Safe Nowhere

[Nessy]

It is when the night is quiet that you can hear silence speak. That particular night, it was all very quiet. You could hear the buildings roar weakly like a beaten up feline, moaning and complaining of its weak and slowly falling down structures.

Here and there you could hear a kid or two screaming, some being hunted by Tribes, others taken prisoners. The dim lights of the night flickered out of life for a moment, before coughing back up to illuminate the place.

The area where you could hear this sounds was an old parking lot near a now abandoned convenience store. The window was broken, the doors were jammed, and inside rats had fun in the mess inside. There were some broken and overly rusty cars with their license plates ripped out or barely hanging from one nail.

One particularly rusty car - the whole colour of the car was gone, now only a rusty brown - was parked nearby the said convenience store. If anyone had interest and looked inside, you'd see a dirty little boy asleep on the floor, sucking on his thumb, appearing to be exhausted, black hair over his forehead and hugging a plushie chicken to his small chest, breathing calmly. It wasn't the best place to take a nap, in all honesty, but his acute hearing would make him wake up as if stung with a needle, knowing that would be the time to sleep. However, for now, he was just resting his tired body.

[Chloe']

A lone figure walked in the night. Away from it all, away from all her troubles and followers. Away from it all for a breath of dirty air. The thickness of it soothing in her throat. Piles of rubble and dust were scattered every-which-way on the street. Cars were parked on the sides of the streets as if nothing had even happend. As if none of this had ever existed. As if it were a normal day in the busy city; children running, people walking, cars rolling by. Now none of it was there anymore. There was silance, with the excpeption of the creeking buildings.

Her deep brown eyes glanced around as she chose a spot to lean against a wall of a Conviniance Store. She knew it, but never knew the name.. Was it a Brook's or Wallgreens..? Chloe didnt care. Her tribe had raided the building long before, taking all that could be of use. The cars outside were rusted and beat-up looking. The Lynx walked up to one and was startled to see a body in it. It was more then bones, so it was alive, or freashly killed. Small, little dirty guy inside. Small. Chloe was in a perticularly bad mood, so she chose to kick the car. Raising her right foot, she kicked the door of the car and started yelling, "Wake up! Midget! Rise in Shine!" Her foot came in contact with the door several times, resulting and a ear shattering sound of creaking metal. If that didnt wake the poor sucker, she didnt know what would.

[Nessy]

Ike was so quietly asleep, that when the kicks began, the poor kid jumped to a sitting when the car was kicked, starting to wheeze almost immeadiatly, looking awfully tired, hugging that hen to his chest as if he wanted to protect it, curling up, raising his knees to his chest. The black-haired child whimpered like a little kid would, looking to that rude, brute girl with his big and bright hazel eyes. Curled up like that, he did seem really small.

Not opening his mouth even once, he knitted his eyebrows and bit his lower lip, and seemed like he was going to start crying, trembling under that over sized coat he was wearing. Just being quiet and silent, his eyes never leaving that scary lady.

[Chloe']

A smile ran across Chloe's face. The Midget looked like he was going to start crying. She had achieved her goal. With a savage grin of flashing with-yellow teeth she laughed quietly. "Now what do we have here..." She said cooly, leaning a foot against the door of the car, looking trough where the window should have been. She studied the boy and grinned again. He was alive. Was that a chicken he was holding? God... What tribe would accept a chicken-hugging boy? "What tribe you from, tell me or I'll have to hurt you, and you wouldnt want that would you?" Her right had snaked around to her back and fingered the knife that was tucked away in her waist band. If the kid didnt speak up, she would force it out of him.

[Nessy]

He climbed up to the back seat behind him, carefully and slowly, looking at her with his eyes staring at hers, squeezing that dirty plushie hen against his chest. His heart was beating really fast against his ribs; this was probably the first time he was facing so directly a member of a tribe. He leaned against the door and seemed to shrink even more, pressing his thin knees together.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then pressed his lips together. The boy wasn't stupid, even though he was a child. Telling her that he did not belong to any tribe would end up in either her try to take him or something. So, really, there was only one thing to do.

Ike turned around kickly and grabbed the door's handle, trying to open it. Oi, tough luck, the damn thing was stuck. Ike cried out loud and tried to push it open, before he started crying and sobbing. He didn't want to go, he didn't! They were going to take him away from his world.

[Chloe']

The Lynx smiled sweetly. "So, you dont belong to a tribe, do you, Midget?" Thank you rusted doors. Stuck, she had the little Midget cornered. If he was useful for anyting, she could take him back to the Wildcats, if he was not, leave him for the Vamps. She watched him sobb and felt a pang of pitty, but it was quickly washed away.

"Midget, you know what will happen to you if you stay out here alone? The Vamps ull get-ya. And a Vamp death is worse then a Wildcat death. Now, Do you have no Tribe, or are you foolin me?" She prodded the midget with questions and waited for his reply. Her brown eyes seemed to stare a hole through him, so icly sweet they were scary. Her teal facepaint was barely visble in the moonlight, but it made her face look the slightest bit blue.

[Nessy]

"I d-d-d-d-don't want t-t-t-t-o g-g-g-go!", he sobbed, stuttering quite a bit, still trying to push that door open with his small hands. "I do-o-o-n't w-w-w-ant t-t-to go!", he covered his face with his arms and shook his head violently, making that spiky hair bounce side to side.

He then just started to spurt out lies, "I'm f'om, f'om, hmn, Ciga'ettes!", he wiped his nose to his sleeve and sniffled, still holding that hen plushie to himself. "I am i-investigating te'ito'y!", he stuttered, not knowing if she'd believe or not, still sobbing, bouncing slightly with each sob.

