DEMA

Hometown

August 22nd, 3001
I'm taking over my body, back in control, no more shotty
I bet a lot of me was lost, "T"'s uncrossed and "I"'s undotted
I fought it a lot and it seems a lot like flesh is all I got
Not anymore, flesh out the door, swat!
I must've forgot, you can't trust me
I'm open a moment and close when you show it
Before you know it I'm lost at sea
And now that I write and think about it
And the story unfolds
You should take my life, you should take my soul.

Remember the moment you know exactly where you're going
because the next moment, before you know it
Time is slowing and it's frozen still
And the window sill looks really nice, right?
You think twice about your life, it probably happens at night, right?
Fight it, take the pain, ignite it
Tie a noose around your mind, loose enough to breathe fine and tie it
To a tree, tell it, "You belong to me
This ain't a noose, this is a leash
And I have news for you, you must obey me"

You are surrounding all my surroundings
Sounding down the mountain range of my left-side brain
You are surrounding all my surroundings
Twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes.

And I'll be holding on to you
And I'll be holding on to you.

I felt a pressure on my chest as I woke.
I could feel Josh's breath in my mouth, I really must be dead now, I thought.
I pulled my arms around him and he jumped back.
He was trying to resuscitate me.
"Clancy you're alive!" he scooped me up and held me close.
I went almost limp in his arms, I had never been so exhausted in my entire life.
Suddenly the reality of everything that had happened began to come back to me.
"Wait, Josh, Nico!" I yelled, looking around urgently.
"It's alright, I don't think he's any threat to us now" Josh replied.
"what do you mean?"
We both got up, and Josh lead me over to Nico.
He was unrecognizable, the tall, dark looming figure that once Instilled such fear in my heart was now a withered, sickly old man, so small and skinny he was practically drowning in his robes.
He looked up at me with the same hate in his eyes, but he was pathetic, and he knew I could kill him right then and there if I wanted to.
I looked down at him and I felt powerful, I could feel the absence of BlurryFace in my soul.
I had defeated him, all by myself.
I WAS worth somthing.
I was powerful enough to defeat the most powerful necromancer of all time in a one on one fight.
I stood and stared for a few more moments, amazed by the feeling of having control again.
"Come on Josh," I siad, "He's not worth our time"
And so we walked away and left him quirvering on the cold beach alone.
I touched my side to feel the stab wound had left nothing but an old looking scar.
I didn't say anything to Josh though, regeneration was somthing only the bishops could do.
I followed him in silence as we walked slowly back down the beach.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks, and I could feel tension in the air.
"Clancy we need to talk" he said, matter of factly.
"Josh, is now really the right time-"
"now is the ONLY time" he said, turning around the me.
I looked up into his big brown eyes and my heart ached for him.
"I was there with you, in your vision Clancy, thats how I knew where to find you, we're connected somhow, like twin flames, it's so hard to be apart from you, and now that I have you back I never want to lose you again, and I just... Clancy I know you're with Jenna and I know you'll never see me that way but I just need to tell you that this connection we have causes me physical pain every second of every day, I love you much it hurts and I can't hide my feelings anymore Clancy, I long for you every night while I sleep and every morning when I wake up and I just don't know if I can control myself around you-"
I pulled him close, hugging him tight.
I rested my head against his and looked into his eyes.
"Josh, I love you more then I've ever loved anyone else in the world, more then I love life itself"
"but you're with Jenna-"
"I love Jen, I really do, but nothing close to the way I feel about you. I promise I'm not going anywhere, you have me forever, and when all this is over, we can go back to the lakes in the mountains and we'll a build a little hut far away from everyone else... And we can grow old together in peace, and we'll be happy"
"you promise me?"
"I promise"
I Kissed Josh, slowly at first, pressing my lips gently against his and glancing up to catch his eyes.
Then he kissed me back harder, slipping his tounge into my mouth and pressing his body against mine.
My heart began to pound in my chest as I got lost for a few sweet moments in the love myself and Josh shared.
I pulled back, "How did you even get all the way out here? I mean, it's took us ages to drive-"
He took my hand and led me up the dunes where there was a car waiting for us.
Ned stood outside it, smoking a cigarette and looking unamused.
We approached him and I pulled my hand away form Josh's.
Ned hugged me, "good to see you alive and well dude, you had us worried for a bit there"
