Chapter Text
McVries was dead. Rays best friend on this walk was dead. He was left limping alongside Stebbins. The one person that Ray had not had a single truely positive thought about in the days they'd been slowely trudging towards their death. Stebbins, the skinny kid in the tree. Stebbins, the unbeatable asshole who made Ray ache with rage by uttering just a few words. Stebbins the bastard son of the major, if Ray choss to believe his mad ramblings. Stebbins the self proclaimed rabbit.
They were walking side by side. A few days ago, perhabs Ray would've been thrilled to finally talk to the quiet force that had wormed itself into his brain. And a few hours ago Ray would've been enraged by the others presence, trying to bite down the urge to swing at the others pale face. He wasn't sure what he felt now that it was actually happening. Something akin to apathy. Or maybe he was just too exhausted to actually place his feelings. Exhausted. Could he call himself exhausted by now? Had his face turned into that of Olson or Abraham by now? He had promised to walk Stebbins into the ground hadn't he? Where was his motivation to keep that promise?
Next to him, Stebbins stumbled. He drew a warning and kept limping. Ray was sure that at an earlier point in their journey he would've felt more passionate about the others warning. But by now he didn't care. He glanced at the road in front of them. They would be entering a forest soon. Ray could make it out despite the blurry curtain that had settled on his eyes hours ago. He didn't feel strongly about it. He didn't think much at this point. Just kept walking until they entered what he hoped would be the last forest he ever saw.
A gunshot broke the tired silence.
For a second Ray thought that Stebbins had bought it. He wondered if he should feel glee. He didn't. He felt nothing. However there was a brief flash of confusion that broke the apathetic veil over his brain when he realised that Stebbins was next to him. He turned to the other. The thin boy stared at him from the corner of his eye. His intense, milky blue eyes were wide and yet looked far away. Somehow, Ray found the strengh to turn his head.
There was a body on the ground, right in front of the tank that had been steadily following them. One of the previously expressionless soldiers screamed. It took Ray akwardly long to asses the situation.
It was the major that was laying on the ground. His reflector sunglasses had come off, scattered across the concrete. Around the majors head, a red puddle started seeping onto the stone. The majors body laid still as Ray kept walking, out of instinct by now.
"He's dead." Stebbins croaked out.
Ray felt like an explosive had gone off next to his ear. The blurry fog lifted from his eyes and for the first time in days, Ray felt truely awake.
Stebbins was right. Someone had shot the major. Ray had no idea who and he found he didn't want to know. For the moment he chose to believe that god himself had taken pity on them. Ray stopped in his tracks at the same time as Stebbins. But while Rays eyes were franticly scanning the situation, unable to process the thrill of it all, Stebbins just stood still. His face held no expression as he stared some extra holes into the body of his father. The soldiers were still screaming and somehow instinctivly, Ray knew what he had to do.
He francticly clawed at Stebbins pale and clammy hand. As soon as it felt like it wouldn't crush underneath his fingertips like a dry autumn leaf, Ray found the strengh to run.
For the first few moments keeping pace was hard. Stebbins stumbled a lot behind him, only this time he wasn't warned. Somehow that gave Ray the motivation to keep running. Eventually Stebbins had finally processed that they were now running, and actually helped Ray out a bit. He didn't let go of Rays hand though. Ray would've probably given up and fallen down if he had.
Ray didn't know where they were going. Around them was nothing but forest. Ray realised that if they kept going straight forward, that eventually people would catch up. He stopped dead in his tracks. Stebbins fell flat on his ass considering he was still holding onto Rays hand and had just been dragged back.
They were too out of breath to say anything. Ray crouched down and helped the other up before bolting straight for the trees. For the first time in what felt like years, Ray felt leaves under his mangled feet. He could've cried, though he wasn't sure why. They ran deeper into the forest, not sure how they managed to find the energy. But every surge of adrenaline came to an end eventually.
Ray felt himself being dragged down. He stumbled, francticly scanning around to try and figure out what had caused his fall. Ah. Stebbins had fallen down again. Only this time he was laying on his face and not getting up.
"Stebbins." He tried. His voice came out hoarse and feeble.
