Work Text:
Feeling Safe
Sirius rubbed his cold arms as he went for his morning jog around the camp-site. He knew that he had an appointment with Charlus, he had received the message the evening before.
He wanted to be more relaxed and himself when he went to see the man.
Finishing his run, he headed to the showers and pressed the button for the timer to start it's countdown, as he stepped under the water. Much too soon, a warning light went off. Sirius quickly rinsed the soap from his body and turned the water off before the hot-water could shut off, leaving only the ice-cold water.
James hadn't mentioned that part when he had shown Sirius around the camp-site for the first time, a month before. Sirius was still trying to get James back for that cruel and evil prank.
James still teased him for screaming like a girl as the cold water doused him.
He stepped out of the small cubicle, grabbing his towel of the bench and quickly and thoroughly drying himself. He pulled on the clean clothes he had brought with him, and threw the towel into the laundry basket, before returning to his tent to put down the clothes he had been running in.
Materials in the camp were a bit scarce, and Sirius decided to put the sweaty t-shirt in the wash, and leave the trousers. It wasn't ideal, but there wasn't much choice in the matter.
He brushed his still-damp hair, and left the small tent.
...oOo...
Sirius knocked on the door of the Head-Cabin. Dorea Potter opened the door, smiling at him. "Sirius, we've been expecting you," she said, stepping aside.
Sirius greeted her and headed through to the main office, where Charlus was looking through some papers, frowning. He glanced up as the door opened. "Sirius," he said in greeting. "Take a seat."
Sirius slipped into the seat.
"I'll be blunt with you," Charlus began. "You've been training with us for a month now, but I have to admit that you're already one of our best. Your upbringing... though we had some concerns at first about how you would handle shooting and stuff... but you're a natural at it. You've got one of the best shots."
"My father was a fan of shooting. I took the sport up to make him proud," Sirius said, his voice somewhat sour.
Charlus took a moment to examine the expression on his face, before he glanced down at the papers again.
"To the point - right now we have you doing odd jobs around the site, whilst you're in training. But there's not that much we can have you learn anymore. We've been discussing this and want to know what job you would like to do in camp."
"I have a feeling that you have some ideas?"
"I was considering having you as a guard, but with your skills... well, I am going to give you a choice. You could be a guard here, patrolling, scouting the nearby woods, checking that our defences are secure... or you could join one of our teams."
"What do the teams do?"
"They go back out into the world. We get wind of people out there, we go and help. We need raids on places where weapons are held, we go and raid the place. Food, seeds, gardening equipment... sanitary towels."
"Sanitary towels?" Sirius asked.
Charlus nodded. "Toothbrushes, toothpaste... that sort of stuff. We need all we can get. There are lots of girls here... without... them, the girls are having to make do and it means more washing and lots of embarrassment and upset. Basically anything and everything that can be of use and transported back."
Sirius nodded, thinking it through. He knew that the safest bet would be to stay as a guard, but there were other people out there - the camp needed things.
"Do you give all of the teams a choice?"
Charlus nodded. "I do," he said. "I lead one of the teams. You'll be with me and James. I wouldn't put you with anyone else, because you don't seem to trust many people. Trust is good in these situations."
Sirius nodded his head. "I want to help. I want to be a part of the team. When do we get started?"
Charlus stood up, grabbing his jacket. "Immediately. We'll get you a pack. But once we leave this camp, there are no practical jokes or messing about - I know how you and James can be. You watch each other's backs."
Sirius just nodded.
"My brother -"
"Isn't that skilled with guns as you are. I would trust him as a guard, but not in leaving the camp. The team has to be strong, if one person isn't, they could jeopardise the whole team."
...oOo...
Sirius waved nervously at his little brother. "I'll be back soon."
"Be careful," Regulus replied. "I mean it!"
"Don't worry, this is what I've been training for," Sirius assured him. "Charlus has spent the whole day going over everything I've learnt, practising with me, and going over the rules they've set up. I'll be safe."
"And... and James?"
Sirius frowned slightly. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine too. Why? You barely know him?"
"You barely know him either," Regulus snapped, blushing slightly.
Sirius narrowed his eyes at Regulus. "Don't go making stupid-eyes at my best-friend," he said. "But I'll do my best to protect him. Charlus said this should be a simple run, one that another team should usually do - but he decided for his team to do it so I could get used to what it's like."
Regulus nodded, not looking entirely convinced.
"It'll be alright," Sirius assured him again. "I'll see you later, Reg."
...oOo...
Sirius and Regulus only had a moment to look at their own parents, blood running over his mother's face when where she had ripped a chunk out of their father's neck.
A chunk that should have left him dead, not have him up, blood dripping from the wound as he eyed them hungrily, as though they were a delicious leg of lamb to chew on.
"Shit," Sirius whispered, looking between them, before grabbing his brother's arms and the rucksacks they had returned from their trip with. He slammed the door closed, and Regulus made to run up the stairs.