(He can't say "r"s)

[Chloe']

Chloe stared at the child, the pitty returning. "Boy, you're from the Ciggaretts as much as I am. And I aint a Ciggarette...... You have none of thier face paint er nothin. And if you were investigatin territory, you woul'nt be alseep on the job. Common boy..." Poor kid... Why'd she have to kick the car? Im such a bitch...[/b] She thought to herself. Normally she wouldnt show pitty, but the kid was in miserable condition.. He looked like he could have three times the food she ate in a week. God, stubbern fella too...

[Nessy]

He shook his head again. "I am ale'gic to the paints!", still trying to fool her, but he wasn't very good at it. Actually, he pretty much sucked at it. Still trying to push the damn door.

Maybe it had been rust, or something, but it was so sudden what happened next that he blinked blankly when his body hit the floor. He had forced the door so much that it actually croaked and opened. As Ike was pushing against it, he immeaditly fell on the floor outside. He gasped and clumbsily got up on his feet. He stared at her for a moment, blankly, before slowly reaching down to grab the plushie that had fell from his arms, as if it was more important than actually get away. They were now merely separated by a door. Ike blinked, breathing fast, warping his small fingers around the hen's plush beak.

[Chloe']

Chloe glared at the boy and without a second to waste, she lunged at the boy, trying to gab his shirt. Ignoring the door, she glided over it in her lunge at the Midget. He would die if she left him, and unless she did the killing, she wouldnt let anyone else. Vamps got to much credit these days... Lynx noticed how the Midget stopped to pick-up the stuffed chicken. Why was it that important to him? She was one of the fastest of her tribe, there fore getting the name Lynx, for that and a few other reasons...

[Nessy]

The little boy screamed in fear when she lunged at him, but was able to grab the plushie to himself before she did so, turning his head to the side when Chloe caught him by that shirt, afraid he would get punched of something along the lines of 'hurt' or 'killed'.

Ike knit his eyebrows, eyes still red from the previous crime. He searched for any way out of this situation, trying to push her off him with one hand.

[Chloe']

It would take more than a small child's hand to shove Chloe away. She had caught the boy and now she thought of what to do. Well, she got herself into this, now she would get herslef and the Midget out. "Common, Midget. You could use some food. Ill give you sumthin ta eat if you come with me and tell me your name." She tightened her grip on the Midget's shirt so not to lose him. The Wildcats could use every hand they could get, even a midget's.

Chloe didnt move, but waited. She would not let go of the Midget untill he forced her, or told her his name. Then she would drag him back to Central Park and hope Abstract wouldnt kill him if the kid got on his nerves.

[Nessy]

At the mentioning of food, Ike calmed down visibly, looking up at her with those big eyes. He remained quiet for a while, biting on his lower lip. His stomach seemed to have ears, as it growled softly at the mention of food.

"Ike.", he finally replied, warping his arms around the chicken. He bit softly on his scarf and tipped his head to the side.

If she did try to drag the child to the Central Park, he'd panic. He'd turn his head to bite on her hand hard enough to draw blood and run pretty fast inside that convinience store, using the darkness that filled the store and his small height and flexibility to hide.

[Chloe']

Chloe smiled. Pleased with herself. "Thank you. Now..." She said. Reaching into her pocket, Chloe pulled out a bar of some kind. She didnt remember wheather it was granola or something, but she never left Central Park with out a snack if she was going to be gone for long. The 15-year-old go hungrey easily. Sadly eyeing the bar, she handed it to the Midget-Ike.

"Now that you have food, do you want to come down and get some water? Those make you a little thirsty.." She wasnt lieing. Those bars were sweet and she usualy had to drink a bit so the taste got out of her mouth. The water was stored in the Fountain, collected by rain-tarps. There were a few bottles of water, but those had been saftly stored away for special uses.

[Nessy]

Ike's eyes almost sparkled at the sight of the bar. He jumped on her and hugged her close, "Thank you!", before grabbing that bar and unwarping it fast, but then stopped. He looked up at her and tipped his head to the side, then looked at the bar again. He filled his cheeks with hair and then blew it out, before breaking the bar into a half. He smiled big at her and handed half of the bar, before turning to devour that bar.

The boy eyed the older girl when she asked about following her and chewed on the bar, rocking back and forth on his heels. Then nodded and smiled, trying his best to not to shove the whole bar inside his mouth, remembering what his mother had taught him about being hungry.

"Okay. But p'omise you won't hu't me?", he arched his eyebrows up, blinking at her.

[Chloe']

Chloe smiled and almost laughed right out loud when Ike hugged her and snatched the bar. Touched, she took her half of the bar and thanked him quietly. She chewed thoughtfully on it and then turned her head to Ike. "Promise." That was her singal word. Still holding onto the back of the boy's shirt, she gentally guided him in the direction of Central Park.

As she nudged Ike closer and closer to thier destonation, she wondered what the others would think of him, and if Ike would stay with the Wildcats, or continue on his own. If he continued to be a loner, he would probably be killed by a Vamp or someone...

[Nessy]

Ike smiled big at her promise before going back to gnaw on that said bar. Finally finishing it, he kind of purred and smiled big, patting his stomach.

Guided to wherever Chloe was leading him to, the boy looked around and held on to the strap of his backpack, where he kept his safety blanket and junk he found in his little adventures. He reached inside his pocket and took out that beanie that matched with the scarf, tucking it on his head, before holding the chicken plushie with both arms, squeezing it against his chest. He nipped on its turf and smacked his lips together. She wasn't lying; that bar did made him thirsty.

[Chloe']

((---------------------------------->>>>>>>>> To the Fountain))