He crouched down again, ignoring the popping of his joints. He poked at the other. Stebbins was unresponsive. He had passed out. The way he was laying there, limp and with his face burried in the leaves, he reminded Ray of the major. Just that there wasn't a red puddle forming around Stebbins head. Ray could atleast be glad about that.
He decided they had run far enough. Though by now it was mostly his body talking, begging for him to finally let it rest. He tugged at Stebbins, unsure of what to do next. He could try to pick him up and get them somewhere more covered. Would his body work with him? He needed to try.
He carefully slid his hands under the others skinny body, trying to test the waters. He was taller than Stebbins, and much more muscular. Luckily that meant Stebbins wasn't quite too heavy for him, even in his state. He managed to lift him up into his arms, though by now his whole body was violently shaking, a desperate cry for him to finally rest. He wondered around the trees, a very unconcious Stebbins in his arms, threatening to fall everytime Ray stumbled.
Eventually he found that the ground was starting to get lower. Surrounded by a few trees was some sort of large hole. Not deep by any means but deeper than the rest of the forest floor. Logicly he was aware that the hole wouldn't be any safter than just sleeping on the normal forest floor but something in him still told him that that would be their resting place for the night.
He stepped down carefully just to slip on the last few steps and barely catch himself. He put Stebbins down and curled up close to him. This was the first time he had sat down in days. The night was cold but Ray found he didn't mind much. He was used to the cold. He closed his eyes. If the soliders found them now, Ray wouldn't be awake to expirience his death. He'd just be sleeping and wake up in eternity. It sounded peaceful. The small comfort of the thought lulled him to sleep on the dirt of the forest floor.
—
The first thing Ray registered upon waking up was agonizing pain. His body felt like it was on fire. His feet felt the worst obviously but the rest of him didn't feel much better. For a moment he didn't remember why he felt so shitty. When it came flooding back to him he blinked. The long walk. The long walk was over. The major was dead. And he was laying on the cold forest floor with Stebbins of all people. He was suprised he had woken up at all. He would've expected the soldiers to have found and shot them by now. The spring sun had risen, now shining into his face through the tree tops. He turned his head to the side. Stebbins was still laying next to him. Still out cold and unmoving.
Ray pushed himself up, reaching out to the other. His hand made contact with Stebbins raggedy green sweater. It was awfully cold from the night air. For a moment Ray was scared that the other had died from the cold. He tried shaking the other. Beneath him, Stebbins flapped around like a ragdoll.
"hm." Was the first sound Ray heard from the other this morning.
"You need to wake up." The words came out suprisingly gentle. He hadn't been aware he could be gentle with Stebbins. "We need to keep going."
The others tired eyes slowly opened, staring off into space for a while before finally focusing on him. They were a nice shade of blue. Like tinted milk glass.
"what?" Stebbins rasped, voice tired and strained. Ray wasn't used to the other acting like a normal human being. Infact, it deeply unnerved him.
"The majors dead. We're in the forest. We got away." He explained quietly. There was no real joy in the words. Both of them knew that they couldn't go on forever. Eventually they'd be caught. But until then Ray decided that he'd keep going.
Stebbins blinked. He pushed himself up, staring straight into Rays face.
"Why did you drag me along."
Ray was taken by suprise by the cold anger in Stebbins normally smooth voice. Ray didn't reply. He didn't know what to say to that. Instead he tried getting up.
He yelped as burning pain shot throughout his body. He stumbled to the ground, instinctivly curling into himself. He looked up at Stebbins and found that the smaller boy was still coldly staring at him, still seemingly expecting an answer. Ray felt a familiar rage bubble up inside him that he had come to associate with the blond.
"Jesus, can't you just be greatful? I saved your ass, you were just standing there!"
Stebbins cold gaze twisted into an angry grimace.
"Saved?" A hysterical giggle bubbled out of the other. "Saved? Garraty, you doomed us both! Had we just kept fucking walking like the compliant dogs they want us to be, one of us would've still had the chance to win!"
Ray realised that yes, maybe he shouldn't have dragged Stebbins along.
"Are you fucking serious? Do you really think they would've given a fuck about what we were doing? The major is dead Stebbins! They would've shot us right there just to avoid dealing with some stupid teenagers while they try solving their damn crisis!"
