3. King and Queen

"Tell me why we need new clothes again?" Talia shouted over the van's roaring engine.

Kent had been driving for five hours straight and, by some stroke of luck, they hadn't encountered any Mutts or members of Folter.

Agatha turned around from her passenger seat to face Talia. "We need something to blend in with our surroundings. These grey sweats are too noticeable."

"Where are we going to find a store?" asked Gary. "I didn't think there would be a city for miles."

"We're actually pretty close to a city," Kent answered. "Only an hour till we get there."

The van stayed at a constant eighty miles per hour, making each turn that Kent took throw everyone from side to side.

"What about gas?" Gary asked, surfacing an important detail.

"Gas?" Kent laughed. "Boy, we haven't had a need for gas since 2014!"

"Well, forgive me for being imprisoned since then."

Forrest looked up. "How did you get taken, Gary? We've known you for years, me and Talia, but you never told us how Folter got you."

Gary shifted. "Well to be fair, Talia hasn't told me how she was taken either."

"You're saying that Talia was taken at a different time than you?" Agatha asked Forrest.

"Yeah," he replied. "Actually, I didn't even know I had a sister until she approached me in Folter."

"How's that possible?" Gary asked.

Talia ignored the conversation, focusing on sharpening her knives instead.

"It took Folter five years to find her," said Forrest. "I was there ever since I was two; since the beginning, and I never had a memory of a sister."

"Where were you during those five years, Talia?" asked Agatha.

Gary and Agatha turned to her, expecting an answer. But it never came. Talia just sat, admiring the dagger in her hand.

"She won't tell anyone," Forrest said. "No one really knows what she was doing, but I think she was just running the whole time."

Talia's head snapped up. "I was not running," she barked.

"Then what were you doing?" Gary asked.

She went back to sharpening her blade.

Forrest sighed. "Told you guys. Well, how did they find you, Gary?"

Gary shifted and looked up, trying to remember exactly how it happened. "I was at a friend's house staying the night. We had the house to ourselves and we were fifteen.…so we looked for some drinks. After a few shots everything gets a little fuzzy; I can't remember a lot of what happened that night."

He scrunched up his face, "What I do remember, though, was some man.…He had green scales infecting half of his face; his eyes were yellow and he had small fangs that were always red. I remember him smiling all the time."

Talia stiffened at the description, but no one noticed.

Gary continued. "I think I blacked out for a while, because the next thing I remember was waking up inside Folter, surrounded by Mutts. This isn't a real exciting story, sorry to disappoint you."

Agatha shook her head. "I think your story is all the more awful and creepy because you don't know what happened."

Gary just smiled. "I've learned not to fear the unknown anymore. I used to be scared of what could've happened that night, but then I decided that actually living in Folter must be worse than whatever did happen."

"I guess that's true."

"So how long till we get to that city, Kent?" Talia asked.

"Probably another half hour," answered his rough, husky voice.

"So, Talia told me something interesting last night," said Gary. "She said that there's a rebellion formed by where we're going."

"We know," Forrest nodded slowly.

"Really?" Gary exclaimed. "Was I the last one to know?"

"Yes," Talia answered.

"Don't feel bad," Agatha reassured Gary. "She didn't tell any of us until right before we broke out. You were off doing something else when she told us."

"Yeah, what were you doing then, Gary?" Talia asked.

Imitating Talia before, Gary looked out the window and kept silent. But instead of a composed façade, his cheeks seemed to be sporting a pinkish hue. This didn't go unnoticed by Kent, who decided to look back after a few seconds' silence.

"Oh!" Kent drawled. "Did someone find a nice lady friend?"

Talia's eyes narrowed. "You were having fun with a girl while we all were trying to find a way to escape!" she accused.

"No!" Gary defended. "Well, yes. But - I didn't mean - It wasn't like - I have needs, too, okay?" he stuttered.

"You dumbass," stated Talia. "While we were all risking our lives you were back having it off with some bimbo! You just got a free ride out from us, didn't you?"

He stayed quiet, guilty of what he was being accused of.

"Nice job," Kent smiled.

"What?" exclaimed Gary.

"You were able to be free by doing the least amount of work," Kent laughed. "Well played."

Gary shook his head. "I'm so confused…"

"Don't be," Agatha interrupted. "Kent's goal in life is to get the most he can from life by doing the least amount of work. Right now you're probably a hero to him."

"Pathetic," Talia mumbled.

"Come on," Gary drawled. "At least I was only preoccupied for a short time, you were gone for five years. You can do a lot during that time."

"Oh please, I wouldn't waste my time with shit like that."

He shrugged. "Well, until you tell us what you were doing I'm only going to assume the worst."

Talia scoffed. "Gross."

"Hey!" Forrest exclaimed. "I can see some buildings coming up!"

"Awesome," Gary said. "I can't wait to get out of these clothes."

"After we're done we have to get some supplies," Agatha informed.