I smiled at him, "takes a bit more than a few bishops to kill me Ned, you should know that"
I took one last look out over the beach before I hopped into the back of the car with Josh.
On the drive back, they informed me of all I had missed in the last twenty four hours.
"Keons left us some clues," said Josh, "we found some kinda underground dungeon full of cars, Ned managed to start this thing up and we followed Keons out"
I looked out the window at the fading light and the rain that had began to fall.
"Keons died trying to save me" I told them, "I'll never forget him for that."
Josh put his arm around me and I tried to close my eyes and drift off the sleep, I was so tired.
I could hear Josh and Ned talking, Josh was telling him what had happened at the beach, I could hear the sound of rain on the roof of the car.
The windscreen wipers were going methodically, and the sound of the engine was consistent and almost comferting.
I had almost succeeded in drifting off when a siren bellowd it's way from the centre of Dema, an alarm that sets your heart racing and your ears ringing, a sound that unlocks a deep, primal fear in all the people of Dema.
"What's that sound?" asked Josh, panic stricken and confused.
Ned brought the car to a stop to look up at Dema, spikes were appearing at the tops of the walls, and closing in on eachother to create a metal cage that enclosed the entire city.
"That's the breach alarm," replied Ned, "it means they've caught a group of people trying to escape"
"You said you had convinced her not to!" Josh yelled at Ned.
"You can't convince her of anything" replied Ned as he started the car again and began to speed towards Dema.
"Hurry!" I screamed, "the city will be going into lockdown!"
Ned hammered his foot on the gas and we sped towards Dema.
My heart raced in fear for Jenna.
If anything happend to her it would be my fault.
Ned sent the car crashing down the ramp and into the underground car park just as the gates began to close.
We jumped out of the car.
"This must be where all the elites keep their cars," said Ned, "I wonder if they're in this whole thing"
"No time to stop and discuss theories now, we need to go!" I yelled to them as we hastily made our way out of the car park and back into the fading light of Dema streets.
There was an eerie silence, apart from the persistent, sharp calls of the alarm, there was no noise, everyone had locked themselves inside their houses.
We ran down the empty streets and through the misty rain.
Towards the bishops towers.
Fear filled my heart, anything that happenes to them is my fault.
We arrived at the towers, the window I had smashed yesterday had been damaged further.
I could feel a dark energy radiating from inside, the seven remaining bishops were angry.
Myself, Josh and Ned crept in trough the window one by one, and I found myself back in the smokey room belonging to Nills.
I led the others down the spiral staircaise and into the unguarded dungeon I was all too familiar with.
The cells were full of FPE members.
Over thirty of them.
I walked past each cell and burned every lock, free from BlurryFace and finally able to do whatever I wanted with my powers.
Josh and Ned helped gather the troops as I made my way to the last cell.
"Jenna?" I said tentatively, to the dejected looking figure who stood in the corner of the cell.
I was suprised that she looked relived to see me.
"Clancy?" she asked, looking me right in the eyes, "You came to rescue me?"
"Of course I did... I care about you" I replied, opening the gate.
She spoke softly, "You look, diffrent...he's gone, isn't he?"
I looked away.
"Josh told me everything about BlurryFace... And I'm sorry for acting like such bitch over it, I was hurt... And confused and-"
"It's alright Jenna, I don't blame you for being angry, I was being a huge asshole."
"You're MY asshole tough" she said, ruffling my hair before kissing me.
I kissed her back tentatively, but I could see Josh staring from the corner of the my eye and it made me feel horrible.
"just don't do anything reckless like this ever again" I told her.
She raised an eyebrow, "like you haven't done worse" she luaghed, and kissed me again.
I pulled away quickly, I wasn't planning on dealing with domestics at this point in time and I was anxious about what would happen next.
Jenna broke the silince of my thoughts.
"Soooooo...what's the plan now?"
"we get the out of this dump for good"
"I like your thinking"
Myself, Jenna, Ned, Juniper, Rozi and Josh all helped gather everyone up, they were afraid by what had happened.
Jenna and the others told us how as soon as they had made it into the building, the bishops had gassed them, and they had woken up in the cold dungeons, separated and afraid.
Myself and Josh led the way, we knew the path out of Dema.
We managed to keep the group together, and lead them all the way to the exit corridor.
But somone had been expecting us.
Three Bishops stood stock-still, saying nothing and guarding the door.
