Reboot Universe (AU / crossover Faculty/Jeremiah) - written for Livejournal

[prisca]

Title: A Mysterious Guy (Reboot Part 3)
Characters: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler, Mr. Smith
Wordcount: 2114
finished: 2013


Zeke stopped in front of the swing doors which lead to the biggest restaurant in the hotel. The Mensa, like they called it now. It was almost empty like it should be in the moment; everyone had some work to do — work, which did help them to survive.

It was almost eight months now after the 'Big Death'. The virus, left behind from a dying alien queen, had killed most of the population of Ohio, maybe even the whole world. But surprisingly, life did go on for some of them. In the meantime, about one hundred people were living in the Merriott Hotel in Herrington under the leadership of Gabe and two of his former football buddies. Someone needed to pull strings needed to organize their new life. There was still enough tinned food, and they could find fresh fruits and vegetables in the gardens nearby. But clean water started to be a problem. The electricity supply was broken down. They still had the emergency generator of the hotel, which was working with diesel, but Gabe had decided to restrict the use of it to only two hours a day.

Zeke had never given much about rules, but he was smart enough to know that some of them were necessary now when they wanted to survive the next winter. And Casey should know this too.

Slowly Zeke entered the Mensa and went over to the table at the other side of the room where his friend was sitting together with a small, unknown man. With his worn-out clothes, much too light for the rainy, stormy autumn weather in Ohio, and the big, old backpack beside him, it was evident that he had been on the road for quite a long time. Like many others nowadays.

"Hey,” Zeke said.

Casey looked up and smiled wide. "Oh... Hi!"

Zeke groaned inwardly. He knew how this would go. "Can we talk? Alone!”

Casey put on his best stubborn face. "He is sick, Zeke! It's freezing cold outside during the nights. He needs a place to rest at least for some time. And he is hungry."

Zeke eyed the little man who was cowering on his chair. Indeed, he did look as if he could need some help. But a lot of people did. For a good reason Gabe had decided some weeks ago that they couldn't take in even more people. It was difficult enough to ensure the survival of all of them. Impossible to help everyone out there.

But Casey refused to accept this. Not a big surprise, he was a good guy with a big heart. Zeke shook his head and sighed. "Case! You know what Gabe will say when he finds out?”

His face darkened. “I give a shit about his rules.”

“I know, it's kinda hard. But he put them on for a good reason.”

Casey snorted. “Gabe acts like a dictator. I wish you would have taken over the leadership before he did. You would not let it happen that we send people away who need our help.”

Zeke smirked. “No, thanks, I'm happy with what I do. Who else could organize all the things we need, if not me? And Gabe is doing quite a good job. The world has changed, Casey, we can't ignore it any longer that no one will come to help us. If we want to survive the next months, years, we need to help ourselves first. Everyone is self-responsible now.”

“And what do you expect me to do,” Casey tore him out of his thought. “Kick him out into the rain where he could die? You can't be serious!”

Thoughtfully Zeke looked at the man who was still sitting there motionless, his hands around the mug of tea Casey had given him. He looked pretty tired, not in the slightest dangerous. Zeke wasn't even sure if he even knew where he was and what was going on around him. Nevertheless, there was some strange about him, that warned Zeke better not to trust him.

Suddenly the guy lifted his head and stared at Casey. “He's told me to come here,” he murmured with a low voice.

Casey smiled reassuringly. “And that's okay. You can stay as long as you want.”

And Zeke decided to give in for the moment, knowing well enough that he would never convince Casey as long as he was in this stubborn mood.

+++

When he came back about an hour later, the man was still sitting there, a plate of hot soup in front of him now, silently chatting with Casey. Zeke sighed inwardly. Probably he would regret it later, but he couldn't help it. He knew all too well that Casey was still fighting with a lot of guilty feelings. This was his way to make up for what he thought was his fault.

“You can stay for a night or two,” he said and pushed a key over the table. “But that's all we can do for you. And you better stay on the third floor of the Marriotts. Strangers are not very welcome here."

The man looked up, his green-brown eyes dark and unreadable, impossible to find out what was going on in his head. “I guess, this will be enough, thanks. As soon as I've fulfilled my duty, I'm gonna leave.”

Zeke watched him putting the spoon beside the now empty plate and grabbing for his backpack before he slowly got up. He turned to Casey and nodded, seemed to be more open for a split of a second, then his eyes darkened again, while he left the mensa.

Casey smiled wildly. “Thank you,” he said.

Zeke smirked, still feeling uneasy. “Case, you need to stop this,” he sighed. “You can't take in everyone you meet on the roads. Too many maniacs out there.”

And he knew what he was talking about. He did meet them almost every day, on old farms, in the towns around Herrington, in the woods. He was the one with good connections. At Herrington High he had been the dealer number one when it came to special wishes. He still was. He was away all day long, to find everything that was so desperately needed at their shelter. No one ever asked what he sometimes had to do for it. Better that way.

“He's not dangerous,” Casey insisted.

“He's kinda weird!”

“Not more than most of us. He's all alone, Zeke, always on the road. No place to stay. He says he doesn't know where he belongs to. No wonder that he tries to escape in his phantasies. He thinks he's a messenger.”