As they all drove up, Forrest looked out the windows with wide eyes and smile. The approaching buildings shined against the hot sun. They didn't look any different from when everyone last saw them at least five years ago, save for the desolate streets. The only noise for miles was the engine of the van; it echoed off the tall buildings once they all reached the city.

Talia stood up, her eyes darting back and forth. "I've been around some creepy shit, but this place gives me goose bumps."

Everyone agreed with a slight nod, too petrified to answer. They weren't sure if was of shock of not being in a city for so long; or if it was because at every turn it felt as it someone was watching them.

"Over there is a clothing store," Kent pointed, swerving the vehicle to it.

Gary sat up straight. "What kind of store is it?"

"I'm not sure, it has the letters AE on the front…" the gray-haired man put a hand to his head, scratching it.

"Wait, isn't it that place?" Agatha snapped her fingers. "American Eagle?"

"I remember their stuff," Talia stated. "It's pretty durable, and they have a lot of flexible clothes."

Forrest turned to her. "Why would we need clothes that are flexible?"

"Because, little brother, it doesn't matter what we look like anymore. Just as long as we can move freely in them."

Kent parked the car outside the abandoned store. "It's totally black in there…"

"Will lights work?" his wife asked.

"Probably not," he answered. "If they do we can't turn them on. We can't give them our location. Let's use the flashlights in here."

Gary and Talia reached to grab a few flashlights, and tossed them to everyone. Getting out of the car, everyone took a deep breath. Despite being in an enclosed city, the air seemed fresh and abundant. Every step they took echoed into the streets, accompanying the wind that whistled against the buildings.

Agatha advanced to the door; with a soft push, the door swung open, revealing several dusty piles of clothes. "How are we going to find anything decent in here?" she coughed.

"How are we not?" Talia sped to the piles of clothes, searching for the best ones for fighting. "These clothes are almost perfect," she said, lifting up a pair of dark green cargo shorts.

"Those are men's clothes," Gary pointed at the shorts Talia was holding.

"Who cares?" she stated. "Just as long as I can move around, I'm fine." She began to strip off her sweatpants from Folter, not caring who saw.

"Talia!" Agatha scoffed. "That's unladylike!"

Talia ignored her, pulling up the cargo shorts.

Forrest laughed. "Look who you're talking to, Agatha. Talia hasn't been ladylike since I met her."

"All done!" Kent stepped out of a dark spot in the store, fully clothed and comfortable; he simply wore a pair of jeans and white tee.

"Same here," Talia stated, wearing those dark green cargo shorts and a black shirt; it made her usually dark expression even darker.

"Man you guys are fast," Agatha stated.

Talia walked towards the van. "Well, hurry up then! Let's not waste our time," she slammed the front door shut, leaving Kent, Gary, Agatha, and Forrest in the store. Kent shortly followed after, not wanting to stay there any longer.

Gary lifted up two tee-shirts, a blood red one and a black one. "Which one looks better on me?" he asked, alternating the two tees in front of him.

"I'd go with the red one," Forrest answered.

Gary nodded. "I thought so too."

"I think I'm going to go with this navy blue one. It'll blend in better when we're camping for a night."

Both boys hurried to dress to avoid a cranky Talia. Gary pulled on some black shorts and Forrest snapped on some jeans. Agatha walked passed them with light jeans and a white, flowery shirt one.

"It may be the last shirt I wear and I like it, so deal," she stated once she got in the car and saw Talia open her mouth to make a rude remark.

Kent started the van. "Well where to know?"

"Just keep heading west," Agatha instructed. "If I'm right, we're about to cross the California border into Nevada."

"Nevada?" Gary asked. "Wasn't there some town there that was famous for gambling?"

"Yup," Talia answered, finding places in her cargo shorts for her knives and guns. "Las Vegas."

Forrest scrunched his nose. "Lost Vegas? How can a city be lost?"

"Las not lost. No 't.'" his sister corrected.

Once out of the city, they entered a desert plain, scorching with the rays of the sun. There wasn't a tree in sight, only sand covered the area for miles and miles.

"Hey guys," Gary's voice shook a bit. "What's that?"

Up ahead there was a patch of black; advancing on the it, it appeared to be a hill. Looking at the distance between them, Talia could tell that it was no ordinary hill; it was too familiar.

"Kent," Talia stood. "I would slow down a bit."

"Why?" Kent shrugged. "It's just a mound. We're going to pass it anyways."

"A black mound?" she questioned. "In the middle of a desert? How is that normal?"

"What's considered normal now?"

"Kent! You have to trust me, I've seen those before and it's best if we turn around."

"When?" he asked, not slowing down the vehicle. The mound was only a few miles away now.

"It's moving," came Forrest's small voice. "The hill…it's like - "

"A swarm," Talia finished. "I thought so."

Kent put his foot down hard on the brakes. Everyone shot forward and Talia caught her head on the back of his seat.