"Are you stupid?" he roared at his younger brother. "They'll trap you up there, you'll... they might try and make you their next meal. Roasted Regulus with a side of Sirius salad."
"The guns," Regulus roared. "In Father's case upstairs. What the fuck are they? What happened..."
"Zombies," Sirius replied, holding the door closed, though there was banging against it. "Go and get them, I'll try and keep them at bay for a few minutes."
Regulus ran up the stairs, and Sirius heard a door bang open. His eyes ghosted across the nearby bookcase for a weapon - any sort of weapon.
He used his free hand to rip the shelf itself from the case, letting the books fall to the floor. He was glad for once of the small silver pegs holding the shelf in place, rather than them being screwed in.
Setting it within reach, he hastily grabbed the handle with his other hand, as the force behind the door increased. The door inched it's way open, despite his best efforts, and he could see the monster that had taken over his mother.
Well, the new monster that had overtaken her. She was already a monster in his books.
Realising that they would get out eventually, Sirius let go of the door, letting the pair fall back. He grabbed the shelf and rushed up the stairs, hoping that Regulus had some luck.
He ran into the room. "We don't have a lot of time -" he began, his eyes widening as Regulus passed him one of their father's hunting guns. "We need to get out of here, we need to... if they bite anyone else, it'll spread."
"What are you saying?" Regulus asked.
"We have to kill them," Sirius said.
Regulus threw him a bag. "Everything is in there," he said. "Guns, ammo... can we really..."
Sirius was already facing the door, his gun up, ready.
"Those aren't our parents anymore," he said, coldly, as the thing that had once been his mother came into sight. A bullet went straight into her head, and she dropped to the ground.
The other one was quicker, almost to Sirius. Sirius didn't aim his gun in time, but he heard the sound of a shot, and the creature fell to the ground.
He looked at his brother, who was holding a gun out, his hand shaking. He stared back in horror. "What did I just do?"
"You saved my life," Sirius told him. "Two monsters, and they would have killed us and many more people. Now... zombies - we need to pack fast and light and find somewhere safe."
Regulus nodded. "What do we need?"
"You know those packets of noodles? Get every packet. They're light and don't take up much room. We want things that don't need to go in a fridge or freezer and things with a long date. The lighter the better."
Regulus nodded his head. "I'm on it."
Four months of travelling, looking for somewhere safe, Sirius and Regulus were caught in a nest of six zombies. They were running for their lives, needing to get back to the house they had been in, for more ammo, when they noticed three people running towards them.
"Get behind us," the older man with dark hair shouted, already raising his gun.
Seeing as how the people had weapons and Regulus and Sirius hadn't, they done as they were told, and listened to the sound of bullets hitting the zombies.
"What are you doing out here in daylight?" the younger one said, annoyed.
"James," the man said.
"Sorry dad."
"My brother was hurt... we needed medicine."
They all took a step back. "Bite?"
Sirius shook his head. "No, he's diabetic. We needed to get him some insulin, we're almost out now."
The older man nodded. "Give them some weapons, and lets get what we came for and head back to base."
"You're going?" Regulus asked, looking slightly panicked.
"No us, you're coming too," the older man said. "We're not leaving you behind. Do you have any belongings, because you have two minutes."
"That building up there," Sirius said, pointing to a house down the street. "Guns, ammo and a little bit of food."
The man nodded. "I'm Charlus," he said. "Get your stuff and we'll get you to safety."
Two hours later, the pair stood awkwardly, as Nurse Pomfrey looked them over. "I'm sorry," she said. "We have to check everyone for bites before they come in. We had someone who covered one, they attacked one of the girls... you can put your clothes back on now."
Sirius and Regulus nodded, quickly grabbing their clothes and pulling them on over their boxers. "It makes sense," Sirius said. "So... what do we do now?"
She smiled at the pair. "James will be waiting outside," she assured him. "Mr Black, we have Insulin, and I'll make sure to add it to the supplies list for the next trip, to make sure we always have it."
"Thank you," Regulus said.
...oOo...
Sirius followed the team. He remembered when they had found him a month earlier, and the tears that had followed from both him and his brother when they had been shown the tent that had temporarily been provided for them. It wasn't a lot, but more and more people were arriving and there wasn't enough of the small cabins to go around.
The base was a sectioned off site with log-cabins, and they had clearly worked hard to fix the place so it was safe from anyone from the sides. There were only two ways in. James had explained that it was for safety - it saved them being trapped if there was an alternative escape route.
There was constant building work to set up new living quarters. Bigger rooms were used as dorms with many beds.
Sirius couldn't wait to get one of the beds and out of the tent! But he knew he had to wait his turn. He and Regulus had been the last arrivals and a cabin had finished being built just that morning. Maybe when he got back, the beds would be free for the pair of them.
