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p_r_i_s_c_a2019-11-26 09:51 am
prisca) wrote in p_r_i_s_c_a2019-11-26 09:51 am
Reboot Universe (AU / crossover Faculty/Jeremiah) - written for Livejournal - Part 1
Title: Nightmares (Reboot Part 1)
Characters: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler // Mr. Smith
Wordcount: 2072
finished: 2013
Nooooo! Casey clutched the pen even harder. The pen full of Scat, which should be able to save them all. Zombies! Everyone who was living in Herrington. Zombies! Possessed by aliens. He was the only one who could save them. She did hide under the bleachers, but he would find her. Stuck the pen right into her eye. When Stokely was right. She had to be right, or they all would be lost. Everyone would be okay after he had killed the alien queen.
:::
Casey opened the eyes. Blinked into the dim light. Was he still alive? Was he still the same as before? He lifted an arm, felt the slimy mass covering it. Mary Beth. This was all that was left behind from her. He shuddered, didn't dare to move. Listened alerted, his nerves stretched to the breaking point. It was quiet. All too quiet.
Where were all the others? They should be alive, running around, crying with horror, laughing with relief. But there was deep silence around him. He was alone. Panic started to rise; he gasped for air. Tried desperately to wake up out of this nightmare ... wake up ... wake up ...
:::
They were all dead. He knew he should feel something, fear, panic, grief, but he was too paralyzed. Not able to feel anything at all. He had killed the alien-queen, but it had been in vain. Everyone else died together with her. His parents, the neighbors, his friends. Zeke ... Zeke ... all of them dead. But he was alive. Why him? Why him?
:::
"Casey! Wake up!"
"No!" He struggled against strong hands on his shoulder."You are dead! Go away! You are dead!"
"I'm not. Open your eyes. Look at me. Look at me!"
The voice. Zeke's voice. He was afraid to wake up. He didn't want to look in Zeke's eyes. His dead eyes. Then, all of a sudden, he felt it. Warm breath on his skin.
"Case, it's okay. I'm here!"
Casey groaned. Dead people couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. Reluctantly he opened his eyes, blinked. It was almost dark around him. Only a candle on a small table. But Zeke was there. Still alive. Sitting at the edge of the bed, his hands on his shoulders, squeezing them slightly. Even if Casey couldn't see his face in the dim light, he knew he was smiling reassuringly.
"Good, you are with me again," Zeke growled.
Casey wanted to say something, but his throat felt parched. He tried to clear it, licked his dry lips. "You are not real," he finally whispered. "They are all dead."
"Not everyone," said Zeke. "Some of us did survive."
:::
Slowly the reality gained control over the nightmares. Casey started to calm down, and he was able to think clearly again, remember what had happened. After Mary Beth. After his hopeless try to save the world. It had been a cruel awakening. To recognize that Stokely had been wrong. He had killed Mary Beth, but most others died with her.
First all he wanted was to collapse and to follow them. It was unthinkable that he was the only one who had survived, that he was all alone now. In a world, still so familiar but so strange at the same moment. No laughing, no talking people, doing their grocery shopping. No cars on the streets, but the traffic lights still working. The wind in the trees, the sun was shining. A dog was barking. And then he saw her, on the other side of the street, the girl was just standing there, staring at him.
He turned around and ran away. Home. The house had been a home for him until today. He crept under the porch. Not able to go in. He knew what he would find. He had seen it at school, on the streets, everywhere.
How often he had dreamed about it how great it would be to have loving, caring parents. Oh yes, they did what they thought was best for him. But they couldn't understand his deepest feelings, his wishes, his view of life. And now they were gone ... forever ... and he felt too empty to mourn about them.
Maybe it lasted for hours, days, weeks, an eternity. When he got thirsty, he dragged himself into the house. Through the backdoor right into the kitchen. Luckily it was empty. He took two bottles of water out of the fridge which was still buzzing and a few Cookies. Then he went back to his last sanctuary. Finally he fell asleep.
