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May. 22nd, 2023 at 8:56 PM
[So this is how he gets away with it, then. Cruz, a skeleton, with a skeleton horse, lives in a skeleton of a house with a skeletal barn attached - and he remains unseen, his home apparently abandoned, all the way on the outskirts of this thing that's barely a town.
Well, you do what you gotta do, and Johnnie won't turn down a kind offer of a safe place to stay the night. He can't help but grin at Chrissy having such a good time riding that bony horse as he pulls the bike in through the barn door and parks it to the side, then hops off.]
Hey man, we owe ya for this. Here.
[See, this is yet another reason it's good to stock up on alcohol. He finds their most recent stolen bottle of tequila and pulls it out as he saunters over to their host and offers it in an outstretched hand.]
On us. Uh, if you drink, that is. You do drink, right?
[Normally that would be a dumb question to ask but the guy appears to be actual bones. But, bones that can smoke, without lungs, so he can probably drink without a mouth, right?
That earns a laugh from Cruz.]
I sure do, fella. You don't have to, though. I'm not looking for any kind of repayment, just helping out a couple folks in need.
[Johnnie shakes his head and waves that attempt off.]
Nah, it's all yours. Or if you really insist, we can all split it tomorrow, the three of us an' the rest of your crew. Can't wait to meet 'em. They all skeletons too?
Well, you do what you gotta do, and Johnnie won't turn down a kind offer of a safe place to stay the night. He can't help but grin at Chrissy having such a good time riding that bony horse as he pulls the bike in through the barn door and parks it to the side, then hops off.]
Hey man, we owe ya for this. Here.
[See, this is yet another reason it's good to stock up on alcohol. He finds their most recent stolen bottle of tequila and pulls it out as he saunters over to their host and offers it in an outstretched hand.]
On us. Uh, if you drink, that is. You do drink, right?
[Normally that would be a dumb question to ask but the guy appears to be actual bones. But, bones that can smoke, without lungs, so he can probably drink without a mouth, right?
That earns a laugh from Cruz.]
I sure do, fella. You don't have to, though. I'm not looking for any kind of repayment, just helping out a couple folks in need.
[Johnnie shakes his head and waves that attempt off.]
Nah, it's all yours. Or if you really insist, we can all split it tomorrow, the three of us an' the rest of your crew. Can't wait to meet 'em. They all skeletons too?
Comments
The guards are quick to respond with cries of fire!, but not as quick to come up with solutions to it. He imagines they must be trying to gather buckets of water or blankets to smother the flames first. One rides out ahead looking for the culprit, and Johnnie raises his pistol and shoots him in the chest.]
Take that, jackass!
[Man. It feels weird to kill so easily, but good. Feels powerful. These assholes more than deserve the worst he can give them. The guard tumbles off his horse and hangs from a stirrup as the horse panics and gallops, turning away from the fire with fear in its eyes. Somewhere among the beans, the body falls to the dirt and stays still.
The wind fans the flames, which sputter and struggle in the rain until something changes, like a switch being flipped. They gain enough heat to sizzle the falling raindrops into steam, and then embers begin to spread through the field, slowly at first, then faster.
From the direction of the house, there's a gunshot, and a bullet flies through the darkness past him. His horse tosses its head, and abruptly bolts forward, leaving Johnnie to hold onto the reins for dear life as he's nearly flung to the ground.]
Oh, what the fuck, you wanna get us killed? Again?
[He snarls and tugs at the reins, but the creature refuses to slow down. Something wild is in its gait, and wind whistles through its ribcage. It runs right toward the farmhouse, toward a pair of guards who are busy pumping water into buckets, and at that point Johnnie figures what the hell, he's just going to go with it. He raises his torch and his blanket-cape billows behind him, and as he approaches, he gives an eerie howl.
The guards panic. One throws his bucket of water at Nayáwsa' which does nothing more than get its bones wet. The other reaches for his whip, but the horse closes too quickly for him to use it, and tramples the man to the ground. There's a crunch as hooves break through flesh and bone.
And now, Johnnie appreciates this damn horse. Yeah, fine, he has zero control over it, but it's a kind of chaos he loves. With his own demonic snarls and howls to accompany the disguise, he sweeps his torch at the farmhouse with one hand, catching a pile of unswept pine needles on fire, then fires his pistol with the other at another guard, and just pleads like hell and holds on with his knees and hopes his crazy nightmare of a mount doesn't throw him off its back.
