the next room she went but her patient was ready to be done before she even got a chance to introduce herself. She watched them softly for a beat before setting down the chart and taking a step forward. "I'd rather no one die today and I get not wanting to be here. But I bet we can make this quicker if we work together, ok?"

An assessment was going to take a little longer given how much she was really covered in. Several of the patients looked like that today. It was something that other providers were really struggling with but, for better or worse, Sera was used to treating people that had just come from a fight for their life. She pulled on gloves and held a hand out gently, another thing providers were really used to. People that had just fought for survival didn't usually like being touched, "Ok if I touch your arm?"

who : sera muñoz ( @apocafics ) where : afterglow clinic

every single fiber of cardiac tissue in her chest is screaming at her to get up and leave, every deafening beat of her heart as it thrums in her ears urging her up and out of the exam room, out of the clinic perry has driven her to. she doesn't want to be here ; buen dios, she doesn't want to be anywhere right now except maybe a shower and then her bed in peregrine's arms, but least of all under a magnifying glass held by the sick fucks employed by afterglow.

but angel doesn't move. she remains sat, still and stiff, on the edge of an exam table, her fingers curled around it in a white-knuckled grasp and leaving sticky streaks of crimson against stainless steel. she doesn't even know what blood belongs to her anymore. she is covered in it, both from her own injuries and the ones still seared into the backs of her eyelids. the acrid and metallic stench of it is enough to make her stomach churn and she swallows hard, suddenly wishing she'd asked perry to come back with her instead of insisting he wait outside.

she wouldn't be long, after all. a stimpak or two and maybe some gel for the road, and then she's out. except she's been waiting for almost an hour on this stupid table and she's this close to getting up and storming out, taking her chances with the vodka and the sewing kit back in her apartment, when the door finally opens. angel doesn't even bother looking up, her gaze fixed on an indistinct point on the wall.

❝ if you just give me a stimpak, i can stab myself and you can go deal with someone who's actually dying. ❞

[apocafics]

~~*~~

"Well, you know me," Sera smiled slightly with a tilt of her head, "I always think those shady people on the hill are behind everything." She didn't want to name drop Afterglow specifically, though she'd spoken about it with Kodi so many times behind closed doors they would definitely know who she was referring to. It was almost like they were Beetlejuice. Say their name enough and magically they'd appear. Nothing would ruin her meal more. "The thing is they are usually more...subtle than that. You know, convincing parents they are helping their children by giving them over. Blackmailing someone into staying. Coercion of some kind. Not just straight up taking that many people at once. If it is them, I hate to think what the plan is if they don't mind people noticing."

"But you're probably right, a single person doing it is unlikely." Maybe a single entity but she also knew her focus was primarily on one corporation that she tended to blame for anything strange going on. It wasn't without merit. They usually were involved in some capacity. "But I also know that you and Daph will find anything out that needs to be found. You're both like bloodhounds. You come across anything promising?"

"I dunno," Kodi shrugged a little, thinking back to some of the more out there theories they'd personally received while live on the radio. "I can't really rule out any one of them. Well, except maybe whoever it was that called in saying all these people just decided to leave of their own volition, or whatever. Without saying goodbye? Without seemingly any good reason? All twenty some of them at the same time? That just seems more unlikely than even like, aliens abducting them all." Kodi didn't really think aliens were behind this, but hey - they weren't about to doubt what aliens were capable of, either. Seemed more likely than any one of the groups around town deciding to mess with the balance.

"People are pretty keen to point fingers when they can hide behind the show, too. Name dropping left and right like there could be a single person behind all this." Which, that wasn't to say there couldn't be...It just seemed...unlikely. But hell, Kodi knew just as much as the next guy at this point. "What do you think is going on? Hopefully we don't keep seeing people picked off one by one until there's no one left."

[apocafics]

~~*~~

There was so much more to said about Felix, especially between the two of them, but as luck would have it the universe intervened. There was something in that. Even Ash had said that Felix likely wasn't a menace to everyone and it seemed that even fate would intervene on his behalf when there was a chance someone could put more pieces together. He would go on scaring the living shit out of the both of them...for now.

That sound.

It was back.

Sera stared out the window at the growing swarm and her breath caught with each inhale and exhale. It was how she finally realized she was crying. Fear was a normal human emotion but it was one that was considered a liability with both Silver Linings and her own family. So Sera would do what Sera always did, she would do it scared.

"No," she finally said breathless even as the tears shone on her cheeks, "No that hallway is overflow during emergencies like this and we won't be able to get in without endangering the patients there we need to get to the loading dock. It's...a little further down but..." she sniffed and resisted the urge to press her hands to her ears...that sound...

"If you think the car can take a hit, we'll make it."

