(Reverence 4, 59 / 8:22AM)

  Another car parked along the brown van.

  Metalized in bck coated paint, it conveyed no roof, with the windshield shielding only their heads. It's roaring ceasing, both doors swayed open, showcasing a young man and an old teenage girl.

  The man wearing a thin brown jacket and turquoise-colored boots, as his blonde hair reached down to the bottom of his jawline. As for the woman, she wore a typical bck skirt dress, with the tip of the fabric reaching down to her bck wedge heels.

  Scratching her whiskers, her nose whistled from the smell inside the beer factory.

  (Elizabeth) They’re inside here?

  (Johnny) No doubt about it.

  Holding the old teenage girl's hand, both of them walked along the sand-covered concrete, the sun sparkling their thin hair. Reaching the front entrance, both took into account the severely dented door near the door frame.

  (Johnny’s thoughts) He came here before us…

  Tightening Elizabeth’s hand, Johnny sucked in a huge breath, filling his lungs with the desert air. Releasing it back into the world, both of his shoulders dropped, as he took one step inside of the old beer factory.

  The warm air seeping into their clothes, both Johnny and Elizabeth gnced around the rusted building. Letting out a dry cough, Johnny waved back and forth with his other hand.

  (Johnny) cough cough … Can’t believe they hunkered up here…

  (Elizabeth) You okay Johnny?

  (Johnny) Yeah. Let’s just find them.

  Luckily for them, a tanned man with a cowlick on the right side of his head sat down on top of a wooden crate. His head turned to them, the tanned man pushed his body up from the crate, by using just his parched palms.

  Folding his arms underneath his chest, the couple walked right toward the man, standing in front of him.

  (Christian) You’re Doug’s son. Johnny right?

  (Johnny) Yeah, part of the Zirardges, but not supportively. Where’s the rest of the group?

  (Christian) Inside the freezer room. But if you’re looking for Luke, he’s in another room.

  (Johnny) Why is that?

  (Christian) It’s a long story…

  Johnny noticed a thawed frozen window from the other side of the building. Putting his left hand inside his thin jacket, he nudged Elizabeth to walk with him, their boots and wedges clinging in more old iron rust.

  Turning to the right, an abundance of dry blood near a metal locker was seen twenty feet by his peripheral vision.

  Tilting his head downward, both of his eyelids began to darken.

  (Johnny’s thoughts) Something went down here…

  Reaching the freezer door, Johnny pulled out his left hand, gripping the metal handle to turn the barely functional metal. A bst of cold air smming him, he took a step back, along with Elizabeth who began to shiver under the barely freezing temperature.

  Swaying his head left and right, he bit down his back mors, pushing his legs forward to encapsute him in the ice-cold air.

  Inside, all of the Dark Angels sat with their knees tucked right up to their chests. Turning their pushed-up eyes to the couple, a dark-complected man soon stood up, using his boots to creak off the ice that stuck to the leather.

  (Miles) What brings you here?

  (Johnny) Is Sean with you guys?

  (Miles) … Long story short, he’s on his way back.

  Johnny balled his left hand into a fist, jabbing it into his left pocket. Letting go of Elizabeth’s hand, he let it loose to his side, his boots already cracking down the frost from beneath his feet. His tall height was shadowed by Miles, his head tilted downward evermore, his knuckles spraying white.

  (Johnny) Why … are you guys serious…

  (Miles) Is there anything wrong with taking him back to the adobe?

  (Johnny) He’s on his way to raid the train by himself!

  Not even the frozen air exposed their silent breaths.

  Taking a couple of steps back, all of Miles’s teeth ground against each other, his body trembling violently with his shivering. Steaming out hot streaks of his breath, it barely thawed his crusted lips, as he hunched his back with wide eyes.

  (Miles) You shitting me right…?

  (Johnny) I wish…

  (Benn) So that duel’s all for nothing.

  Putting both of his rge chubby hands into his jacket, Benn used his thighs to get himself up. Walking toward the two men, his nose began to turn a light pink, his nostrils filling up with mucus.

  Johnny furrowed his right eyebrow up, slightly opening his mouth as he kept eye contact with the shark-human.

  (Johnny) What … What do you mean by duel?

  (Miles) Both Luke and Sean got into a fight. Both beat each other mercilessly. One almost got killed.