Voices did wake up him.
"His mom ... I guess it was his mom; she's in her utility room. Casey? Did you find him?"
"No. No, he's nowhere in the house. Maybe he didn't come back here."
"But where else can he go? We need to find him. After all, he did."
Casey squeezed his eyes shut. It was just an illusion, but what a great feeling. He was not alone in the world. All he wanted was to drift away again, with these voices in his ears. So much comfort.
"Hey, I got him!"
Zeke! Casey smiled. But the smile faded away when he felt a hand onto his shoulder, grabbing him with a hard clutch. Panicked, he tried to shake it off. All in vain. He couldn't escape. He was trapped. Someone pulled him out of his hiding place. Suddenly he could feel the warm sun on his skin.
"Case! It's okay. You are safe! We are here!"
Stokes. And Zeke. We are here. Not alone. Not ... And he passed out.
:::
When he opened his eyes again he was lying in a bed. Not his own one. Not his room. Someone was sitting in the chair beside him, reading. Not his mom, a girl, much younger than she was. He stared at her and tried to remember. He knew her. Marie!? Marie, from his art course at school. They had worked together on a project last year. But what was she doing here? And why did she look so pale, so tired?
He moved carefully, feeling weak and stiff, but he needed to find out what was going on here. Marie looked up, her eyes went wide, but suddenly a smile showed up on her face.
"Hey. You did wake up," she said. "That's good!"
Casey frowned. "What has happened," he asked with a croaky voice. "What am I doing here?"
Marie bit her lower lip, haltingly, as if she didn't know what to say. "You can't remember?"
Casey sank back onto the bed and closed his eyes again. Pictures were crossing his mind. Nightmare like. Blurred. Unreal. "Mary Beth," he murmured. "Stokely said to kill her is the only way to save everyone. It didn't work, huh?"
Marie blinked and kept quiet. But deep inside he knew the truth anyway. "It was not ... just a stupid nightmare," he said. "No one did survive!"
"I am here," Marie whispered. "Stokely is here, Stan, a few others. Because you saved us."
Saved them? They were still alive? Stan. Stokes. Zeke??? Casey still was dizzy; impossible to say what was real and what was only an illusion. He looked around in the room, plain white walls, a green carpet, modern art. High windows, the curtains, green ones, fitting to the rug, closed.
"Where am I?"
"It's the Marriott Hotel. We did bring you here two weeks ago. You didn't want to wake up. And there was no one we could ask for help. All we could do was ..." She stopped and sniffed slightly.
"Hey!" Casey needed all his willpower to sit up again and put a hand on her arm. "I'm fine, okay!"
The biggest lie ever. But at least it made Marie smile again, a faint smile only, but a smile. "I guess I should go and tell the others. They will be relieved to hear the news."
:::
Two months had passed since Mary Beth. And life was going on ... at least for some for them. First, there had been hope, that others, some adults, might come to help them. But soon enough they needed to accept that whatever had killed most of the population of Herrington had raged at other places too. And not only in Ohio. People died almost everywhere; their bodies dissolved into a slimy mass within some hours; only some days later, it was as if they had never existed. But whatever the reason was, some children, teenagers were able to survive, in a strange world which would never be the same as before.
Only slowly they started to accept that everything that life had meant for them before was gone forever. Their parents, who gave them a home, who loved them, cared for them. Their teachers who had taught them a lot of stuff which should have helped them through life later. Stupid TV shows, mindless video-games, parties, what had seemed so important for them before. Gone forever. They were left behind entirely on their own.
Some of them had looked for shelter in the Marriott Hotel, and they got more and more every day. After the first shock, no one wanted to be alone, and the hotel offered room for all of them. The hotel stores were still well-stocked, a small generator in the basement provided power. There was no need to leave the building and to deal with the empty world around them.
