Danny - Apartment Building/The Night Before
The young man had given the others sour looks ever since they'd arrived. He wasn't going to win anyone over with those kinds of first impressions, but Danny had never been the type to give a shit how others perceived him. His mind hadn't been in a fit state for accommodating new people, his thoughts preoccupied with things he'd have rather left buried. They could all think he was a delinquent for all he cared, for Danny didn't quite have room in his life for more people. Better they kept their distance that put Danny through more pain eventually.
He'd taken a room to himself after Fan had mentioned there was enough room to do so. Perhaps Elliot would have rather them be roommates, but Danny just wanted to be alone. The apartment had been kept clean, as was the rest of the building. It reminded Danny of The Pub and the fascination Hazel had maintained with keeping that place immaculate. Danny knew he was a slob, but it was nice to live along people who kept their living space tidy. Shannon hadn't been the neatest girl Danny had ever known-- that title went to Monica, Danny's onetime roommate. Just thinking about that name caused Danny to turn in bed, his eyes moving to stare up at the cieling.
The silence was eventually broken by a knock at his door, though Danny didn't bother to even move off the bed. He heard Fan's voice echo into the bedroom as she said that a dinner was being prepared for their arrival. Danny ignored her. It wasn't long after that the persistent woman knocked once again, announcing that she was leaving him a plate by the door. As much as it chagrined him, Danny knew he wasn't very good at passing on food. He was a growing boy and all that shit.
The food was a delight after a diet of canned products, but it Danny only registered that feeling at the back of his mind. It all tasted the same as he shoveled it into his mouth, his body craving the food more than his mind cared to pay attention to it. His mind was instead focused solely on the people outside; His eyes bore holes into the walls as he imagined what he would say to them-- or what he was honestly afraid to say to them. It took him a few minutes to even realize when the plate in front of him was empty, the hand gripping his fork going white as he hovered it over the plate.
"Jesus."
Setting the plate on the night stand, Danny made the trek out into the hall, though his legs felt like lead weights. He recalled that Fan mentioned the roof was where they were having dinner, which felt pretty novel to Danny now that he was thinking about it. He only had to ascend a single set of stairs when he spotted the woman calling herself Monica coming down from above. She stood at the landing above him, dark eyes peering through glasses that Danny didn't find familiar. They stared at each other silently, a buzz of nervous energy bouncing between the pair. That's what it felt like anyway, as Danny nodded down the stairs so that he could direct the woman to his room.
She followed silently behind him, avoiding his gaze as he turned around and gestured for her to enter the apartment. A small living room was just beyond the door, and the woman went ahead and took her place on the couch. Danny didn't move to sit next to her, instead choosing to stand across the room from her, as if that would maintain the distance Danny so desperately craved. A candle next to the couch burned next to her, and the flame danced in the frames of her glasses. It reminded Danny of so many nights spent within Outpost, talking to this woman he once considered a great friend.
"Myriah, what the fuck?"
The woman who was really named Myriah flinched more at the mention of her name than at Danny's crude word usage. She maintained an air of dignity that Danny knew well, but her eyes told an entirely different story. Whenever she did dare look at him, there was a pleading there, as if she had something to be guilty for. Danny didn't know the whole story, but he was sure Myriah probably felt responsible for a lot of things. He needed to know how she was feeling. He needed her to drop the fucking act. "Elliot told me you were dead," Danny said in a low voice. "Thing is, he didn't even seem fucking surprised that you showed up. And Monica...? You had to have gotten that name from me. I've mentioned her to you before." He sounded more hurt than he wanted to, but these were his friends. They'd lied to him, one way or another.
Myriah was wringing her hands in what Danny knew was an attempt at composing herself. "Sorry," she said, almost too quietly for him to hear. She repeated a bit louder after a moment. "I've made some rash and, admittedly, poor decisions. It was not my intention to let you think I was dead. Things went wildly out of my control, as they usually do." That
voice. Just hearing Myriah say this many words was calming down Danny's inner turmoil. He knew Myriah better than most at Outpost did, for all the love they'd shown her. Danny knew her insecurities often got the better of her, leading her into paranoia. Whatever made her lie, Danny knew she had believed it to be for the best at the time. "Elliot told me about your friend--" she began to say, but Danny cut her off with a rough growl.