Sometime in all the havoc, the fire catches up to them, and he can hear the others who came with him whooping and hollering and following his lead, tying up the guards and family all at the same time while the wagon and its team roll up to intercept the newly-freed men and women. He can't keep his eye on the bunkhouses, and has to hope Chrissy is managing all right with Bobby and the wagon team. He can feel heat at his back, and flames start to lick at the edges of his blanket, curling the wool it's made of and blackening pieces of it to ash.
The fire soon becomes too dangerous to stick close to, and Johnnie has to shout and kick and drag at his horse's reins to get it to leave well enough alone. His personal goal, ruining the crops and the farmhouse and all these people's possessions, has been achieved easily, and the smoking, flaming remains of the house stand like a beacon in the darkness of the storm among shouting people and howling dogs. Somewhere in all that he hears a man shouting directions - guard or the landowner, he can't tell, but he fires blindly in that direction to get him to shut the fuck up as his horse carries him past.
By the time he's carried back to the barn, he's covered in soot, his hair in wild tangles, and laughing his ass off the whole time. His torch has long gone out, his blanket was lost somewhere in the madness, and he's having a great time of it all. He waves the dead torch at Chrissy, then tries to urge his horse to stop, only for it to rear up and dump him on the floor of the barn. He rolls, then lets himself flop flat on his back, limbs spread as he laughs.]
Hooo, fuck. Was that the wildest shit or what? Man, that fire has a life of its own out there!
She really looks a mess, her makeup smudged and smeared and half washed off. But she's just so glad to see him that she can't resist practically leaping on top of him with a hug.]
It was pretty wild. I think I killed a couple of guys.
[She wisely leaves out the fact that they were probably the guys she was supposed to be helping. But to be fair, they attacked her first. And she thinks Johnnie would be okay with her doing whatever she needed to protect herself.]
And I had to run through the fire holding a baby. I'm exhausted after all of that. But you look like you're full of energy.
When he finally lets up to say something, there's a flash and a roll of thunder outside that interrupts him first, but then it lets him talk.]
Shit, babe, I haven't had this much energy in a while, an' you know me, I got lotsa energy all the time. But that was the fuckin' best. That's the shit I live for!
[That and it was new, and new is always exciting. Setting fire to things doesn't get old, exactly, but when does he get to ride a skeletal horse into battle looking like some creature from the depths of the darkness? He laughs again, and kisses her again, all joy and adrenaline.]
Oh man. How'd it go, though? You ran through fire with a baby? Damn.
[She winces when she says it, awkwardly laughing because she can't believe she did that to them.]
So they all ran away from me and were screaming and crying, and some of the men tried catching and killing me. And then I had to get on Niish and round everyone up and scare them toward the fields that were on fire. But I did it! Bobby was there, but I did it all by myself.
[She sighs contently right as thunder booms overhead, and she happily curls in against him. She was independent, and did a damn good job. And she got done all that she wanted to, for the most part. Yeah, she's proud of herself and how much she's grown these past few weeks. She never would've been able to do this when they first met.]
By the time I got back and handed the baby to Guillermo, the wagon and everyone else was gone. So I guess we're free to head out, unless...
[The look on her face is impish and suggestive as she says it, but not for the reason he likely thinks.]
That look turns his smile to a smirk and he nips at her bottom lip as he runs his hands down to her butt and squeezes, tugging her hips down against his in the process.]
Unless...?
[Most of the guys are off with the wagon, or scouting ahead to deliver their charges to safety. A few will come back any moment, but there are stalls to hide in, and who can complain about them getting in a quick victory fuck anyway?]
Unless you wanted to set things on fire here too before we go.
[She sucks at his lip before kissing him again, just as sweet as ever. Only now she's openly suggesting they set an ally's property on fire.]
He was so awful to you earlier. And he locked me in the barn. I was thinking we could send him a message too, before we go. But if you'd rather roll around in the barn instead I can definitely do that.
[She's easy to please right now. Either option is good to her. Her point is punctuated with a gentle poke to his nose, which makes her grin as she waits to see his reaction.]
Fuck Cruz.]
We have every day ahead of us to roll around, babe. Let's light this place up before we never see it again. We'll make him pay for what he did.
[And they'd better do it fast, before anyone else returns. He worms his hand into his pocket, withdraws his lighter, and gives her a wink as he flicks that little flame to life.]
I love the way you think.
Who knew a fire could make her so giddy?
Maybe it's because he's said he loves the way she thinks. That's motivation enough to kiss him deeply and take that lighter from him. She's the one that wants to light the fire here, and works at the lighter until a flame is produced and she's able to crouch and light a bundle of dry hay on fire.
The lighter is closed and tossed back over to him, because he can have dibs on the house.]
Do you think we'll need to use more of our gas to get the house going?