Four more appeared behind us.
It was time for all the training FPE had been doing to finally be put to the test.
I didn't wait for the bishops to strike first.
I morphed, spitting a typhoon of fire in the direction of the door.
Their lightning-quick speed brought them out of direct line of the fire but the blaze was used for it intended purpose.
The door melted off it's hinges.
"GO GO!" Josh shouted, leading the group into the darkness of the trench night.
The bishops intercepted half the group, trapping them inside.
We didn't relise until we had all made it out.
"Clancy! Rozi is in there!" Jenna yelled.
Josh picked up a stick and I lit his torch.
I ran back into Dema.
I heard the blood-curdling cries of somone being robbed of life as I jumped on the back of a bishop who was killing somone and set him alight.
Josh appeared beside me in wolf form, growling and snapping at the bishops.
Chaos broke out as Josh began to lead the remaining group towards the exit.
Rozi wasn't with them, so I ran in the opposite direction.
My heart sank when I relized all of the bishops had followed Josh.
I ran down the dark corridor, pushing open every door and calling Rozalines name.
Finally I heard a terrified reply.
I ran into the room, where Rozi was crouched down behind a refrigerator.
I pulled them up and hugged them.
"Cmon Rozi, we need to get out of here now!" I said, trying to bring them towards the door.
They were trembling with fear, tears streaming down their face.
"I- I ran the wrong way, I'm sorry Clancy" they cried shakily.
"Don't worry, I'm gonna get you outta here" I told them, "you just have to follow me."
Then I heard the steps of a bishop coming slowly towards the door.
I pulled Rozi down behind another fridge, and had to cover their mouth to stop them from yelling out.
I could hear their heart thumping louder then mine.
"I know you're in there Clancy" growled Nills.
"we have your little freinds in our clutches, that bandito boy didn't stant a chance."
I jumped up, and shot fire right at his head, he screamed and fell the the floor, I took Rozi by the hand and then pushed them out of the door into the corridor and away from the angry Nills who was crawling back towards me.
They hadn't even made it to their feet when another bishop grabbed their throat and slammed them into the wall, sinking his blade deep into them and pulling it out again.
Over and over and over.
Nills tried to hold me back, but he was not anywhere near the strength of Nico, and I pulled away from him and Morphed, breathing fire in every direction, angry and violent.
The bishops were nothing without Nico, Josh and the others had managed to push them back into the corridor, and they were making their way towards me.
I took a deep breath, and time seemed to slow, I closed my eyes, surrounded by a veil of fire, and I seized the twenty fallen FPE members, making a circle around myself and Rozi and protecting us from the bishops wrath.
The seven bishops all stopped in their tracks, I was more powerful then all of them combined, they were outnumbered, outmatched, there was no way for them to win.
They retreated, disappearing as quickly as they had appeared.
I dropped the twenty people I had been seizing, morphed back into a human and pulled Rozi onto my back.
I made my way towards the exit, and collapsed the moment my feet touched Trench soil.
Josh ran to me, pulling me into his arms.
He grimaced when he saw Rozi.
They were dead.
The next few moments were a blur, so much had happened so quickly, and now I could finally just be still.
Josh was hugging me, holding on to me as if we'd been apart for a million years.
Juniper was screaming, leaning over the body of Rozi.
Her cries were gut-wrenching, and my heart bled for her.
Poor Rozaline, they didn't deserve to die like that.
None of these innocent people did.
But I have a feeling many more will have to die like this before Dema is free.
And that might be a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
Juniper was still crying hysterically, Ned was trying to comfort her, but was also holding back tears.
Jenna was trying to keep the FPE members settled, but they were terrified of the pitch-black night around them, and some of them had lost freinds.
"Are you alright to get moving?" Josh asked me.
I nodded weakly, and he helped me walk over to Jenna.
"We've gotta get going" he told her "we need to get everyone out of sight of the bishops towers."
She looked worried.
"What do we with Rozi?" she asked.
"We'll have to leave them here" replied Josh.
Jenna looked up at the vultures who were sleeping on the Dema walls, the ones who follow Josh.
"We can't do that" she said.
I looked at her, hoping I could get trough.
"We have to go Jenna, it's not safe here, and we can't put anymore lives at risk"
She could see the pleading in my eyes.
"alright" she said "but you guys get this lot ready, I'll deal with june and Ned"
When she was gone, I turned to Josh.
"How many died?" I asked.
He sighed.
"Twenty one"