"We're not talking about her," he said quickly. Anger flared inside him, bringing him back how he felt when this conversation started. This was not about who was lost, but who was still here. "Tell me everything, and don't try to distract me."
For her sake, Myriah looked apologetic. Or at least, more apologetic than before. She nodded slowly, moving her hands to rub at her thighs. "I believed my life was in danger. Enrique had threatened me, and so I retaliated. I tried to expose Matt, but he... confused the others. He made it difficult. Um, do you remember Michael Tremblay?" Danny had to think about that for a moment, but eventually he did recall that name. He'd been one of the guys who staged the mutiny, disappearing after Reggie had ruined it for them. At Danny's nod, Myriah continued. "He showed up, and quite obviously, he was not a fan of mine. He assisted Matt at the time, and threatened me before he left. That was... two threats from two very dangerous people. They'd killed Samantha, and so I had to believe that they would eventually kill me too. I couldn't stay, Rudy."
Danny's mouth dropped open slightly, his brain working two and two together. Myriah had probably worried that she'd have been tracked down if she left. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility, considering what they had known about Enrique. As if sensing Danny had clued into that part, Myriah brushed over it. "Elliot was the only one who knew the truth," she said, voice wavering slightly at the mention of Elliot. "With his help, I secured a body of one of the biters and planted it in my cabin... before burning it to the ground."
"Oh, no," Danny moaned out loud. "And then--"
"And then it all went wrong," she finished. "But I didn't know that at first. I was long gone. My plan was to meet up with you, but then you moved so fast. I followed as best I could, because I had nowhere else to go. I'm sure Elliot had no choice but to tell you that I was dead, because... well, look how long it took me to get to you." Danny looked off to the side, staring out one of the darkened windows of the apartment. He understood why Myriah did what she did, and perhaps everything that resulted from that was not really her fault in the end. He turned back to the woman, eyes narrowing.
"And so that's how you met up with Emma. You followed us to Baton Rouge, and then we..." Danny bit his own lip. "... She escaped and you were probably right there."
"I tried to think of a way to save you somehow, but I
couldn't. I had to wait and hope and
pray but then you guys were out and you were gone again so
quickly--"
"I get it," Danny said after a sigh. "I fucking get it." Moving as if physically exhausted, Danny fell into the couch next to Myriah. He ran his hands through his hair, wishing he could understand how he was feeling, He was relieved Myriah was okay, but after thinking she was dead for so long... It felt so
fucking weird. He didn't know if he should be mad at her, or just... happy.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," she said, but Danny barely heard her. A long silence followed where the pair didn't say a thing. They barely moved, Danny staring into his hands the entire time. It wasn't until Elliot came into the room unannounced that they both stirred, turning to him.
The boy seemed to stare for a moment, breathing as if he'd just run a mile. He brought his hands up and signed out a,
"I'm so sorry." Danny shook his head and indicated to his friend that it was okay. They'd talked it out and reached an understanding. In the end, they had all lost people. They had all lost Outpost, their home.
As Elliot sat across from them in an arm chair, Myriah seemed more nervous. Danny watched her as her eyes moved between the two boys, as if she was trying to get a read on their emotions. Danny wasn't too surprised when she opened her mouth and told them she had something to tell them. "It's very important," she said, signing along with her spoken words. "And it's something I should have told you both a long time ago." Danny and Elliot exchanged a glance, surprised to both be on the same level of understanding now. They waited for Myriah to continue, but it seemed she was having some trouble working up to it. "I wanted to tell you how I knew Matt was lying. How I
truly knew he was lying about Reggie being behind the mutiny. I promise you both, I believed this is what I needed to do for the betterment of Outpost. I, you see..." A long pause. Myriah held her hands in the air dumbly. "... I was the one who came up with the mutiny. I planned it so that I could have reason to implement the council. No one was supposed to die, but Jonas went too far. Reggie wasn't in on it, but if he hadn't shown up when he did... I would be dead."
Myriah's hands dropped into her lap, the woman looking like she'd just dropped a bomb on the ground. She looked away from the both of them and stared into the corner of the room. Danny heard a strangled gasp from Elliot, who suddenly got up from his seat. Danny turned to watch him as he stared at Myriah in disbelief. He looked like he wanted to say something, but Myriah wasn't looking his way to see. Looking unsure how to vent his feelings, Elliot suddenly made a beeline for the door, slamming it behind him to leave Myriah and Danny in silence.