"Swarm?" Agatha spoke up to Talia. "What do you mean by that?"

She rubbed her head. "It's a hive. I encountered one during those five years I evaded Folter. They're not pretty."

"A hive?" asked Gary. "Like a beehive?"

Talia nodded. "Mutts. This is the strongest kind. At least from what I've fought, this is the strongest. And being caught by them is a bitch to get out of."

"They mutated human and bee DNA?" her brother asked.

"Wasp DNA to be exact," she answered. "But enough about that, we need to turn around now."

But before they could even move the car again, a large being placed itself at the front of the van. Everyone froze in shock at that moment, making the being smile.

"Is that a Mutt?" Gary asked.

Talia replied by nodding. "The most dangerous one there is," she whispered.

In front of the van was a large wasp with the torso that of a woman's. It had no legs; instead, a large stinger at the bottom. The head was a woman's, antennas came out at the top, and golden wings spread outward behind it. Its color was not like other Mutt's, but a pure gold that shone all over the body.

"The most dangerous," its high pitched voice hissed. "And the most intelligent."

In one fluid movement, it broke the front windshield and stabbed Agatha in the neck with a small stinger on its forefinger. Agatha screamed and fell limp in the passenger seat.

"No!" shouted Kent, but in an attempt to defend his wife, the Mutt breathed a dark gas into the van.

Talia pulled out one of her guns and shot the Mutt in the torso. What she didn't expect it to do was ricochet off the golden body and back into her thigh. She screamed in agony; Gary and Forrest bent down to check on her.

"Nice try, pests," the Mutt laughed. It leaned in farther in the gas filled van, passing Agatha and Kent, who were knocked out in the front. The Mutt bent over the three and exhaled that black smoke again.

Gary got up to try and stop it, but fell to the ground, victim of the mysterious gas. Forrest tried to protect Talia and stood over her like a cage. Sighing its smoke into his face, the Mutt succeeded in making Forrest fall onto his sister. Prying Forrest off of her, she tried to avoid the smoke. The Mutt was approaching closer, giving Talia a better look at it. With a quick grab of her dagger, she stabbed it right in between the eyes, where there was a small patch that wasn't gold, but black. The Mutt screamed in defeat and soon retreated to its colony.

Talia smirked in victory and fell back onto the cold, metal floor. The van was still full of gas and she tried to stay awake. It was a feeble attempt, but as she slipped into unconsciousness, she heard the humming wings of more creatures coming to take them.

BREAK

"X-Xavier?" Mr. Jones stuttered. "Xavier Caine?"

"Yes, Jones," the yellow-eyed man replied. "I've received information about you and your colleagues running about and being in places you shouldn't be."

"You shouldn't hide things from employees," Talia interjected, feeling confident despite their position.

Xavier smiled. "Wow, a little bit of attitude, huh? Look, I just wanted to give you a little warning. Nothing else."

"And if I don't follow that warning?" Mr. Jones inquired.

"Then," Xavier frowned, "your pretty little family will be in big trouble."

Mr. Jones took a step backwards with his mouth agape.

Talia ignored the admonition. "What exactly are you doing?"

The boss turned to her and smiled. "In due time will you find out. I'm not going to be one of those stupid men who reveal their plans too soon. By the time you see what's going on it'll be too late."

"I'm a very impatient person," Talia said darkly. Even her father didn't recognize his daughter and was frightened of what she was becoming right before his eyes.

"It seems I'm going to have to remember your name, Talia," Xavier noted. "I'm sure it won't be the last I hear from you. Have a good night, Mr. Jones."

With that, he left the house with a poisonous smell. Talia watched as he left with a sneer on her face. She didn't like people messing with her, and especially didn't like it when her family was threatened. Once he was out of her sight, Talia got up and knelt beside her mother, observing the wounds she held.

"It's easy to forget you're only ten years old," Mr. Jones told his daughter.

"When do you think she'll wake up?"

"Maybe in a few hours, depending on when he…bite her."

Talia stiffened. "How dare he?"

"Excuse me?" her father furrowed his brow.

"I'm going to find out what they're doing," she answered. "He's not normal. This isn't…normal."

Mr. Jones smiled, thinking Talia's determination was cute.

"Why are you smiling?" she frowned. "Are you going to just sit there while this…Xavier guy continues whatever he is doing? Really? You only said one thing to him and backed off when it got scary!"

"I was just thinking about our family," he replied gently. "It's better for us to ignore what's going on instead of getting involved."

"I disagree," Talia stood up and advanced to the front door. Little Forrest started to cry because of all the conflict.

"What are you doing, young lady!" Mr. Jones called, picking up the distressed baby. "You're ten years old! What could you possibly do to stop him and whatever he's doing?"

Talia stopped by the door and turned to face her father. "I'm going to train. I'm going to fight, and I'm going to win."

"The age of man is over. The darkness comes; and all the lessons we've learned here have only just begun." - Kings and Queens, 30 Seconds to Mars