It was Gabe who finally dared to point out what no one else wanted to admit. Also the resources of the hotel wouldn't be everlasting. It was only a matter of time; the power would come to an end, no frozen food anymore, no microwaves, no light in the night. No running water. There was still a lot of tin food and bottled water, yes, but it wouldn't last forever. If they wanted to survive, they needed to be more careful with what they had. And, most important, they needed to look for other ways to go on without all these comforts.
A lot of them refused to listen, the truth was much too cruel, but some of them took Gabe's side. And step by step, they started to organize their new life.
:::
Miles and miles away from Herrington, somewhere in another town, another country.
The young man was lying near the fire. It was almost burned down to the embers, but it was all that could warm him at least a bit during the cold night. He felt sick, worn out, ready to die.
Only some weeks ago his life had been like the life of most other teenagers. School, friends, his chess-club. He had parents and a little brother. Sometimes he could get so clingy like limpets, followed him wherever he wanted to go. He had gotten angry, yelled at him. His brother did run back into the house, crying desperately.
It had been the last time he had seen him. It happened out of the blue; no one could say what was going on. People started to die, only a few of them at first but with every hour it got more and more. Until finally, some days later, most of the adults were dead and gone. Like his mom, like his father. He couldn't find his brother anymore.
Some weeks he was looking for him; at the neighborhood, at the mall, at the town. Desperate, confused children and teenagers everywhere, but not his brother. Slowly he started to realize that no one was left anymore; he had lost everyone who had ever meant something to him. Why he was still alive was a cruel riddle. All he wanted was to lie down and follow them.
But this night the voice in his head got louder. "You will not die today!" He opened his eyes and looked around. He was alone. Besides this voice. "There is a lot to do!"
"Where are you? What do you want?"
"I am where you want me to be. And you know what I ask you for."
"Leave me alone!"
"I can't. I need your help. Get up and find him. It's the only chance for this world."
He didn't understand. But there was no way to turn the voice down. So he gave in; got dressed, grabbed for his old backpack, and off he was. On his way to Ohio, Herrington. He had never heard about this town before. But he knew, God would show him his way.
Characters: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler // Mr. Smith
Wordcount: 2072
finished: 2013
Nooooo! Casey clutched the pen even harder. The pen full of Scat, which should be able to save them all. Zombies! Everyone who was living in Herrington. Zombies! Possessed by aliens. He was the only one who could save them. She did hide under the bleachers, but he would find her. Stuck the pen right into her eye. When Stokely was right. She had to be right, or they all would be lost. Everyone would be okay after he had killed the alien queen.
:::
Casey opened the eyes. Blinked into the dim light. Was he still alive? Was he still the same as before? He lifted an arm, felt the slimy mass covering it. Mary Beth. This was all that was left behind from her. He shuddered, didn't dare to move. Listened alerted, his nerves stretched to the breaking point. It was quiet. All too quiet.
Where were all the others? They should be alive, running around, crying with horror, laughing with relief. But there was deep silence around him. He was alone. Panic started to rise; he gasped for air. Tried desperately to wake up out of this nightmare ... wake up ... wake up ...
:::
They were all dead. He knew he should feel something, fear, panic, grief, but he was too paralyzed. Not able to feel anything at all. He had killed the alien-queen, but it had been in vain. Everyone else died together with her. His parents, the neighbors, his friends. Zeke ... Zeke ... all of them dead. But he was alive. Why him? Why him?
:::
"Casey! Wake up!"
"No!" He struggled against strong hands on his shoulder."You are dead! Go away! You are dead!"
"I'm not. Open your eyes. Look at me. Look at me!"
The voice. Zeke's voice. He was afraid to wake up. He didn't want to look in Zeke's eyes. His dead eyes. Then, all of a sudden, he felt it. Warm breath on his skin.
"Case, it's okay. I'm here!"