For once, Stebbins stayed quiet. His breathing was coming out in short, angry bursts. Ray couldn't place his expression. Something between rage and maybe anxious desperation.
Ray felt a sick satisfaction at the others lack of words. For once, he felt like he was in control. He tried getting up again. He was still walking on bloody socks. It hurt more than walking on a broken foot. He knew that from expirience. He had fell down a stair railing when he was in elementary school, leaving him limping back to his teachers on a mangled foot. This time it felt like both his feet were broken and on fire. Still, he towered over Stebbins in an attempt to protect the scrap of control he felt like he had in this situation.
"It dosen't matter now. We're here now. So you're either gonna get up and do what we've been taught to do or you're gonna crawl on your belly like a lizard, just like you prophesized yesterday."
Stebbins held eye contact with Ray while rising to his feet. He reminded Ray of a fawn taking its first steps. All wobbly and unstable and yet determined to prove the odds wrong. Suddendly, Stebbins was no longer the lean buddha he had worshipped him as. He was just a scrawny teenager with wobbly knees and holes in his clothes.
Stebbins took his first steps of the day, shaky and pathetic. It was obvious it hurt him a lot but the blond didn't dare grimace, still staring into Rays eyes as if to establish dominance. He stagered past Ray, on his way deeper into the forest.
"Where are you going?" Ray questioned, voice sounding a lot less annoyed than he wanted it to.
"To find a stream or something like that." Stebbins shrugged, voice pained but cold. Ray decided to try and follow. Every step was more excrutiating than the last. From the outside the two of them were probably moving dreadfully slow. He could only imagne how pitiful the display truely was.
Their search was unsuccesful for quite a while. A quite painful while actually. But eventually they found some water running throughout an opening. Stebbins crouched down with as much grace as a boy in his situation could have, took off his tennis shoes and dipped his feet in the water. Ray attempted to follow his example. He didn't even bother trying to take off his socks. They were basicly fused into the raw skin now.
The cold water was a short relief before the painful burning turned into painful freezing. He exhaled shakily, looking anywhere but at the water. He didn't want to see the gross display that the bloody lumps of flesh left in the water.
They sat there for a while longer. Ray had to fight off sleep multiple times before deciding he had had enough. He was still in control. He could decide where to go and when. He withdrew his feet, attempting to stand up again. It wasn't quite as bad this time. He managed to stand well enough to not fall right over.
"We need to go." Once again, his voice didn't quite have the tone he wanted it to. It didn't matter. Stebbins followed after him.
"What's your brilliant plan then, Garraty?"
He asked mockingly behind him.
"Walk out on the street and wait until your mommy picks us up? Or shall we keep living in the forest, befriend a few squirrels and let them hunt for us?"
Ah. There was the Stebbins he'd grown to loathe. Not that Ray was too happy about the development. Unfortunatly, Stebbins did make a point. What was the plan now?
"We need to find a town" He decided, looking back at the blond. Stebbins just blinked for a moment before breaking out into another hysterical giggle. A hollow sound, filling Ray with dread.
"That's your plan? Really?" His hysterical giggle evolved into a resentful laugh that sounded an awful lot like a sob.
"They'll recognize us Garraty! They'll rat us right out and we'll be dead by evening!" His giggeling continued. Stebbins curled into himself while forcing out the ugly laugh.
"We'll find a phone. And we'll call my mother." Ray said firmly. He immideatly knew how pathetic it sounded. What the hell was mom supposed to do? Shield them from the terror perhabs. Atleast for a day or two before they knocked down their door and shot them in front of his mom. He saw now how pathetic he must look.
"Do you have a better plan?" He asked sarcasticly, though his voice dosen't carry the intended bite.
"No." Stebbins exhaled, stupid smile still plastered onto his face. There was a manic glint in his eyes, as he gave Ray a lopsided grin. "Let's follow that plan of yours! Let's find a town and ask your mom to pick us up!"
Stebbins was activly loosing his mind, Ray decided. He wasn't any better off unfortunatly so he decided not to comment and focus on his painful steps instead.