Ash only nodded to the confirmation, patiently waiting as she contemplated it with an answer, fully expecting for them to shrug it off and move on. He scoffed at the idea that Felix was a menace to everyone, hard to believe considering he's still alive. "I'm sure some would disagree," not Ashton, he fully agrees. His interactions with Felix had been nothing but problems. He wondered.. what Sera had gone through. Ash took in the silence for a long beat before he added on in a low murmur, "pretty sure he still wants me back in there." Strapped to a lab table, taking everything he's worth, "still harps on the fact of it being a shame and /waste." It's hard to avoid Estrada even after he left, every meeting still just as tensed as the last. He hoped that sentiment of sharing at least opened the door for her.

He had needed to hear some kind of good news, something to hope for, something that he could bring to Ziggy and Beau and actually believe in it. As shitty as it might be to think they might be sitting on an antidote already, that's better than still research, but it simply becomes a game of politics instead of a game of science. On the straight road ahead, he chanced his gaze to meet Sera's, checking if she meant her words, a soft smile knowing deep down, if they really pushed they surely could get it done. He'll keep an ear out on the situation on ground before visiting Beau. Only in his peripheral about to turn his eyes back onto the road that the shadow coming at them fast came into vision as Sera yelled out the warning. "-fuck--"

He swiftly turned his wheel to swerve out of the way, normal bugs on a high speed car would splat and died, but the sizes of these things? There was a loud bang when the bug still hit the top corner of the car despite the quick turn and skid to a stop. But it rolled off the top of the car and carried on its way to fight in their bug war. "Shit, you okay..?" Ash checked in on Sera before looking up at their intended road ahead to see a swarm gathering. "We can take a detour, hold on tight, I think the car can handle the hits if we still get caught a little bit," Ashton reversed and drove slightly west off the road, "it'll get us to the side entrance first as well." Most staff would know which one.

[apocafics]

~~*~~

Jackals were an automatically trusted group for Chuck, everyone else really had to work at it. But Rosaleen was just like her and that gave her at least a step up from the rest, even if she was a Shamrock. Chuck trusted her to not kill her. At least not under current circumstances.

"Damn I thought you fuckers were supposed to be good luck. Isn't that the whole thing? Sha-Shamrocks or whatever?" She leaned heavily on the woman's arm and chanced peeling her hand away from the cut on her side. It was bleeding but she'd likely live. It was the pounding in her head that was the more immediate issue.

"Got smacked in the face with...something..." her fingers coated in blood probed the swollen skin around her eye. Definitely broken. That was unfortunate. "Fucking things. And why does everyone just run out when people start screaming? Fuck, stay inside idiots. Let the professionals handle it." She tried to laugh at her own joke but the pain sliced through her side again and she covered it with her hand again.

ROSALEEN WAS BORN WITH a switch inside her body. perhaps she hadn't noticed it as a young girl, or never needed it. and yet, the time came when she needed to forget her humanity and just fucking survive. slaughter anyone or anything that gets in her way. without an ounce of mercy. thus, once the horde passes through the city -- she sniffs out the danger immediately. the scent is pungent, like mold, growing stronger and festering the longer she stands idle. she encourages the citizens near her -- meek and mild as they seem with a barking order: run for the feckin' hills. and don't ye dare look back. from then on, she removes the weapons she's carrying from their respective holsters. prepared for anything.

what she isn't prepared for, is seeing someone she considers a friend with such a brutal injury. and yet, the only reaction she offers is to run to her side and offer an arm for support. she hasn't even noticed that there is no flesh to be seen through the blood coating her right cheek, the gash to her face prominent and deep.

" feckin hell chuck -- "

weapons are returned to their proper place as she slowly but surely returns to being a human again, focused on nothing else but ensuring her safety. " we've gotta get outta this area first. ye never know if any more of 'em are near. " the silence feels honestly too good to be true, something rosaleen knows better than to take for granted.

" just trust me. "

[apocafics]

~~*~~

There was something oddly disarming about his charm. Not even that he was like a character in a children's movie, but that he was genuine about it. Chuck had a lifetime of being suspicious of people and then here was Beau Clary, a name she wasn't likely to forget, blowing all of her theories to smithereens. She followed his pointed stick toward the person he was referring too and took the opportunity to look around again, trying to find her actual target here. But her eyes flicked back to his with wide surprise. She didn't disagree with the institution of marriage solely on principle, she had far more evidence of it being a completely worthless practice. Clearly, he disagreed.

"Congrats," she nodded, though the surprise on her face was still evident, "When's the big day? Or is this it and I just missed my invitation?"

She grabbed own marshmallow and speared it on the stick he'd given her. She was probably too aware of what Barley & Rye was capable of making, since she was a frequent customer, she just made sure to have others pick up her confections more often so no one noticed her being somewhere frequently. Other than the Jackals clubhouse, she didn't want to be seen frequenting places too often.

