The crowds surrounding them quickly left when they saw Bran was still breathing. Christopher was angry, he knew the god had felt it but he couldn't stop himself. Bran had never hurt anyone in his life. He didn't deserve this. No-one deserved this. Christopher glared at anyone who stopped to gawk as he lowered himself to his knees next to Bran's head.
"You okay Bran? Can you move?"
"Chris?"
Bran's eyes had swollen but Christopher could still see the green flecks, his pupils looked normal.
"Yeah, it's me mate. Can you move?"
"I don't know."
"Come on mate."
Lewis and David come to help Christopher get Bran standing. Christopher saw how unstable Bran was on his feet and began to wonder if they should have stood him up so quickly. They took a few minutes holding Bran up as he gained a steadier footing. As much as he was worried about his friend, he couldn't help his eyes drifting over to the throne where she had sat. Themi. He had heard of her angelic beauty but didn't believe it. Now he did. Bran finally stopped swaying and threw up.
"I'm sorry."
Christopher gently patted him on the back.
"It's fine mate, I'm not the cleaner here."
He looked over Bran's bloodied face, the blood on the floor, and the recent puddle of stomach bile. He was fucking glad he wasn't the cleaner here. Slowly they left the club, stopping briefly to allow Bran some time to adjust to the night air. Their journey home was slow. They finally reached an overturned metal fence which had been there for so long nature had tried to reclaim it. Bushes and vines grew though the chain links.
"Lewis take a look will you?"
Lewis jogged off to check the perimeters. He was quick but Christopher trusted his judgement.
"Want me to do the honours Chris?"
"Sure, my hands are full aren't they Bran?"
"I'm so sorry guys."
"Don't be fucking stupid. Not your fault he's a lunatic."
"I tried. I tried to hide it."
"No, this is not your fault."
Lewis lifted the fence up. The fence served as a handle while it was covering a door leading them to the bunker beneath. They walked down a black tunnel to the end. Lewis checked to see if the door was fully down and secure before they opened the door at the end of the tunnel. With Christopher and David holding Bran up Lewis came back to open the door. The light was blinding but for only a moment. They quickly adjusted as they helped Bran through the door. They didn't notice anyone else standing there until there was a scream. Diamond was standing in the make shift garden. It was small but allowed small patches of natural light in during the day.
"Who did this to him!"
Christopher knew that Diamond fancied Bran, so seeing him like this must have been upsetting for her. She almost flat out run to him, she carefully touched at his face.
"Di, let us get him to the first aid."
She was crying, she wasn't an ugly crier but Christopher had to look away. Her noises were loud and somewhat annoying.
"Di! Move!"
"Chris, don't talk to her like that."
"Oh Bran!"
"I'll be alright Di, just move."
She nodded and wiped at her eyes. She opened all the inner doors to the first aid while Lewis, David, and Christopher supported Bran. When the last door opened Ruth was shocked at what she saw. Christopher picked Bran up and lay him on the hospital bed. Ruth pushed all the men back and looked down on Bran. Both of his eyes had swollen, there was so much blood she had no idea where it was coming from. She pushed past the men again and started collecting what she had to clean the wounds.
"Someone better talk and talk fast."
Everyone looked at Christopher. He sighed. He hated being spokesperson sadly it was a job often bestowed to him.
"Elijah sent us out to the club, you know just to see what was happening there. It literally came without warning. Keahi just made his way over to use and started beating the shit out of him."
Ruth tutted.
"And no one tried to stop him?"
"Di, if his sister couldn't pull him off what chance did we stand?"
"But you could have tried!"
"Diamond, why are you here?"
Ruth looked pointedly at her. Say anything about Ruth she was always straight to the point.
"I have six people in here, including me. Did you go with them?"
"No."
"Then why are you here?"
"I...i.."
"Leave."
Without responding Diamond left, making quite a show of it too. She slammed the door so hard papers moved on Ruth's desk. It didn't seem to phase Ruth what-so-ever, she didn't even flinch.
"So this is the work of Keahi."
"Yeah, he is gonna be alright isn't he?"
Occasionally they would hear a small groan from Bran as Ruth cleaned his face. She would make soothing noises but they all knew it was an automatic response at this point. She had been a nurse for them for years now. She had helped every person through these doors. Without her, Christopher knew, he wouldn't be standing rather awkwardly here now.
"This isn't the worst Keahi attack I've seen but it's not the best either. I think a few stitches are definitely on the cards here."
"Did you hear that B? Maybe Di won't fancy you now."
"Lewis, shut up or leave."
"Sorry Ruth."
"He threw up too Ruth, I don't know what that means. I checked his pupils like you told me to if any one of us took a knock to the head."
"How do you feel now Bran? Still feel sick?"
Bran tried to shake his head but Ruth grabbed both sides of his neck.
"What do you think you are doing? Just answer verbally, did no one tell you not to move if you've hurt your head."
"I didn't break my neck Ruth."
"Hmm and how would you know? By rights Christopher and friends shouldn't have moved you from the club."
"We had to Ruth."
"I am well aware of that."
Shortly after she pushed Lewis, David, and Christopher out into the hallway as she stitched Bran's face back together. Diamond had seemed to wake up everyone who was living down here and gathered them just beyond the hallway. No sign of Elijah though.
"Lewis, David, go tell them to fuck off and then get yourselves off to bed yeah?"
"What about you?"
"I'll wait here. I'm not all that tired and we all know I don't want to talk to them."
Both men nodded and he could hear them telling the tale of the god in a club. Diamond started crying again, possibly blaming Christopher for not being strong enough to pull an actual God off Bran. Christopher looked down to his hands, they were covered in Bran's blood. He wished he could scrub it off and change clothes but he wanted to be here. He wasn't a young man, not compared to some of the people in this bunker, he had seen plenty of blood shed throughout the years but this hurt him. They had only just walked in to the stupid fucking club. He sighed and leaned his head against the wall. He was only a child when they came down from the heaven's. He remembered his mother crying and holding his hand when it had been broadcasted on the news. They haven't changed over those thirty years, they look almost exactly the same. It had frightened him, it still did, but now he had seen her. Not on a television or newspaper but in the flesh. He had saw Themi and in that moment he had felt even more scared than he thought possible because she wasn't a monster, she was a dream.