Zeke frowned. “What kind of messenger?”

“God did send him here with an important message.”

“Oh shit. A religious nut!” Zeke huffed annoyed. “And what kind of message can this be? God did all this because the world had turned into a hotbed of sin? But he decided to spare some chosen ones. Shall we be thankful now and praise his grace?”

The anger against this odd man grew even more. How could he dare it? How could he dare it to come here and talk about God, after all that had happened? A God Zeke had never believed in anyway. His mom went to church almost every day, and did it help her? Or him? His dad had been a workaholic, but after work, the booze was his best friend. He didn't care about his son nor his wife. They had to follow his rules, otherwise ... Annoyed about himself, Zeke shook his head. It was over. This shithead was dead. A virus had finally done what he had wanted to do for years, to protect his mom. Now she was dead too. He couldn't even mourn about her. He had loved her, yes, but at the same time he had hated her for being so weak.

“I don't think it's something like that,” Casey says. Thankfully Zeke focused on him again. It was easier to deal with the present than to think about the past. “He says, God gave him the order without any explanation, but when the time is right for it, he will tell him. He always does.”

Zeke pulled the face. “This is barking bullshit,” he murmured.

Casey smiled. “It's not that I do believe in it,” he admitted. “But he does. And if it helps him to move on. It's nothing wrong with it, isn't it? We all need something to believe in.”

“Two days,” Zeke said. “I will give him two days to find out what he's actually doing here. Then I will chuck him out on his ears. And you should better stay away from him. Just to be sure, okay? Will you promise me that?”

“Sure, I'm gonna be careful,” Casey said, and his eyes sparkled. “But first I need to look for some warm blankets. Did you notice his worn-out coat? No wonder that he got sick.”

+++

Two days later. Casey was standing in the backdoor of the hotel together with the stranger. Zeke noticed the thick dark jacket strapped on the heavy backpack, and he knew Casey had helped him out not only with a warm blanket.

"So, you are leaving us," he asked.

The guy turned around to him and nodded. "Yeah. My job is done. I shouldn't stay any longer.” Zeke watched him grabbing for his backpack. A short glance at Casey, not a 'Goodbye' or a 'Thank you.' Just almost unhearable: “I'm sorry!” And he started to walk down the road without looking back. Zeke huffed slightly. What an asshole! After all Casey had done for him.

“Case?!” He put a hand onto his shoulder and felt him wincing. “What's wrong?”

Reluctantly Casey looked up, the face pale, his eyes wide open. “Let's get in; it's getting cold.”

Zeke cursed slightly. It was a beautiful, warm autumn day; the rain had finally stopped; the sun was shining. And it was impossible to overlook that Casey tried to hide something from him. He hadn't looked so paralyzed for weeks. “What has he done,” he wanted to know.

“Really, Zeke, it's nothing!” Casey shook his head and forced a smile onto his face. As if this would fool him. “He's just babbling.”

Zeke frowned. “What did he say?”

Casey shrugged.“It doesn't make much sense. He says I will have to leave Herrington soon enough.”

“Huh?” Zeke was not sure what to think about this. But he would find out. He would beat the shit out of this scum. Without hesitation, he turned around to followed the guy who already had left the hotel.

“Hey,” Zeke yelled and grabbed the collar of his coat. “Hey. Stop, I say! What the hell are you talking about? Don't you know what this makes with Casey? He tries to help you, and this is your way to thank him?”

The guy didn't try to jerk free, he neither looked terrified, despite Zeke's clenched fist, his enraged words. He was just standing there, almost two heads smaller than he was, ready to accept everything without a word of protest. Zeke took a deep breath, inwardly trembling. He did hurt Casey, no way that he would let him go off that lightly.

“No!” Suddenly Casey was beside them. He hadn't noticed him coming closer. “Don't hurt him! He did nothing wrong.”

Hesitating Zeke opened his fist, loosened his grip enough to give the guy at least a bit room to breathe. He coughed twice but still didn't move. “So, what is all this about,” Zeke asked. “You'd better have a good excuse!”

“I'm just the messenger. God did send me here. He says: The fate of the humankind doesn't lie in Herrington any longer. He needs to go to Thunder Mountain. Only then the world can be saved.”

Under other circumstances Zeke would have laughed out loud. But one glance at Casey and he knew what was going on inside him. Despite his words, he did take all too serious what this guy was talking about. Seething with rage, Zeke lunged out; the little guy lost his balance and went down to the ground. Without having even an eye for him, Zeke put his arms around Casey's shoulder. He could feel him trembling.

“Don't listen to him,” he said reassuring. “This is bullshit. You don't have to go anywhere.”

The guy looked up to them. “He can't escape his fate,” he murmured. “No one can. We are all part of his plan.” Then he stiffened and cocked his head. As if he listened to someone, no one else was able to hear.

Weird. Zeke had already seen a lot, but this guy definitely gave him the creeps. All he wanted was to bring Casey away from him, back into the hotel. He could only hope that all this would not throw him back into the bad state he had been right after the incident with MaryBeth.

“You are the one. You did it. You killed her. She was not from this world, and when she died, she left the Big Death behind.”

Zeke did hear Casey's cry like through a haze. At the last moment, he caught him when he collapsed.