August 23rd, 3001
Nobody from FPE could morph yet, so we moved at a snails pace trough the night, following Josh's torch.
I didn't complain though, I was truly exhausted.
After a torturous few hours of walking trough the dark in silence, we eventually arrived at the safety of the little hut by the train tracks.
Fitting fifteen humans in there would be a lot tighter then fitting fifteen wolves, but we managed.
Myself and Josh both slept as animals, it was more comfortable.

I woke with the suns light, slipping out of the hut silently, and shaking the dust from my fur coat, I made my way out into the crisp, late-summer dawn.
I looked up to see Jenna, sitting and staring at the vultures as they ripped apart what appeared to be a dead ferret.
She spotted me, and I morphed into a human, and sat down beside her.
"This place... It's everything I imagined in my dreams. It's so beautiful, yet stark and brutal. It smells like freedom" she said.
I nodded, "yeah, Trench is pretty amazing, you'll love it here... Once you get used to living life on the edge"
"I'm just glad I get to share it all with you" she said, letting her head rest on my shoulder.
I tensed up immediately, and she noticed.
She took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Clancy?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you leaving me for Josh?"
I didn't say anything, I felt a little sick in my stomach.
"You love him ten times as much as you could ever love me" she said.
"That's not true Jenna... I love you-"
"Clancy stop lying, I don't care how much you love me, I've seen the way you are around him. He ignites some kind of spark in you, I see it Clancy, so don't pretend it's not there. You love him"
"yeah I love him"
"then you should be with him"
"but I don't wanna hurt you-"
"Clancy, watching you pine for him while you're with me hurts so much more then letting you go"
I didn't look at her, I felt more torn then I thought I would.
"I'm sorry Jenna"
"It's alright Clancy, I knew I had lost you from the moment he arrived"
"really?"
"Yeah it was really obvious, you couldn't take your eyes off him, it's as if somthing inside of you suddenly came back to life"
"I'm really, really sorry-"
"don't apologize! I already told you, I'm fine! I love you Clancy, and part of loving somone somtimes involves letting them go. I don't want to be the one to stop you from being who you truly are"
I smiled at her, and she smiled back.
It was going to take a while for Jenna and the others to come around from yesterdays events.
But I knew they would come alive once settled in at Trench camp.
Suddenly my eyes welled up with tears, I was just as overwhelmed as anyone else was, I had five hundred different emotions coursing trough my veins right now and I didn't know which ones I was meant to be feeling.
I felt the sudden jolt of Josh putting his arms around me.
I luaghed, and so did he.
He sat down beside myself and Jenna, and we breathed the beautiful Trench air into our lungs.
"that place was truly suffocating, I don't wish to ever go back in again anytime soon" said Josh.
"What do we do now? Now that we're out?" Jenna asked.
"I don't know if Nico is alive or not, or if he will recover, but I think it's time all of just just deserved to live a little" I replied.
Josh smiled, "We'll do what our ancestors did for hundreds of years before us... We'll go on"

A shadow tilts its head at me
Spirits in the dark are waiting
I will let the wind, go quietly
I won't let them win, go quietly.

Be the one, be the one
To take my soul and make it undone
Be the one, be the one
To take me home and show me the sun
Be the one, be the one
To hold my hand and say we aren't done
Be the one, be the one
To take this torch and save me Josh Dun.

Put away, put away
All the gods your father served today
Put away, put away
Your traditions, believe me when I say
We don't know, we don't know
How to put back the power in our soul
We don't know, we don't know
Where to find what was once in our bones.

I know, I know
You can bring the fire, I can bring the bones
I know, I know
You'll make the fire, my bones will make it grow.

Where we're from, there's no sun
Our hometown's in the dark
Where we're from, we're no one
Our hometown's in the dark.