  (Johnny) I never thought Sean would—

  (Miles) Luke almost choked him to death.

  Putting both of his hands to the back of his head, a low groan seeped out of his throat.

  Dropping both of his hands down to his sides, he ignored the cat-human that peeked her head out of the freezer door. Her hands being frozen by the cold metallic door frame, her eyes cast downward, along with her lips curling to form a frown.

  (Johnny) That expins the dried-up blood…

  (Benn) He wants to be left alone right now.

  (Johnny) I’m sorry, but I need to find him now though.

  (Jack) He’s inside the office room upstairs.

  Out of the shadows, a red-haired man with well-combed hair walked out.

  Keeping his hands tucked inside his pants pockets, both of his cheeks pushed up as he kept eye contact with Johnny. Ignoring Miles, he leaned his left shoulder onto the frozen wall, his eyeshes coated with small frost.

  His lips blue, his skin pale, his right foot tapped geometrically to the sound of his heartbeat.

  (Jack) He’s holding himself up there. Luna is probably outside of the office door.

  (Johnny) Thanks, I appreciate the info.

  (Jack) That’s the least I could do. Better than someone telling me info half a day ter.

  Locking his eyes onto Miles, the dark-complected man moved his pupils away from Jack’s, making a small ‘tch’ sound with his lips.

  Jack began to walk toward the three men, his eyes snting inward so that his eyebrows arched to form a gre. Kicking away a bit of balled ice from his boots, one of the frozen balls nudged onto one of Miles’s boots.

  (Jack) Can’t even do his job of being an elder brother.

  (Miles) I told you. What’s done is done.

  (Jack) Done?! Both of my closest friends tried to kill each other!

  Jack deathly gripped Miles’s colr, pulling him close as even Jack’s height wasn’t enough to shadow him. Both of his hands curling their fingers, it started to wrinkle and damage the leather, causing Miles to pce both of his hands onto Jack’s wrists.

  Their breaths hit against each other, the angry air only warmed up their parched lips, causing Benn and Johnny to hover over them.

  (Miles) For the st time! It was for the best of all of us!

  (Jack) That duel was bullshit and you know it! Now look at what happened!

  (Hope) Enough!

  Both of their anger were soon swept clean.

  Slowly turning their heads, tucked away in a dark corner was none other than Hope. Her forehead still reddening by putting pressure into her kneecaps, her hands wrapped around her shins.

  Her body tranquil, yet her voice shook, she curled her fingers to let her shins be jabbed by her fingernails. Unable to look up, her voice was lowered to the sound of a dying mouse, despite everyone’s ears perking up.

  (Hope) No more fighting… please…

  Jack let go of Miles’s colr, and in return, both of Miles’s hands released Jack’s wrists. Unable to look at one another, Jack kneeled his head downward, while pushing away more chunks of ice with his boots. Walking outside of the freezer room, he only took a one-second gnce at Elizabeth’s frowned expression, before continuing off toward Christian.

  Staring at the floor, Johnny rubbed both of his temples, his ice-cold fingers already warming at the touch of his skin.

  (Johnny) Whoever wants to follow me upstairs, please leave this room.

  Miles and Benn both accompanied Johnny to his left and right, as the trio exited out of the freezer. Looking back, Johnny noticed Hope continuing to hole herself up in the dark corner, causing him to warmly look at Elizabeth. Letting go of the doorframe, Elizabeth jogged to Johnny, at the same time when Johnny took off his thin brown jacket.

  Warmly giving it to Elizabeth, she put it on without thinking, swaying her head so that the tips of her hair didn’t get stuck inside the colr.

  Perking his right lip up, he gently gave her a head pat, his thumb rubbing up and down along the center of her head. Purring, both of her cheeks turned red, followed by her cat-like ears pointing upward.

  As both gave each other a tender nod. With the trio of young men set off into the old metallic flight of stairs, Elizabeth walked into the frozen den.

  Her wedges now cracking under the frost-covered floor, the frozen air sank deep into her lungs. Standing in front of the blonde-haired woman, both of Elizabeth’s eyes pushed down, and the tip of her right wedge jabbed the floor at a 90-degree angle.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  (Inside the Office Room)

  The blinds covering the thick burning rays from outside left the office shrouded in nighttime darkness. Paper after paper piled up on the central desk, some beginning to litter the hardwood floor below.

