The Ones Who Remain/Issue 7

This is issue 6 of The Ones Who Remain, entitled: Mr. Brightside.

Issue 7; Mr. Brightside
The day had been a stressful one for Mike, who slept heavily in his cell. From the terror the other prisoners, unintentionally, struck into him, to not getting Brenda out of his mind. The way she bled, he way she struck the pavement before Mike--the moment that was still engraved in his mind. Within the span of two days, he lost the only mother he ever knew, and for all he knew, Nikki, his best friend--someone he had sworn to protect...gone. He doesn't know where she is, if she was alive, if she even cares that he's gone...and it's eating him up. The not knowing is what's killing him the most, and he just wishes she was with him, wrapped in his arms.

"Kid, time to get up." Freddy hushed, looking over him, before shaking his body. Mike woke up almost instantly, heart-pounding, not sure what was going on. He only looked around the cell, from Freddy who looked down on him, to Caitlyn who looked out of the cell. Judging from the lack of light in the hallway, it was still night.

"What time is it--is everything ok?" Mike quickly asked, sitting up hurriedly, to which Freddy smiled lightly.

"Nah, kid. I'm thinking you're gonna like this." he said, helping Mike up from the bed. It still hurt for Mike to stand. When the guards attacked him his first day, they got his ribs good, and every movement hurt Mike.

"Are you feeling any better?" Caitlyn asked, looking back to Mike, who just nodded his head, too hurt to even speak. "You nod your head yes, but your body says no." Mike only shrugged his shoulders. So what if he was still in pain? No point in dwelling on it, especially in his situation.

The lack of response from Mike makes Caitlyn a little uneasy. She knows he's lying, she knows he's still in pain, but she couldn't get the feeling it wasn't just physical. "You're stubborn, aren't you?" she asked, giving a light, mother-like smile, to which Mike forces a smile to avoid any more questions. "Suit yourself."

"What's going on?" Mike asked, Freddy helping him over to the bars of the cell.

"Every Tuesday night, a couple of the guards break us in some music. It helps us relieve some stress." Freddy said, looking at Mike, who's dumbfounded expression said it all. "They're from that rebellion I was telling you about earlier, so, before you ask, they ain't real Echo soldiers."

"Oh," Mike only says, shifting his attention back to the hallway, which a couple of guards, sporting those green uniforms, walked through, handing each cell it's own iPod. "This seems a little risky, doesn't it? Shouldn't they be playing it cool?"

"You think too much." Freddy simply said.

"It just doesn't make much sense." Mike exclaimed, his voice raising a little higher. "What if an actual guard comes inside?"

"They'll take care of 'em." Caitlyn said lightly.

"Then why can't they get us out?" Mike asked. Freddy rolled his eyes, a little annoyed with all of the questions, no matter how innocent they were.

"You think we'd be able to make it?" he retorted, putting his hand on Mike's shoulder, giving him a friendly pat. "It's just something to have a little fun. And, judging from how antsy you are, you could use some."

As the two guards got to their cell, they immediately hand Freddy one of the iPods. As one turned and walked away, the other one eyes Mike. "Who's this? Doesn't look familiar."

"New guy." Freddy said, offering the guard a smile. "Came here last night."

The guard looked unimpressed, and simply nodded his head, and walked off. Freddy immediately let go of Mike's shoulder, looking down at the iPod.

"Kid, you ever hear of The Killers?" he asked, walking away from the bars, sitting on his bed. Mike turned toward him, Caitlyn now offering support to help him stand, and shook his head. "Kid, you've been missing out on some mighty fine music."

Caitlyn helped Mike back to his bed, who just waited as Freddy pressed a few buttons on the iPod.

"You ever listen to music?" Caitlyn asked.

"Of course I have." Mike said lightly. "Just, not in a while."

"What, they don't got power back at Livingston?" Freddy asked, looking up at him.

"We do, we watch movies and shit like that, but the only people with music are the ones who find music players out during supply runs."

"Kid, you've been missing out on a lot." Freddy simply said, before putting the iPod on full blast, Mr. Brightside by The Killers plays. He puts the iPod on the bed, and stands up, offering his hand to Caitlyn, who stood on the side, watching the exchange between the two. She takes it, and Mike watches as the two start to dance. It was nice and genuine--enough to get Mike to laugh.