And anyway, what's there to lose here? This is barely a barn, barely a house. Cruz is dead, he doesn't need a bunch of fucking decaying wood to pretend it's a home. The guy is clinging to the past in a way that hurts him and everyone around him. Time to wipe the slate clean, give him a fresh start. If all he's doing is clinging to existence because of his past, then maybe it's best to destroy that past and let him find a reason to be in the present instead.
He takes the lighter, steals another kiss, then goes to hop on the bike just to wheel it out of the barn and away from the growing fire Chrissy has just started. Their stuff will get a little wet, but whatever, it'll only be a minute.]
Bet the inside is dry, around the kitchen. Get a handful of that hay, would you?
[Inside, he spares a glance at the trunk, then grabs a pillow and takes it to the kitchen. He slits it open, pulls out soft batting fibers until it's a pile of burnable material with the hay right in the middle, and places it in the middle of the floor. With a flick of his lighter and a few puffs of breath to get it to spread, it eats its way outward and starts licking at the cracked wooden floorboards.]
There. It'll have plenty of time to grow before the rain finds it. You all ready, little flame?
[This time he's addressing her, of course, and grins as he nips at her lips again, then tugs her toward the door to leave.]
I'm always ready.
[She answers, getting him to pause in the doorway for one more kiss. It's surprisingly gentle, given how worked up she is over this fire. When she pulls away, her grin is wild, and she pulls past him to race toward the bike and vault over the back to get settled into her spot.
The rain is pouring like crazy again, the wind picking up. Whatever this storm is, it's going to get out of control soon enough. It's a good thing the bike should be able to get them out of here fast enough it won't be an issue.
Once he's settled in front and he gets them going, it doesn't take her long to realize the terrain will be an issue. It's so muddy, that they can't go as fast as she thinks they should be going.]
It's getting really windy and rainy, huh? Do you want me to find your goggles for you?
Time bandit time, just like they'd agreed days, or months, or who knows how long ago. It's a blur.]
Yeah, think they're in the front of that one on the left. That's where I saw 'em last, anyway.
[He holds a hand back to take them, but meanwhile his eyes are on the road ahead, puddled and dark. The bike's headlight will only do so much on a night like this. They'll have to roll out of here slower than he'd like.
At least the rain is quickly washing dirt off his face and out of his hair. He'll take the free shower. And once his goggles are on, he turns the key, flips the kickstand up, and gets rolling. He can feel the tires slip in the puddles - this road isn't packed by the weight of cars, just feet and horses and wagons, and the mud is like clay.
The wind gusts straight at them, and he grips the handlebars hard to keep the bike pointed forward as a branch tears off a nearby tree and flies right over their heads.]
You hold on tight back there, baby girl!
She leans up against him, head turning so her cheek is pressed tight against his back. And she wraps her arms around him to hold on as tight as she can. Even with that, she can feel the resistance the wind offers. It feels like she might be pulled off. That worry only grows stronger as the sound of the wind grows louder and louder, until it's howling around them.
In retrospect, maybe setting everything Cruz owns on fire was a bad idea. They could've at least hid in the barn until after the storm passed. Now they're out in the middle of it, and she's trying her best to find the excitement in everything. Fear is winning out though, but she keeps that to herself. Johnnie needs to be able to focus so they don't get swept off the road.
Eventually though, the storm feels like it's not safe to be out in anymore. That's about the time as the pea sized hail starts, and being pelted with it makes her hold on him go away completely so she can cover her face with her hands.]
Do you think we should find somewhere to pull over?
[Their progress is slow enough that he can see the distant glow from the farm, still - not just Cruz' house, but the first one they attacked. He can't get a good look and focus at the same time, though, as he tries to dodge the worst of the mud.
Ahead, there's a bolt of lightning and a loud crack followed by an immediate boom of thunder. The air smells of ozone, sharp and metallic, and the ground shakes as something crashes to the ground. That something is quickly revealed to be a large pine tree, which has dropped right across the road, forcing Johnnie to stop and turn the bike.]
Okay, guess we'll go around. More than one road outta here.
[Back toward town, though, branches and stray pieces of wood are littered everywhere, making progress slower than ever. The wind grabs and pulls at them like it's trying to rip them from the bike and throw them up into the clouds with the smoke from those fires. Another tree falls somewhere ahead, torn loose from the soft, muddy ground.]
This has to be a fuckin' hurricane or something, this ain't a normal thunderstorm.
[Which is part exhilarating, but part frustrating given he really wants to leave this place before Cruz and his guys catch up to them.