Casey groaned. Dead people couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. Reluctantly he opened his eyes, blinked. It was almost dark around him. Only a candle on a small table. But Zeke was there. Still alive. Sitting at the edge of the bed, his hands on his shoulders, squeezing them slightly. Even if Casey couldn't see his face in the dim light, he knew he was smiling reassuringly.
"Good, you are with me again," Zeke growled.
Casey wanted to say something, but his throat felt parched. He tried to clear it, licked his dry lips. "You are not real," he finally whispered. "They are all dead."
"Not everyone," said Zeke. "Some of us did survive."
:::
Slowly the reality gained control over the nightmares. Casey started to calm down, and he was able to think clearly again, remember what had happened. After Mary Beth. After his hopeless try to save the world. It had been a cruel awakening. To recognize that Stokely had been wrong. He had killed Mary Beth, but most others died with her.
First all he wanted was to collapse and to follow them. It was unthinkable that he was the only one who had survived, that he was all alone now. In a world, still so familiar but so strange at the same moment. No laughing, no talking people, doing their grocery shopping. No cars on the streets, but the traffic lights still working. The wind in the trees, the sun was shining. A dog was barking. And then he saw her, on the other side of the street, the girl was just standing there, staring at him.
He turned around and ran away. Home. The house had been a home for him until today. He crept under the porch. Not able to go in. He knew what he would find. He had seen it at school, on the streets, everywhere.
How often he had dreamed about it how great it would be to have loving, caring parents. Oh yes, they did what they thought was best for him. But they couldn't understand his deepest feelings, his wishes, his view of life. And now they were gone ... forever ... and he felt too empty to mourn about them.
Maybe it lasted for hours, days, weeks, an eternity. When he got thirsty, he dragged himself into the house. Through the backdoor right into the kitchen. Luckily it was empty. He took two bottles of water out of the fridge which was still buzzing and a few Cookies. Then he went back to his last sanctuary. Finally he fell asleep.
Voices did wake up him.
"His mom ... I guess it was his mom; she's in her utility room. Casey? Did you find him?"
"No. No, he's nowhere in the house. Maybe he didn't come back here."
"But where else can he go? We need to find him. After all, he did."
Casey squeezed his eyes shut. It was just an illusion, but what a great feeling. He was not alone in the world. All he wanted was to drift away again, with these voices in his ears. So much comfort.
"Hey, I got him!"
Zeke! Casey smiled. But the smile faded away when he felt a hand onto his shoulder, grabbing him with a hard clutch. Panicked, he tried to shake it off. All in vain. He couldn't escape. He was trapped. Someone pulled him out of his hiding place. Suddenly he could feel the warm sun on his skin.
"Case! It's okay. You are safe! We are here!"
Stokes. And Zeke. We are here. Not alone. Not ... And he passed out.
:::
When he opened his eyes again he was lying in a bed. Not his own one. Not his room. Someone was sitting in the chair beside him, reading. Not his mom, a girl, much younger than she was. He stared at her and tried to remember. He knew her. Marie!? Marie, from his art course at school. They had worked together on a project last year. But what was she doing here? And why did she look so pale, so tired?
He moved carefully, feeling weak and stiff, but he needed to find out what was going on here. Marie looked up, her eyes went wide, but suddenly a smile showed up on her face.
"Hey. You did wake up," she said. "That's good!"
Casey frowned. "What has happened," he asked with a croaky voice. "What am I doing here?"
Marie bit her lower lip, haltingly, as if she didn't know what to say. "You can't remember?"
Casey sank back onto the bed and closed his eyes again. Pictures were crossing his mind. Nightmare like. Blurred. Unreal. "Mary Beth," he murmured. "Stokely said to kill her is the only way to save everyone. It didn't work, huh?"
Marie blinked and kept quiet. But deep inside he knew the truth anyway. "It was not ... just a stupid nightmare," he said. "No one did survive!"
"I am here," Marie whispered. "Stokely is here, Stan, a few others. Because you saved us."