''"I'm coming out of my cage

"And I’ve been doing just fine

"Gotta gotta be down

"Because I want it all

"It started out with a kiss

"How did it end up like this?

"It was only a kiss

"It was only a kiss"''

At this point Caitlyn breaks away from Freddy, dancing her way over to Mike. She practically pulls Mike out of the bed, and he grunts in pain, but the pain wasn't enough to sour his mood. His body was stiff, he could barely walk, let alone dance, but nothing wrong with trying. He laughs whole-heartedly with both Freddy and Caitlyn as the music kept on going.

''"But it’s just the price I pay

"Destiny is calling me

"Open up my eager eyes

"‘Cause I’m Mr. Brightside"''

Jared, Adrianna, Cal, and Nikki sat around a kitchen table in the house they were staying in. All of four looked beyond stressed, but not one of them thought about giving up. Not yet.

"This is taking longer then anticipated." Jared muttered, looking at the trio.

"No shit." Adrianna said, crossing her arms.

"Look, we're almost at the crossing point, and if worse comes to worse, we're going to have to be ready to kill anyone who gets in our way. Got it?"

"Got it." Cal repeated, his arm around Nikki, who leaned on his shoulder.

"Nikki, stay close to one of us at all times." Jared said, looking straight into her eyes.

"Of course." she said, her voice quiet and tired.

"Alright, we'll move at sunrise. Everyone get some rest, I'll take first shift." Jared said, offering the trio a smile.

Adrianna takes off immediately, just wanting to get some rest, and both Cal & Nikki offer him a 'Thank you', before following her upstairs.

Jared takes a seat at the counter as everyone else leaves the room. He takes a deep breath, and shoves his hand in his pocket. He quickly pulls out a photo, taking a long gander at it.

The picture was of Jared and another man. The two were smiling happily, and the man had his lips planted on Jared's cheek. It's only been two days since Jared left his boyfriend behind at Livingston, but he missed him too much. He was so used to him being there for him no matter what, and it always gave him a sense of relief.

"What does it mean?" he heard the faint voice of Nikki ask. He immediately sighed, turning to her direction, seeing her limp over the counter.

"I thought I told you to get some rest." he said.

"You're not my mom." she retorted, taking a seat in front of him, offering a light smile. "So, what does it mean?"

"The tattoo."

"Which one?" he asked. "Or did you forget I lived with a tattoo artist?"

"The one on your wrist." she simply said, to which he pulled down his sleeve. On his left arm lied a tattoo of a purple dragon. The same one as Freddy.

"Ah, well, there's a time and place for everything lil' Nikki, and this ain't the time nor the place." he said, covering the tattoo with his sleeve.

"Fine." she said, clearly no done with Jared yet. "Tell me about him?" she asked, motioning to the picture in Jared's hands.

"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I don't know anything about you." she said, leaning closer to him. "Yet, you're helping me."

"I ain't doing it for you." he replied, before standing up. "Brenda was my best friend--they're gonna pay for what they did to her."

Nikki only nodded her head, shying away from where this conversation was going. That's the last thing she needed to hear, mostly because it brought her back to Mike. How was he handling her death? Why can't she be there to help him? Why can't she be there for him? Why did this have to happen to him?

As the sun started to rise the following morning, Cal had already awoken the others, and the four were back on the road. Nikki limped next to Cal, who made sure to slow his pace so she's able to keep up, and both Jared and Adrianna were father ahead of them talking to one another.

"You think you can do that?" Adrianna asked him in a hushed whisper.

"I know I can do that. It's all about finding the right guy." he replied, looking back at Cal and Nikki, expecting them to be eavesdropping, but to his delight, they weren't. "Just trust me on this."

"Yes, Mr. Leno."

"How many fucking references do you have for me?" he suddenly asked, giving her a warm smile. "You some how to get me on my name, my sexuality--my race..."

"You're just too easy." she said, shrugging her shoulders, before flashing a smile. "And I'm just too smart."

"Mmhmm..." he said to himself, brushing her off.

"It's true."

"I'm not arguing."