They moved around the town, looking for signs that the zombies were currently there. There seemed to be no movement anywhere, but none of them were fooled. Sirius flexed his shoulders, feeling how secure his pack was on him, before following James, his eyes darting everywhere.
They came out of nowhere, splitting the group into two. James had ended up with the Prewitt twins, whereas Sirius and Charlus had ended up being forced in the other direction.
Charlus shot zombie after zombie with Sirius' help, leaving a trail of five zombies. There were none nearby, but they had to stop and reload. A door opened nearby. "In here, hurry," a man hissed.
Sirius looked at the man carefully, but he didn't seem to be interested in making Sirius his dinner. Sirius raised his eyebrows at Charlus, who headed inside.
"What are you doing out there?" the man said, slamming the door and pushing a piece of furniture against it. "You must be insane."
"Supply run," Charlus confirmed. "How many of you are there."
"Three. Me and my parents. Why?"
Charlus smiled. "We have a camp-site - a base. No-one is infected and we have guards. We could always use more people! What's your name?"
"Remus," Remus murmured, thinking hard. "You'll keep my parents safe on the trip - they know nothing about guns, though my dad tries. My mum is quite fragile. The sound of gunshots scares her."
"We will," Sirius said, softly, touched by how concerned Remus was for his parents.
"I need time to pack and let me tell them." He looked at them in relief, before rushing off.
"What do we do about James and the Prewitts?"
"They all know what they're doing," Charlus replied, confidently, pulling out his radio.
...oOo...
The trip was slow, as Remus' mother looked completely terrified and was clinging to her husband and son so much, that it made it hard for the pair to guide her.
But finally they made it back to camp.
Hope went in for her check-up first, whilst Sirius waited with the other two.
"So, what is this place?" Remus asked.
"Somewhere safe," Sirius replied. "It's not much, we don't have large houses, but it's a safe bed, it's guarded, there's food and supplies. We have what we need."
Remus nodded. "We've been struggling with things like food for a while," he admitted. "I even had to break into my neighbours houses and take stuff. It felt wrong."
"We have a plot where we are trying to grow our own stuff," Sirius said, with a smile.
"Have you been here long?"
Sirius shook his head. "A month. Before that, we were like you."
"We?"
Sirius noticed a flicker of disappointment in the guy's eyes.
"Yeah, me and my brother," he confirmed, watching the disappointment fade.
Interesting reaction.
"We... we were trying to stay safe, but little Regulus... he's diabetic and we were low on the stuff that we had taken before, so we had to go searching... long story short, we were ambushed, and Charlus and James showed up with their team, and brought us here."
Remus nodded.
"There isn't much in the way of housing," Sirius continued. "The cabins are packed, but new ones keep being built. There should be beds available - we've been sleeping in tents, but that's going to change."
"And it's just you and your brother?"
"Yeah. Our parents wanted to make us dinner, so we did what we had to do."
"I'm so sorry -"
"Don't be. They were monsters before we put bullets in their heads," Sirius replied, tightly.
...oOo...
"James, we're going to give your room to the Lupins," Dorea said. "Can you move back into the main hall for a while, we'll get you and Remus into a room soon enough, and Sirius and Regulus can share another room."
James nodded. Once upon a time, he would have had issues with giving up anything of his, but he understood the situation. The current events had changed him.
He put all of his stuff into a brown box, with space left over, before heading into the big room with ten makeshift beds. They all headed over to the corner, with James taking the bed against the wall. Regulus dropped down in the next one, with Sirius taking the third. After a moment's hesitation, Remus took the last.
...oOo...
Snores could be heard from the first two beds, and finally Remus' voice filled the silence. "I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to push the subject."
"You didn't," Sirius replied softly. "I just don't like taking about them."
"I won't bring them up again," Remus assured him.
There was a long silence, before the dam burst. "They were evil," he said. "Twisted even. We used to get punished for days - going without food if we got anything below an A for a grade at school, for example. Not to mention the beatings. My mother broke my arm once on purpose."
"You still have your brother," Remus whispered, reaching out and taking Sirius' hand in his own.
Sirius looked through the darkness at the joint hands, and made no move to pull away. "I do," he confirmed. "And Regulus is a good kid, so I'm going to make sure he's happy. I'll protect him. It's safe here."
"For the first time in ages, I feel safe," Remus admitted.
Sirius tried to see their joint hands, but still failed. Remus' fingers tightened around his. "Me too," he said.
And he wasn't just talking about the camp.
"You know... there's a dining hall. How would you like to have dinner with me?"
"Oh, do people all eat together?" Remus asked.
Sirius nodded, before realising that Remus couldn't see him. "Yeah, but I meant... we could find a private table and get to know each other?"
"Sounds like a date?"
"If that's what you want it to be," Sirius confirmed.
"Yeah, that sounds nice," Remus whispered. "I'd like to get to know you better."