The wind hooks itself around the roof of the saloon and lifts a chunk of it from its frame. Inside, people panic, but Johnnie ignores them as a large board slams down onto the tree ahead and stops.
A ramp. Okay, he can do this. This is fucking stupid, but he can do this. As the bike finds some traction on the muddy road, he brings the engine to a roar and slides right over the mud, up the ramp, and over the tree. He whoops with joy as they catch a few seconds of air.
They should have hit the ground with a bone-jarring thunk after that, but the storm has other ideas, and that's when Johnnie realizes this isn't a hurricane, not exactly. It's a much smaller spiral.]
Oh, fuck I-
[From somewhere in the tornado they now find themselves a part of, a branch knocks into his head, hard enough to leave him briefly dazed, and to shut off all thoughts and speech for the time being.]
Johnnie! Baby, answer me!
[She tries shaking him, tries calling his name a few times. The storm grows around them, with their bike carried up higher and higher. Debris seems to be funneled up at a bottleneck here, and they're both continually hit with things until she's dazed enough she can't hold onto him any longer. She's torn off the back of the bike and slammed into a wooden door, and her vision goes back as her body flies through the tornado.
The storm stirs them up higher and higher, unkind in how it pummels and whips them around. When they're spit out, they're still in the same town. But the time has changed, the storm expelling them into a more modern decade. Even with things being more advanced here, it's no match for the force of the tornado. It tears through town in the opposite direction they've been dumped, leaving destruction in its wake.
Chrissy lands in a pile a couple hundred feet away from the bike. But she's alive and breathing, even if she's still unconscious. Her poor body has been through a lot the past few weeks, and she's still trying to heal from all of it. These new injuries hurt like hell, and they're what pull her into consciousness. He's the first thought on her mind as she comes to, and she screams his name as she moves to try and get up on her feet.]
But also, it fucking hurts, as shit gets flung into him. Good thing he has his goggles on, and even the bandana spares him some scrapes, but once again it's that leather jacket that serves as armor against some of the blows from debris in the storm.
His laughter stops as he realizes Chrissy isn't on the bike anymore, and it's shortly after that the wind dumps the bike one place and him in another, and he must have hit hard enough to black out again for a little while. When he comes to, he's face-down in the mud, and he can hear Chrissy shouting even through the ringing in his ears.
He spits out dirt as he drags himself onto all fours first, then sits up on his knees and clutches at his shoulder. Damn, something hit hard. He runs his hand through his disastrous hair too and comes away with blood, probably from that first hit, still slowly seeping.]
I'm over here!
[Maybe a hundred yards away in another direction. He thinks about standing, then decides against it and sits instead. Nothing obviously broken, plenty of scrapes, but he's had worse. The tornado spared him and wrecked the town. Hopefully it spared Chrissy and the bike the worst of it, too.]
You okay?
I'm alive!
[And beyond that she has no idea if she's okay yet. Her ribs and her shoulder are killing her, and so is her head. But she's definitely been through worse with those monsters. She can get through that, and she'll get through this too. Gritting her teeth, she moves to stand up and starts hobbling her way toward the sound of his voice.
He isn't hard to find, thankfully, and she feels a sudden burst of joy at the fact they've both been spit out of the storm in the same time and place. They're both bruised and are bleeding from the head, but things could be so much worse. Her laughter cracks away with emotion as she stumbles her way forward to him. At first, she can only get down on her knees so she can lean in and hug him.]
That was one hell of a storm. Are you hurt?
Carefully, he tugs her down so she's sitting in his lap, then winces. Something there is pretty hurt, and reaching down he finds there's a shard of wood pierced into his leg. Adrenaline must have covered up the pain from that. His bandana is still somehow tied to his neck even if it's not on his head anymore, he can ruin yet another one to stem the blood flow - but not yet. Not right now.
First, he tugs his goggles down around his neck and kisses her.]
Mm. Uh, I dunno. Just scrapes. An' my leg, but, hang on.
[It's not that bad, it's not like the time he got shot. Bandana in hand now, he tugs the shard out with a hiss and presses the cloth to his leg to help keep the bleeding down.]
... Okay. Yeah, I'm fine. Man, what a fuckin' night, huh?
It's been a really incredible night. But do you know what? I'm ready to get the hell out of here and find a town that isn't destroyed so we can get a room somewhere.
[Should they stay to help the people here? Once upon a time, she would've said yes. Now she's not very concerned with the people here. They've got each other, they can take care of themselves and figure it out. She and Johnnie have their own problems to worry about. And right now, he's warm and solid and not hurt that badly and she's just so grateful for that.]
Do you think you can get on your feet?