Behind them, Cal & Nikki were involved in their own conversation, and now Nikki had her arm around Cal's shoulders for support.

"You sure you're feeling okay?" he asked, making sure to keep eye contact with her, no matter how hard she tried to turn away from him.

"I--Am--Fine." she said through her teeth, trying to not only convince Cal, but herself as well.

"You don't look it. You look like you might give out any moment."

"I'm fine, Cal." she muttered, getting annoyed. "Just, please stop asking me that. It only makes it worse." Cal started to smile, now he can keep himself entertained.

"You sure you don't want me to carry you?" he teased, to which she normally would've flipped him off, but she was just so focused on keeping her attention to the ground in front of her. "Cause, I will carry you."

"Shut the fuck up." she said, closing her eyes, but before she knows it, she's lifter off her feet and is now in the arms of Cal. "Put me down...right now."

"Don't feel like it." he said, still smiling, and soon they were getting the attention of Jared & Adrianna, and the both of them let out small smiles of their own. It's a nice genuine moment for the four of them, who have been under nothing but stress they past couple of days. "Unless you say please."

"Cal, just put me the fuck down." she muttered.

"That's not the magic word..."

"Please."

"As you wish, Queen Flowers." he said, before putting her down. She quickly stood back up, staring down the smiling Cal. She put her arm back around him, and the four continued to walk.

"Dick," she muttered to herself to which Cal smiled again, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Love you too, babe."

Mike is awoken early in the morning about the shouts and yells from the Echo guards who hurried through the hallways. One by one they opened the cells, and Freddy was already in action. Without warning he helps Mike off of the bed, Caitlyn close behind him, and practically drags the confused and tired Mike to the opening of the prison cell.

Johnson arrives in front of the prison cell, and quickly throws it open, two guards emerging from behind him. "Line up against the back wall." he announces, to which the three quickly do as he says. Pretty soon, Mike stood in between Freddy and the prisoner from the day before who questioned him about his girl. Like always, he was shaking, but this time Mike couldn't tell if it was from withdrawal or legitimate fear. Caitlyn stood next to Freddy, and the two were naturally calm, but Mike on the other hand, looked just like the shaky prisoner.

"It'll be fine." Caitlyn said in a hushed whisper.

It doesn't take long for the rest of the prisoners to file in accordingly, and once all the prisoners are there, Johnson goes up and down the line, watching each and every one of them.

When he comes across Mike, a huge smile forms across his face, and without warning, he shoves Mike against the wall with all of his might.

The pain rattles through Mike's body. Already suffering from those injuries he received his first day, he feels like he's ready to collapse, but Johnson holds him up.

Johnson's smile remains huge as he notices the pain in Mike's face, and just like that, he lets go of him. Mike nearly collapses to the floor, but is caught by the shaky prisoner, who holds him up.

Johnson continues to walk down the line, as Freddy goes to help Mike too.

"Fuckin' cunt..." Freddy mutters under his breath, just loud enough for Caitlyn & Mike to hear it.

"Y-You okay, kid?" the shaky prisoner asked, to which Mike quickly nodded his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

It doesn't take long for a scuffle to begin down the hall, and all four prisoners quickly look that way.

Down the hall, Johnson has started to maul the one-eyed prisoner. The one who told Mike that he ate Johnson's son. Johnson's face is full of rage and anger as he unloads his fists into the man's face. None of the prisoners can do anything though because of the line of Echo soldiers, big guns in their arms, ready to kill anyone who decides to make a move.

Mike can't help but feel sick to his stomach as the blood starts to pour out of this man. It runs down his face, onto his white clothes, and pretty soon, Johnson's hands and green uniform starts to get stained with the dark red blood.

Johnson grabs the man by the collar of his shirt, and ushers him onto his knees. The one-eyed prisoner, barely conscious at this point, only looks up at his fellow prisoners, who watch emotionless.

As he feels the barrel of Johnson's pistol feel the back of his head, he lets out a light smile, before making eye-contact with Mike, who watches in fear. The one-eyed prisoner simply nodded his head, before his brains splatter on the floor in front of him.

Jared, Adrianna, Cal, and Nikki watched, from the woods, a group of Echo soldiers walk along some sort of border, indicated by the large outpost and amount of soldiers there.