Saved them? They were still alive? Stan. Stokes. Zeke??? Casey still was dizzy; impossible to say what was real and what was only an illusion. He looked around in the room, plain white walls, a green carpet, modern art. High windows, the curtains, green ones, fitting to the rug, closed.
"Where am I?"
"It's the Marriott Hotel. We did bring you here two weeks ago. You didn't want to wake up. And there was no one we could ask for help. All we could do was ..." She stopped and sniffed slightly.
"Hey!" Casey needed all his willpower to sit up again and put a hand on her arm. "I'm fine, okay!"
The biggest lie ever. But at least it made Marie smile again, a faint smile only, but a smile. "I guess I should go and tell the others. They will be relieved to hear the news."
:::
Two months had passed since Mary Beth. And life was going on ... at least for some for them. First, there had been hope, that others, some adults, might come to help them. But soon enough they needed to accept that whatever had killed most of the population of Herrington had raged at other places too. And not only in Ohio. People died almost everywhere; their bodies dissolved into a slimy mass within some hours; only some days later, it was as if they had never existed. But whatever the reason was, some children, teenagers were able to survive, in a strange world which would never be the same as before.
Only slowly they started to accept that everything that life had meant for them before was gone forever. Their parents, who gave them a home, who loved them, cared for them. Their teachers who had taught them a lot of stuff which should have helped them through life later. Stupid TV shows, mindless video-games, parties, what had seemed so important for them before. Gone forever. They were left behind entirely on their own.
Some of them had looked for shelter in the Marriott Hotel, and they got more and more every day. After the first shock, no one wanted to be alone, and the hotel offered room for all of them. The hotel stores were still well-stocked, a small generator in the basement provided power. There was no need to leave the building and to deal with the empty world around them.
It was Gabe who finally dared to point out what no one else wanted to admit. Also the resources of the hotel wouldn't be everlasting. It was only a matter of time; the power would come to an end, no frozen food anymore, no microwaves, no light in the night. No running water. There was still a lot of tin food and bottled water, yes, but it wouldn't last forever. If they wanted to survive, they needed to be more careful with what they had. And, most important, they needed to look for other ways to go on without all these comforts.
A lot of them refused to listen, the truth was much too cruel, but some of them took Gabe's side. And step by step, they started to organize their new life.
:::
Miles and miles away from Herrington, somewhere in another town, another country.
The young man was lying near the fire. It was almost burned down to the embers, but it was all that could warm him at least a bit during the cold night. He felt sick, worn out, ready to die.
Only some weeks ago his life had been like the life of most other teenagers. School, friends, his chess-club. He had parents and a little brother. Sometimes he could get so clingy like limpets, followed him wherever he wanted to go. He had gotten angry, yelled at him. His brother did run back into the house, crying desperately.
It had been the last time he had seen him. It happened out of the blue; no one could say what was going on. People started to die, only a few of them at first but with every hour it got more and more. Until finally, some days later, most of the adults were dead and gone. Like his mom, like his father. He couldn't find his brother anymore.
Some weeks he was looking for him; at the neighborhood, at the mall, at the town. Desperate, confused children and teenagers everywhere, but not his brother. Slowly he started to realize that no one was left anymore; he had lost everyone who had ever meant something to him. Why he was still alive was a cruel riddle. All he wanted was to lie down and follow them.
But this night the voice in his head got louder. "You will not die today!" He opened his eyes and looked around. He was alone. Besides this voice. "There is a lot to do!"
"Where are you? What do you want?"
"I am where you want me to be. And you know what I ask you for."
"Leave me alone!"
"I can't. I need your help. Get up and find him. It's the only chance for this world."
He didn't understand. But there was no way to turn the voice down. So he gave in; got dressed, grabbed for his old backpack, and off he was. On his way to Ohio, Herrington. He had never heard about this town before. But he knew, God would show him his way.