Danny could only stare at his friend. "... Christ, Myriah. Jesus fucking christ. Your plans sure do fuck up a lot, huh?" The woman suddenly turned to him with a hurt expression, but it seemed she understood he was right. "I don't know what to say. I fucking... just think you need to go for now. Please." She nodded quickly-- almost too quickly-- and complied without a word. Danny watched as she moved to the door with purpose and exit as quietly as she could. Danny had to wonder if she would maintain the name Monica with the others.
If he hadn't been sure how to feel before Myriah had dropped her second bomb, he certainly had less of an idea now. It happened so long ago, that Danny wasn't sure if it mattered now. What was more pressing was that Myriah had kept it a secret from him all this time. He knew she had to, but it still didn't make it feel any goddamn better. "This is such fucking bullshit," he muttered to no one, getting up off the couch to lumber toward the bedroom. He was going to have to sleep on this, but even then, he doubted he was going to feel any better in the morning.
---
Tyler - Morgantown - Alannah
Beads of sweat formed upon his brow in the cool air as waves of pain shot up regularly from his leg with almost every movement he made. Having done little more than just walk on it, the man's body was not used to such strenuous activity. Even before he'd hurt his leg, he hadn't had to do much at all since his time as one of Outpost's scouts. That was fine by Tyler, but he had to wonder now if the pain would ever subside. Perhaps he'd spend the rest of life in a constant state of pain. It was with amusement that Tyler noted he probably deserved it. One last laugh from Tremblay and Matt.
Caleb, standing a few feet away and across the patch of tilled soil, seemed to take notice of Tyler's discomfort. He looked away nervously to watch the guards standing nearby before asking, "Are you okay?" Tyler only nodded as a response. They'd spent the morning using hand tools to prepare new patches of dirt to use as farmland in the school's yard. Jace and Adam were nearby, seemingly going a lot faster than Caleb and Tyler had been. Tyler felt his pride take a hit knowing some young junkie going through obvious withdrawals was more competent at yard work than he was. He used to work in construction, for fuck's sake! Caleb didn't seem satisfied with that answer and spoke with obvious concern. "It's your leg, isn't it? I don't even know why they have you out here in that condition."
Letting out a snort, Tyler dug his rake into the ground and leaned against it to look in Caleb's direction. "I don't think they like me very much," he said with a smile, giving the nearby guards a sidelong look. "I'm just so naturally charming."
Caleb seemed slightly perturbed by Tyler's aloofness. "... Listen, head inside and talk to that Alannah girl. Get something for your leg and rest it a bit. They have to know you're no help at this point." After a moment of silence, Caleb went back to working on his side of the soil. "You could talk to her," he said, eyes concentrated downward. "And see how Becca is doing."
Tyler stared at him for a moment, realizing Caleb meant more than he was letting on. His leg
was a good excuse to see their nurse, and they needed to make use of anything they could to move around this place. They thankfully had people in most areas of the school, though poor George had been pretty bummed to be on janitor duty. Tyler had no idea what that kid, Ryder, had been assigned to, but he doubted that Ryder wanted anything to do with him. "You got it," Tyler said amicably, before dropped his rake and moving toward the guards nearby. He pointed to the school and told them that he needed to see Alannah for his leg. Everyone seemed to be aware of his condition, so it wasn't that hard to convince them he needed to go. One of the guards insisted to escort him, of course.
It was a short, silent walk to the Morgantown Clinic, the guard seeming rather nervous with Tyler's presence. Tyler imagined any of the guards here could have taken him with his leg as it was, but something about him seemed to set them off. Perhaps Claiborne and Nathan had told them to be wary of him and the others, which Tyler would have not blamed them for. Upon their arrival, Becca spotted them first, giving a nod to Tyler before greeting the guard. "Where is Alannah?" the guard asked, to which Becca just smiled pleasantly. Tyler wasn't entirely sure if Becca liked him, though he knew Scarlett thought highly enough of him for Becca to at least try and be happy with his presence.
"She's just in the next room. I'll go get her." Becca then hurried further into the clinic, leaving Tyler and the guard to wait. Tyler gave the guard his own smile, hoping it put him more off guard than anything else.