"There's so many of them." Nikki said in quiet, yet uneasy tone.

"No shit, Sherlock." Adrianna muttered, rolling her eyes, to which Nikki held her breath, trying to hold in the anger that filled her. "Jared, what do we do?"

Jared, instead of answering Adrianna, continues to scan the group of Echo soldiers, until...he spots one he likes. He looks back at the three, who await his orders, before pointing out a young Echo soldier to them.

The soldier, no older then twenty, had the purple dragon tattoo on his neck, it was small, but noticeable, and he walked along the border alone, just passing the time.

"What about him?" Cal asked, looking from the soldier to Jared.

"He can help us...we need someone to get his attention."

It didn't take long for Adrianna to stand up, the confident look on her face said it all. "I got this." Adrianna quickly got up, and left the three to themselves.

"I don't trust her with this." Nikki quickly said once Adrianna was out of hearing distance.

"She's a big girl, she can do it." Jared said, getting his gun ready in case anything went wrong.

"What if she gets caught?"

"Then we'll get her back." he simply said.

Adrianna walked through the woods, getting closer to the Echo outpost, and their target. She approached slowly, her machete ready, just in case she needed it. But, as she got closer, she heard the familiar moans of the biters. She immediately tenses up, and swings around, now face-to-face with a gray-skinned, big-eyed biter. She lifts her machete, and with one swift movement, the biter's head was split in two, and Adrianna let out a huge sigh of relief.

However, that relief is soon gone, when she's met by a barrel of a gun. She looks from the gun, to the man holding the gun, and it was the young Echo soldier that Jared wanted.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice tense and panicked.

"I'd put that down, kid..." she warned, approaching him slowly. The man didn't back down, but he didn't threaten her again. Instead, he nervously raised it a tad bit higher. "I warned ya..."

Adrianna quickly pushed the gun out of her face before he had any time to react, and as it fell to the ground, she pulled a pistol out of her back pocket, aiming it right at the young soldier, who just looked at her surprised and now, terrified. He looked toward his unit, who didn't seem to be paying attention to him, and then back at Adrianna, who just shook her head. "You're coming with me."

As she brought the young Echo soldier back to Jared, Nikki, and Cal, she didn't know what to do with him. She thought they were just gonna kill him, plain and simple, but if that was the case, why didn't they just open fire on the entire group?

As the two got back to the Jared, Jared immediately pulls his sleeve down, showing the Echo soldier his tattoo. At the sight of it, the young soldier immediately relaxes, and he casually sits down next to him.

"I thought you were just some random guys gonna kill me." he said, taking a few deep breaths.

"That was the idea." Jared said, not taking his eyes off the soldier. "Look, we need you to get us across the border."

"The border?" he repeated, to which Jared nodded. "How am I suppose to do that?"

"I don't know, you know it better then any of us."

The young soldier closed his eyes, trying to think of, well, anything to do. "Okay," he said after a brief moment of silence. "Maybe if I distract the other soldiers somehow, there will be less people here, and you can get out easily."

"And how will you do that?" Adrianna asked.

"Look, before I do this, I need to know what this is for." the young soldier said.

"For the rebellion." Jared simply said. "I'm meeting with the commander in Jacksonville--you could help us get this thing started."

The young soldier nodded his head, before cursing to himself under his breath. "Shoot me in the leg." he finally said.

"Wait, what?" Nikki asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Shoot me in the fucking leg. I'll tell them some guys ambushed me and you guys can use the distraction to get out of here."

"Wait, can someone tell me what the fuck is going on?" Cal asked, interrupting the two. "How do you two know each other? What the fuck is up with a rebellion?"

"No time." Jared said, brushing Cal off. Jared took Adrianna's pistol from her hands, and pointed it at the young soldiers leg quickly, no remorse. "What's your name?"

"Red."

"Thank you, Red." Jared said.

"This better not be for nothin'." the soldier quickly retorted.

"It ain't." Jared said, before firing the gun.

From that point, it was easy for Jared, Nikki, Adrianna, & Cal to hop the border. All of the available Echo soldiers rushed to assist the young soldier, and any ones who stayed behind were quickly gunned down by Jared and Adrianna, as Cal helped Nikki across.