"No," she laughed lightly at the question with a shake of her head, "Why? Do I look like I work at Hell's Gate?" She held her treat over the fire to toast it, she was far better at this than she probably needed to be, and chanced a glance at him. Other than a faint flush in his cheeks, he hadn't changed his demeanor. "No I work at the drive-in. Just, work on my bike at her boyfriend's place a lot. That's how I know her."

perhaps it's the liquor that seems to amplify his joy, or even the pleasant company with which he's found himself positively surrounded, but the second she reaches out to take his hand, beau beams bright enough to rival the light of the bonfire raging just a few dozen feet away. he wastes very little time in locking his hand with hers and pulling her toward the festivities ― and toward the marshmallows.

❝ well, it's certainly a pleasure t'meet ya, chuck, ❞ beau insists, lifting his drink to take another swig while the hands joined between them swing with each step. ❝ and y'cain't turn it down, it'd be criminal, actually. not for me, for you ― i ain't kiddin' when i tell ya they're some a' the best marshmallows i ever had. made right here in town, too. you know some of them folks at barley & rye are real good with all sorts a' confectionaries? not just bread, which is what i was figurin'. ❞

there's a table set up a few paces away from the fire complete with sticks sourced from trees on the property and beau swipes two, holding one out to chuck before waving toward the tray of marshmallows. ❝ well y'can if you wanna, but in case i get the pleasure a' talkin' to ya again, chuck, the name's beau clary. i live on this here farm with my partner ziggy, they're right over there bein' cute as a gosh darn button, ❞ beau points with his own stick, sans marshmallow, toward his partner before looking back toward his new friend. ❝ we're gettin' married. ❞

spearing a marshmallow on the end of his stick, beau turns toward the fire. ❝ so how d'ya know dixie anyhow? do you, uh ... d'ya also work at hell's gate? ❞ if a faint flush rises to his cheeks at the second question, beau will blame it on the fire and not the fact that he gets flustered at even the thought of stepping onto the lust floor.

[apocafics]

~~*~~

Chuck hummed her agreement with a nod before leaning on the desk next to him. There was some flaw in the human condition that made people want to be right more than they wanted to be good or kind or smart or understanding. It was like some sick competition that they were all signed up for whether they wanted to be or not. And it had been going on so long that instead of just wanting to be, they started believing they were. Everyone was the hero of their own story but, at least in Chuck's opinion, heroes didn't exist. "And what about you Javier. Do you think you're right about everything?"

She liked how he worded that. What you want to do about it, not what you actually do. Made it sound like it was the intentions that truly matter and not necessarily the deeds. Of course that was one step below the ends justify the means and she'd been on the receiving end of that far too many times to trust it going that far. But she did agree that intentions mattered. Or maybe she was just trying to justify all of the things she'd done in the name of someone else. Orders were orders. All those excuses that were probably meaningless. This was why she tried not to think about any of it too deeply, it got messy. She took the bottle back and took a pull from it again, "Is this where we have the heart to heart where I ask you what you've seen and then describe all of the horrors I've committed and we bond over it and one of us tries to convince the other we're not damned?"

"Oh, is that why?" Javier scowls and smacks her hands away as she reaches to squeeze his cheeks, grumbling. Something about pain in my ass. He had half a mind to close up the drawer once more and lock her right out of it - but it wasn't worth it. Chuck would certainly find her way back into it one way or another if she wanted to.

"That's a shitty reason," Javier mutters, leaning back against the desk and folding his arms across his chest. Power and control. It was how Afterglow climbed all the way to the top of the hierarchy in Devil's Elbow, certainly. They held all the power and controlled what happened around here. Whether, in some cases, people lived or died. Apparently. But Chuck was right in that there were others around here that were fighting for that control. The Jackals, the Shamrocks, even Mothman and Silver Lining. They all wanted control to enforce their beliefs and will upon everyone else.

He clicks his tongue, taking the bottle as it's offered to him and barely acknowledging the labeling before tipping it to his lips to swallow a healthy mouthful. "Everyone wants to think they're right..." What she said about Silver Lining wasn't wrong, really, but it still grated on him a bit. Silver Lining was his family, and they wanted to fight for what they thought was right. He supported that. In many cases, he agreed that they were right in their missions, too. He just wasn't sure it was a fight anyone could win. "Everyone has seen something, it's just a matter of what you want to do about it that makes the difference."

[apocafics]

Where: Middle of the carnage

When: After the fighting is over

Who: Chuck and OPEN

She never really got scared. That was probably a huge red flag for some therapist somewhere. But after everything in her life, there was always a worse thing out there than whatever she was facing in that particular moment. Even now. Her head was pounding so bad that her vision in the one eye that wasn't swollen shut was going in and out of focus with the rhythm of her heartbeat. Which would be concerning for a different kind of doctor. Chuck had her hand pressed tightly to her side where blood seemed through her fingers, though she'd bled worse. Yet again, there was always something scarier.