[She gives him a quick kiss, and presses her hand over the cloth on his leg so she can help him apply pressure. If he can't get up yet, she can try to get the bike herself. ]
[Between his leg and the ringing in his ears, he'd like to make sure that at the bare minimum he's not bleeding severely and can walk in a mostly straight line. But after a short wait, he uses her shoulder as a crutch and stands. Things hurt in some funny ways, that's for sure. But he takes a step, then another, and figures he's all right, just a little beat up. Nothing he can't handle.]
Did you see where the bike got to? Hope it's not trashed.
[She had briefly caught a glance as she was looking for him. There's nothing wrong with being his crutch for now, and she stays at his side and lets him hold onto her as needed. She's got some pretty strong leg muscles, she can support his weight.
When she catches sight of what looks like the motorcycle, she makes sure he'll be okay on his own two feet before running up ahead.]
It's over here! And it looks like it's in one piece!
[Like she had in Wilmington, she tries picking it up on her own. She really needs to work on her upper body strength, because it's a real struggle. But unlike before, she's able to get it up after a few tries. Once the wheels are on the ground, she makes sure the kickstand is down before leaning against the seat to catch her breath. Gosh, she wants a fluffy bed to fall into right about now.]
As long as it runs, we can try to do any repairs in the next town we get to.
[The rest of their stuff has too. Boy is he ever glad he has a sturdy case for his guitar, but the liquor in their bags is probably all broken and spilled all over again. He can't bring himself to investigate right now, though. He looks over the bike itself, decides that aside from some dents and scratches nothing seems obviously broken, then carefully swings a leg over and sits. The engine starts, so, as long as it keeps them going down the road, he'll make do with any other discoveries as they come.
Around them, people are continuing to emerge and assess the damage to their town, but the two of them are mostly ignored. Everyone has problems to tend to. For him and Chrissy, the biggest problem now is going to be the road.]
Think we wanna aim for Austin, or San Antonio. That way.
[That way, like every way, is completely full of debris.]
Gonna take us a while to get outta here. But hey, we can switch off, one clears shit outta the way on foot, one drives to keep up, until we make it outta the path of the tornado. Which job d'you want first?
I'll clear the debris first.
[She wants to watch how he drives in these conditions, see how he applies the brakes and gas so she can try to copy it when it's her turn. Besides, she'll need to do the heavy lifting while she's still got some adrenaline left and some strength in her. She's going to quickly reach a point where she's too tired to be much use other than driving, so it's smart to get the lifting portion of things out of the way now.
As he slowly moves up ahead, she hops off the back of the bike to jog ahead and clear the road as best as she can. Some stuff is really heavy, but she's able to get it moved enough that he can slowly swerve around.
Rather than hopping right on the bike, she has to walk for what feels like miles, clearing things so they can keep progressing forward. It would be easy to sulk about having to do so much work, but instead she tries to make conversation. ]
What year do you think the tornado dropped us in? It's hard to tell looking at the people we've seen.
Uh, good question.
[The radio is probably the easiest way to find out, so he switches that on and lets it run while he navigates around a section of road that's been pretty broken up by rubble hitting hard. By the time a few songs have gone by, it's pretty easy to narrow down the date. Harry James, Frank Sinatra, and Dinah Shore? The fourth comes on and he finds himself singing along to It's Been a Long, Long Time - never a favorite, exactly, but one of those things he remembers well enough from when he was little.]
Mid-forties. Maybe 45, 46? Around there, anyway. You can tell rock hasn't hit mainstream yet. You know this one?
[Easier to judge the date by ear than try and look around while the town is in such a wreck, but the cars look more or less right, too.]
That's a gift you have, baby.
[She laughs, and finishes dragging the metal to shove away before she makes her way back to the bike. There, she can hear the song that's playing. It's not something she recognizes, but she's still able to pick up the tune and hum along as she walks at the side of the motorcycle.]
I don't think I've ever heard this one, but I think the earliest music I hear on the radio is probably from the 50's. It's really neat sounding though! It would be perfect to dance to, actually.
[A hand is held up then, signaling for him to wait. She moves on ahead and clears the debris before shuffling back to climb on the bike. She just needs a minute to rest before they switch.]
Yeah, it's one a' those my parents an' their generation all woulda been dancing to as the war ended an' all the guys came back home. Man, can you imagine?
[So many of them didn't come home. And while he's not exactly a huge fan of governments sending people off to die, fuck the Nazis. That war had to be actually worth fighting.
She comes back to the bike and he drops the kickstand and hops off, but she needs a breather so he stays close and loops his arms around her, giving her a kiss as the song plays out its last bars.]