Nobody's Hero (A Black Veil Brides fanfiction)

Chapter 21

I was starting to get sick of the desert. Walking the vast expanse almost made me wish for a nuclear winter. Most of the time, I would trudge along, hoping that the city walls would appear over the horizon. Then there were the times where I would be clinging onto Anthony's back like a koala, praying that 1781 would not appear.

"Little One," Anthony squeezed my thighs gently, urging me to open my eyes. I had been napping on his back for most of the morning. "You have to get down now. We're almost at the walls," He released me as I groaned, trying to hold on as best I could. I felt something clasp around my neck, falling down to my collar bones with dead weight falling behind me.

"What the hell?" I stumbled when my feet hit the ground, trying to keep my balance and not topple over onto Jess, who was walking beside me. I looked behind me to find that a dark cloak was billowing out behind me with every careful step I took. I sighed, frustrated. I don't want to be here.

Andy came walking back, urging us to split up and blend into the middle of the cluster of soldiers. "Jessie," He pushed me towards Anthony, pulling the cloak so that it hid my body. "Stay with him at all times." Andy looked between us with a stern look in his eyes. "Do not wander. Do not look anyone in the eye or interact with anyone here. We don't need you two blowing our cover." He bent down so that he was eye level with me. "Do you understand?"

I raised the hood over my head, letting it fall over my eyes. "Yeah, I do." I heard him grumble angrily as he walked back to the front of the Legion. I wiped at my eyes, not wanting the tears to fall. I kept my head down, glancing up occasionally to make sure I didn't bump into anyone. I felt Anthony's arm snake around my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before letting it fall back to his side. I felt like nothing could help me now.

We all stopped, faintly hearing Jinxx talking to one of the guards on duty. I hoped that they would turn us away, but my hopes were thrown to the dirt and crushed as the pristine white gates began to open. We were ushered inside by more guards-more than I remember ever being on duty at the wall. Ever since the attacks started up again, they must have upped the security. We walked past the control tower, where I glanced up to see a familiar face working at a computer.

"Is that Nick...?" I whispered to Anthony, who followed my gaze into the room. I remember always trying to get the short-haired boy's attention in school, hopelessly in love with him for no reason. Nick never gave me the time of day, but I always fought for his attention. Anthony once got into a fight with him, beating the ever-living shit out of him. I thought it was quite funny, though I eventually pushed Nick off of my best friend before leaving the room with Anthony. It had been the one time I really had his attention, but I no longer wanted or cared for it.

"Yeah," He breathed out. We looked away when we passed the guard closest to us, keeping our heads down. We huddled together slightly, trying to keep our expressions somewhat frightened. If we looked calm and collected, we would only draw more attention to ourselves. If we were caught now, the only way out would be death.

Being a guard was one of the worst jobs you could be placed in; they worked long, constant hours and were treated like slaves. Their families rarely ever got to see them, only getting half of the money sent to them with letters from the guard. It was also a dangerous job, one could easily fall from the 20-story wall. If you were picked to be a guard, you were given only a day to say your goodbyes to your family and take care of any loose ends. It truly was a horrid thing to do for the rest of your life.

We were told to go to the assignment building, where we would be given our rooms until more permanent homes were found for our lot. We passed some of the tiny huts that were used as break rooms by the guards. A female dressed in a dark blue suit was leaning against a table, her hands covering her face as a steaming coffee cup sat forgotten next to her. The woman sobbed silently, her shoulders shaking with every breath she took. I wanted to run to her and comfort her, but I was held to my spot by a warm arm around my waist. I looked away from the woman, a frown etched into my face.

When we got to the assignment building, I could barely hear anything; it was like I was in a bubble. The words being spoken around me were muffled as I blocked out everything from my mind. A loud speaker crackled over-head, a deep, sinister voice breaking through the static.

"The rebels claim their brave new world is upon us," It said in a disgusted tone. The word 'rebels' came out almost like acid. "Do not be fooled by the chicanery in which they lay their claim-it is false!" The speaker began to crackle again as the transmission paused.

I ground my teeth together, getting angry with each word that came out of this man's mouth. Anthony put an arm around me beneath my cloak, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "F.E.A.R's leader, Control-his been sending out more and more transmissions to try and keep the people sedated." He looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to us, turning back to continue. "Citizens have been getting very anxious and are frightened that they could be next."

The speaker buzzed as the transmission started to play again, continuing from where it left off. "And their uprising will not succeed," Control's voice boomed throughout the office building. People on the streets outside pulled their gazes away from us to something high on the building's walls. I dared a glance around to see large television screens-ones that weren't there when Anthony and I called this city home. The pale, robed figure looked up at the camera, his gaze locking onto mine so intently that I couldn't tear my eyes away. I could feel the darkness rush through my veins like ice when he finally spoke.

"You will place your trust in F.E.A.R

you must!"

~~~

I was listening to William Control (the voice of F.E.A.R) as I wrote this x3 Hope you all enjoyed!