She stumbled trying to get up the curb but caught herself on something that she didn't bother looking at, which looked like it scared someone in her vicinity. Her eyes closed as she let out a breath, which burned all the way out. "It looks worse than it feels."

She tried to stand to take another step forward but pain shot through her again. "Scratch that. It feels like shit. Gotta get back to the clubhouse. Anyway you could help me dial this phone? I can't see it that well."

[apocafics]

chuck 🧪🪄

🧪 TEST TUBE — if you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what is one thing you absolutely have to resolve and/or do before then?

Punch Dante directly on the nose, then tell him she's been in love with him from the moment his dumbass walked into her life, then kiss him like it would save her life.

🪄 MAGIC WAND — would you describe yourself as a superstitious person (someone who believes in superstitions)? do you believe in luck?

Not really, and she doesn't believe in luck. She believes what she can see and hear and touch with her own two hands. But she can get wildly creative with theories in her head. She's seen the worst of humanity and knows what they're capable of.

[apocafics]

sera 🎈❤️‍🔥

🎈 BALLOON — what is something you've created and/or accomplished recently that you're proud of?

Surviving the bugs at the market, and the aftermath, was a pretty big accomplishment. But also fixing some fractured relationships recently is a pretty big deal.

❤️‍🔥 HEART ON FIRE — what angers you the most? what triggers this anger, and how do you cope with it? what does this anger feel like, if you had to describe it?

Sera gets really angry about what Afterglow does to people, specifically what Felix does. But she doesn't get loud and agitated or outwardly show it. She gets focused and makes plans. Though either way she talks a lot. Way too much. It feels a bit like lava under her skin when she's mad. Like smoldering coals just about to catch fire.

[apocafics]

🔮

🔮 CRYSTAL BALL — what is a core memory from your childhood that you think defines you today?

Sera - Her father making her stitch him up when something he was teaching her with knives happened to go wrong was a core memory for all of the wrong reasons but it did motivate her to get into medicine.

Chuck - When your own mother tries to drown you, it tends to color everything you do after that.

[apocafics]

🤔- chuck

🤔 THINKING FACE — what three emotions tend to dominate your mindset? do you know why they do?

Probably anger, shame, and amusement. Sometimes at the same time. The anger is pretty self explanatory as that's the easiest emotion to have with anything bad in life. Shame because, even after all of these years, she still thinks she's unlovable and that's why her mother did what she did. Which was further reinforced by every foster family she ended up with who treated her like her mother did. And amusement because people are just wild and interesting she can't help but be tickled by all of the bullshit they do.

[apocafics]

❤️ - sera

❤️ RED HEART — what is/are your love language(s)? how do you use it/them to communicate your feelings about others?

How she shows love would probably be words of affirmation considering she never, ever shuts up. It would likely take an act of congress to get her to stop talking.

But how she receives love is probably physical touch. Even though she doesn't accept it very readily.

[apocafics]

🍂 - chuck & sera

🍂 FALLEN LEAVES — how would you metaphorically describe your life and the journey(s) you've been on?

Chuck - Pure chaos with more plot twists than Fight Club. She's just along for the ride.

Sera - She'd like to say it's something more poetic than it is. Maybe compare it to the hero's journey. But if she was really honest with herself, she knows it's not quite that gallant.

[apocafics]

X y z for both of your muses

X - Xceptional - Who is the most exceptional person in their life? Are there any rules that they have notable exceptions to? What gets them excited in life?

Chuck - She doesn't really rank people like that but if she had to say who she thought was exceptional, Scarlett and Javi fit that definition. And she also thinks that all rules have exceptions with only one being absolute. That's loyalty. But the things that get her excited in life are not exactly legal so she doesn't admit to them really anywhere.

Sera - All of her siblings are exceptional in their own ways and she is inspired by all of them. But moral rules have no exceptions, only rules made by men have exceptions. And breaking those rules usually gets her excited.

Y - Yes! - Do they believe in luck? What makes them feel lucky/grateful?

Chuck - Absolutely not. She believes in removing threats before they become a problem and sticking close to your people. Gratitude she does believe in and being with the Jackals is her definition of a grateful life.

Sera - Yes she believes in luck and she believes she has to be one of the luckiest people on the planet to have the life she has, even if she also believes it'll be cut short at some point.

Z - Zoo - What’s the favourite animal? Do they ever behave animalistically? If they were an animal, what animal would they be? Why?

Chuck - Probably something like a tiger or a panther. She's pretty cat like and almost as deadly, though she likes using her weapons. She's pretty animalistic when she gets in certain head spaces.

Sera - She likes birds but doesn't really have a favorite. She just thinks they are fascinating but doesn't really act like an animal that she can recall. Maybe like some sort of bee in a hive with her family but not other than that. She'd probably be a bird if she could pick one to be.