  Near the wooden door, a young man with light brown hair curled himself up like a ball, not letting a speck of darkness hit his dark eyes. Not even a trace of his irises glowing red, his leather sleeves warmed up from his warm skin.

  On the other side of the door, a tanned woman gripped the metal handle tightly. Her thumb rubbed the rusted metal back and forth, not a scratch nor blood escaped from her skin.

  (Luna) Luke.

  Her voice was soft.

  (Luna) Please open the door…

  A trio of men walked through the spider-filled hallway, and some of its webs littered some of their faces. Spitting out silk, Miles smacked his mouth repeatedly, scrunching up his eyes at the bitter taste. Reaching the door, they all were in the back of Luna, as her eyes stared down onto the wooden floor.

  The grip on the handle tightened, some of its metal began to scrape and nestle onto the floor. Not letting go, Miles and Benn pced their hands on Luna’s shoulders, causing her muscles to stiffen up from their touch.

  (Miles) Let’s just get inside.

  Without nodding, Luna turned the door handle, letting the door sway slowly. Its nails already creaking the old wood, some of its hinges were barely held by a single thread, or rather a nail.

  Both of her feet took her inside, the smell of ink and dust molested deep into her nostrils, her lungs ballooning with dust. Along with the three other men, both of them waved away the heavy dust that could be seen right in front of them.

  But it didn’t take long for them to find Luke.

  Still pinning his kneecaps with his forehead, Luna knelt right in front of him.

  (Luna) Hey…

  Extending her right hand, her calloused palms rubbed the right side of Luke’s hair. Slowly tilting his head upward, he saw a face that he wasn’t supposed to see.

  A face with a warm smile, a face with pushed-up cheeks, a face with eyes that didn’t hold anger or sadness. A face that Luna used to own.

  (Luna) It’s not your fault.

  His fingers began to curl, leading his nails to pierce through his bck sck pants. His throat jumped inward and outward, and his lips began to pucker up, sealing away whatever words that were trapped within his heart.

  Digging into his pocket, Miles grazed his knuckles all over the coarse leather that situated dust and dirt. His nails hitting a tiny aluminum can, he instantly clutched it gently, pulling it out of his jacket pocket.

  The logo named ‘Mr. Pepper’, Miles extended it down to the right side of Luke’s face. The can barely grazed Luke’s side bang, Miles shook it back and forth, the liquid sloshing around with the motion of the can.

  (Miles) There’s a bit of soda in here still.

  (Luna) He’s not thirsty Miles.

  (Benn) Come on Fenix…

  Folding his arms, Benn tightened up his arms, leading to his leather jacket expanding to the expansion of his muscles. The crevices of his lips reached down to his jawline, his face darkened, followed by his eyes snting down.

  As the world went silent.

  (Benn) Just get the hell up.

  Luna instantly stood up.

  Both of her hands already tightened into fists, she used her left hand to grip Benn’s colr, without the need to move her feet or legs. Her warm face being repced back to her regur self, veins re-emerge on her right temple.

  Nonchant, Benn unfolded his arms, his hands drooping down to his thighs. Being only an inch shorter than her, Benn let his feet be dragged on the floor, his eyes looking up at the steaming woman.

  (Luna) You heartless bastard.

  (Benn) We can’t waste time Luna. We need to get Sean back.

  (Luna) He can go screw himself for all I care. Why should we get in trouble for the things he did?

  (Johnny) Cause, in the end, you guys are a team.

  Pcing himself in the middle between Luna and Benn, Luna also gred at the oiled-haired young man. Her grip on Benn’s colr only wrinkled the leather evermore, Luna began to pull back her other hand, her thumb on top of her pointer finger knuckle.

  Yet despite readying her stance, she didn’t throw. Continuing to clench her teeth and dig the soles of her boots on the wooden floor, splints and dents began to form underneath her feet.

  (Johnny) No matter what happens, you guys are supposed to help each other on your worst days. Sean isn’t the most well-thinking man, but he’s not a bad person.

  Luna remained silent. Her hands, along with her knuckles shaking and trembling more at the thought of Sean, her grip on Benn only tightened.

  (Johnny) Please … let go of Benn.

  She frowned her lips, hunching her back as her nails began to loosen from his colr. Letting go of Benn’s colr, a long streak of air plowed out from her throat.

