No More Anything

Chapter Nine: The Run

It was hard for Blake to know what time he woke up without a clock, but he didn't regret giving it to Lucille since she really seemed to appreciate the gesture. Brian had told him the morning before the big meeting in the theater that he was supposed to meet him and the rest of Alpha Team by seven. His heart pounding with nervousness, Blake got out of bed, still wearing the same dark blue jeans and black t-shirt he'd been wearing for the past few days. The thought crossed his mind that he'd seen Lucille wearing something other than her Spider-Man shirt, so there must be a place to get clothes from. He added that to his mental to-do list as he reached for his belt and gun, frowning when he remembered it wasn't there. 

He walked out the door and turned left to head to the armory, when he saw a line of maybe twenty or so people waiting at the door of someone's makeshift apartment down the hall. Curious, he walked over to them,  and asked a random woman who was in line "hey, what's going on?"

She looked at him with a smile. "You didn't hear? Brian caught the guy who stole all our stuff and he's giving it back to us."

"Oh, that's awesome," Blake replied excitedly. He moved to the back of the line and waited with the rest of the Tranquility members. Once he got in line, a guy wearing a set of armor just like the one Blake tried on walked up to him.

"When you get up there, you'll tell Brian your name and what you lost. If he has it, he'll give it back to you. If he doesn't have it, you're out of luck, okay?" The man's tone was harsh.

Blake nodded. "Yes sir, sounds good." The guy walked back to the front of the line, standing beside the door with his hands resting on his vest. After a few minutes and a few more people coming up behind Blake, it was finally his turn.

When he got to the door, he saw Brian standing there holding a clipboard and smiling his usual dumb smile. "Howdy, Mr. Walker! Whatcha here for?"

Blake smiled and said "My tactical belt, knife, and pistol."

"Oh yeah, the Sig?" Brian asked. "Great gun, the Sig. Comin' right up." He turned and walked into the room, and Blake could see a bunch of stuff piled up in there; some purses, few weapons, some shoes, and a bright red axe.

That's gotta be Lucille's. Once Brian came back with Blake's stuff, he took it from him and pointed to the axe. "Do you mind if I get Lucille's axe, too? I'll go drop it off at her room for her."

Bryan shook his head with a slight frown. "No can do, Walker. It's not that I don't trust you, but we can't afford anything else goin' missin'. She'll have to come get it herself."

Blake nodded in understanding. "That's fair, I'll go tell her you're giving stuff back."

"Sounds like a plan, my man." As Blake turned to walk away, he heard the guy behind him tell Brian he was missing a backpack full of canned food. He walked back to his and Lucille's rooms, putting on the belt and holster as he went. Once everything was secure, he gently knocked on her door and waited a few seconds.

The door opened and a very sleepy Lucille was standing there wearing yellow and green flower pajamas,. With a raspy, quiet voice, she said "hey, what's going on? Everything okay?"

Blake started to get right to the point, but looked down at her shirt, smiling. "Nice PJ's, dude. What are you, eighty years old?"

"Oh my God, shut the hell up." She laughed and rolled her eyes. With a smile, she asked "what do you want, asshole?"

Blake chuckled and replied "they apparently caught the thief, so Bryan's down the hall giving stuff out. I'd have gotten your axe for you, but he wouldn't let me take it."

Lucille's eyes widened, and for a second she almost looked scared, but managed to shake it off and force a smile, something she didn't seem to be good at. "Oh, okay cool. Yeah, I'll head down there in a second." Blake started to say something, but she cut him off. "Hey, what are your plans for today?"