* Lost Boys ~ Dan/Howell • Phil/Lester *

Break

Dan had sat with Phil for two hours before another boy walked in. His clear blue eyes accentuating his bright green hair.
"Hi. I'm Sean but most people call me Jack. I think your friend will be fine. My brother is a pretty good doctor."
The boy's alarmingly loud voice and eccentric tone broke the deafening silence that had filled the room for so long.
"Hello, Jack. Yes he seems to be alright"
"You gave a lot of blood. You must be tired! We've got quarters where you can sleep. You and him might be here a while recovering. "
"Where exactly is here?"
"medicinae domum. It's Latin for 'healing house' we have a doctor and supplies and we tend to be here for support more than anything. We also tend to keep the peace"
"Where do you get supplies from and what the bloody hell do you mean by 'keep the peace'"
"Well there is an abandoned hospital a few miles up the road-walk and talk?"
"Sure"
The two began making their way up the long straight stairwell
"But we can't permanently set up camp there because it's owned by the government now"
"So why didn't the government sell all the equipment?"
"It's all pretty outdated no one would want to buy it"
They got to the top of the stairs and made a left to walk down yet another corridor. Other boys shuffled past with purpose.
"Morning Calypso! Morning Farley!" Jack exclaimed in a chipper tone.
"Morning Jack" they replied in unison and continued at their speedy gait
All these humans at once was a bit shocking for Dan's eyes.
"Anyways we offer free medical help to anyone injured in battle or in life. We're all family here too. First we all get up and do the chores. There's a schedule that rotates your job every day so nothing becomes monotonous. Then we all eat lunch then it's free time till dinner which is cooked, and eaten together. There are no real adults other than my brother."
"Okay but I still don't understand what you meant by 'keep the peace'"
"Ah yes. There are many warring tribes around us. We are the only tribe with medical expertise so we are a mediator and we help those who need it. We are a peaceful tribe and try to stay out of trouble. We saw you and your friend being attacked so we sent out some of our boys. You're both very lucky we got you out of there... let's just say it was a close call"
They made another left into a large room with palettes on the floor. All completely different. Jack gestured to a corner with an unoccupied rectangular space.
"That's yours"
"who were those people"
"mortem domum. It means 'house of death.' They are a greedy people. They saw you both to be strong survivors and liked you so they were going to try and recruit you both."
"They sure have a funny way of showing respect"
"They were testing you. They have a reputation for brutality. Many of our current fleet it from there. They switched because they could not handle the constant unnecessary violence. Many of them came to us in bad shape.- LEO! Come here!"
A small, frail looking boy with blonde hair, a scarred face, and yellow eyes shuffled over.
"H-hi"
Jack looked at Dan
"Leo is from Mortem domum. He's got a rough background there. He can tell you all about it at dinner!"
"Oh um okay" the boy smiled sweetly and walked away
"He doesn't look like he belonged in 'death house'"
"He's got a story. You'll see. Anyways I've got things to do! Make yourself at home! Dinners at sunset"
Dan sat in his empty corner and thought to himself
What the hell kind of insomniac dream am I experiencing right now.
There was nothing but cold, worn hardwood floor underneath him. He turned to the boy beside him in his comfy looking palette.
"H-how'd you get the mat?"
"Oh he didn't tell you? We have to get our own supplies. There's a ghost town about three days from here where I got mine" he said with a desolate grin
Three days? What the hell? Where are we?
"oH"
"It's not so bad if you bring your companion."
"Companion?"
"Yes. You are allowed to pick one person to be with on field missions or extended trips. It's like a travel buddy. It has to be someone you trust wholeheartedly. Anyways what's your name?"
"Daniel"
"Hello Daniel, my name is Jacob"
Dan glanced over to see a pale boy wearing a grey jumper sitting in front of him on a minimalistic and modern looking palette which was white and glossy, with a mattress. There was a similarly fancy bed beside his which was pastel and colorful.
"Who's that?"
" oh that's Chris"
"And whose colorful bed is that?"
"Ah yes haha pj"
"Pj?"
"YOU HAVEN'T MET PJ?"
"Uhh no?"
"WELL COME ON THEN"
The boy grabbed dan wrist and led him thigh the house back to the front door he had rushed through. They walked through the tall grass to the back of the house. Dan was completely astonished to see a large colorful mural on the back of the house. A boy with thick curly brown hair and bright green eye turned around and exclaimed
"HI! I'm pj. You a noob?"
"Yeah I guess so..."
"Well I think you'll like it here" he said with a sweet smile.
"Thanks... you painted this?"
"Yup. I have a lot of spare time here so I taught myself how to paint and this was the result. "
"How long did it take?
"About four months"
"Commitment"
"Yes when I set my mind to things I won't stop till its done ha"
Jacob interjected
"So Pj is not only our,,,'exterior ornamentator' but also our meets our mortem domum initiates. Leo especially needed some assistance in recovery.... ANYWAYS I'll leave you two to talk"
Jacob sauntered away and disappeared behind the corner of the house.
The two were alone
Pj broke the ice
"So where are ya from"
"Everywhere"
"Explain"
"Well I uhhh left my life and kinda wandered for a bit"
"Oh really? That's interesting yes a lot of our residents did that same thing. People from all walks of existence end up here. Most rescued from mortem Domum',s wrath. How'd you end up here?
"The latter"
"Ahhh"
"yes they got me and my friend"
"The boy in the medic wing? Black hair? Fucked up ankle?"
"Yup thats him"
"So do you think he'll be okay"
"I guess so... I hope so"
"As do I; I'm guessing you will pick him for you 'companion'"
"I mean I guess so... we arrived here together so why not stay together"
"Yup that's kinda the same way Chris and I are"
"Yeah...whats up with him anyways?"
"mortem domum got him and kept him as a 'prisoner of war' for about a week. The conditions, weren't great. I was in the troops at the time and I was raiding the cellars looking for our guys and I found him huddled in a corner behind some barrels. He wouldnt get up so I had to carry him out ." Pj smirked sentimentally at the ground and looked distant.
"What even could they do to him? And that other boy...w-what was it...LEO!? How bad could it possibly be?"
"Due to confidentiality I can't tell you. But if you really want to know try befriending them and respectfully asking at some point"
"Alright I might just do that"
The sun began slowly retreating behind the horizon setting the mural in a peach and lilac hue
"Yeah and ya know-"
He was interrupted by an obnoxious bell
"SOUPS ON" Pj exclaimed.
Hr grabbed Dan's wrist and ran back around the house to the front door.
Instead of going to the medic wing which was to the left, they went to the right and through another sitting room. Dans eyes were astonished for the second time that day. A long oak dining table heavily laden with various food stuffs took the spotlight in the center of the room. Various chairs of all sorts surrounded the table and were so close together, they were practically just long benches. Then the grand finally for Dan's ocular tour of the room was the ceiling. A rustic wooden ceiling thoroughly blanketed in soft white and yellow Christmas lights. Like sleeping fireflies or dormant yet shining stars they gently hung giving the room a soft glow with a creamy hue. Pj pulled up a chair beside his and gestured Dan to have a seat. There was a larger open spot to Dan's left which was not occupied by chair or human. This befuddled the boy until his eyes met the shrunken form of his companion entering the room. Phil was being rolled into the room in a wheelchair with various liquids hanging from a broomstick duct taped to the chair. He looked dead, but he was breathing and that was all that mattered. His chair was parked right next to Dan. Their heads slowly turned towards each-other. Their eyes met for the first time in what felt like an eternity. And when the day met the night all was golden in the sky. In that moment they both realized they would be alright and that they were alive and together. And once again they felt home.