  Gncing down at Luke, his darkened eyes look upon the four of them. Not a trace of light seeping deep into his irises, he let go of his fingers, releasing them from his shins.

  (Luke) Benn’s right.

  Luna’s breath got stuck in her throat.

  Along with everyone keeping their mouths sealed, Benn locked his eyes on the tear-filled young man.

  (Luke) I’m just too busy sulking here… and for what?

  Luke’s eyes began to lighten, looking toward the blinds that blocked the heavy morning rays. Small traces of light trying to enter through tiny holes along the edges of the blinds, Luke let his hands drop down to the dusted wooden floor.

  Arching his head up, the back of his head tapped the old oak wood, as chunks of wood encapsuted into his hair.

  (Luke) I just wanted things to go back, but I yearned for truth. It’s like choosing between free gas or free food for life. But…

  Gazing his eyes up top of the ceiling, his knuckles that he id on the old wood grew numb, as both of his feet were spread apart.

  (Luke) Sean was right … I can’t even pick my own goals…

  A single tear rolled out from his right eye.

  Trailing a line down to his cheek, the single teardrop dripped onto the wood, leaving a watery dent that separated it from the parched dust. Wiping his right eye with his sleeve, Johnny gripped both of his hands together, clutching them tightly while pcing them on top of his crotch.

  Taking in an influx of air, he let it out, combo-d with a dry cough that reeked of dust.

  (Johnny) If it makes you feel any better, I was just like you.

  Tilting his eyes back to the group, Luke pinned them straight at the man in the center, his hands were unable to move. Letting his body loose, all muscles and joints from all around his body just seemingly rexed, making his body feel like jello.

  The rest of everyone took a step back, Johnny cmped both of his feet together, while he cleared his throat.

  (Johnny) I had no dreams, and no goals in mind. I felt like I was just plopped out in the world to gaze around … until I met her.

  (Freezer Room)

  (Elizabeth) Do you bme Luke?

  Even with the thin brown jacket keeping her warmth, the cold air still sunk deep down into her skin. Being mostly human rather than cat, her button nose started to turn a lightish pink, as her tan complexion started to turn a paler color.

  Tilting her head to the right, Elizabeth’s cat ears started to shiver from the icy air around her. Meanwhile, Hope continued to keep her forehead pinned to her knees, not bothering to look up at the cat-girl. Letting her hands loose from her legs, she trailed them down to her Achilles heel or rather the top of her leather boots.

  (Hope) I … don’t bme him.

  (Elizabeth) Then why are you mad at him?

  (Hope) He made an oath … and he broke it…

  (Elizabeth) Well, that’s your first mistake. Men are the worst at keeping their promises, but…

  Bending down, she lowered her body without putting both of her knees onto the frozen floor. Pulling out her hands from her jacket, she tucked them in the back area of her knees, as her hamstrings and calves sandwiched her knuckles. Letting out a quiet giggle, both of her cheeks pushed up to form a warm smile, her eyes sparkling to the saddened Hope.

  (Elizabeth) The bestest men would always try to keep them.

  Slowly, Hope lifted her head, her reddened eyes looking right into Elizabeth’s brown eyes.

  Seeing her reflection, Hope turned away from the cat-girl, her parched lips crackling under the chilling air that damaged her skin. Putting both her upper lip and lower lip into her mouth, she sucked them in so that the air wouldn’t bite down onto them.

  Cocking her head to the left, Elizabeth straightened her back, while closing her eyes so that she let out a smile.

  (Elizabeth) You see. Everyone makes mistakes. You, Luke, me, even Johnny; we all mess up somehow.

  Hope remained silent. Letting go of her legs, she knelt her hands down on the frozen floor, her palms instantly sticking onto her porcein skin.

  (Elizabeth) Hate to break it to you, but Johnny is the only man in the entire world who never breaks his promises.

  (Hope) But you just said that all men can't keep their promises.

  Elizabeth put her right finger onto her lips, her finger already trying to connect to her upper lip. Tapping her left wedge, she lowered her right edge so that it faced 180 to the ground, rather than her 90-degree angle.

  A soft giggle escaping from her pushed-up face, she csped both of her hands together, her fingers locking into the gaps of her other fingers.

  (Elizabeth) Well then let me tell you a little story.