𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 (An Emo Quartet Crossover AU)

Chapter 1

~Alyssa POV~

My eyes open.

I sit up as I take in my surroundings. Once I'm sure it's the tent, I exhale quietly. I keep having dreams that the Bishops recaptured us and I'm terrified that, one of these days, I'm going to wake up in that awful city again.

I remove the tattered quilt that's wrapped around me as I swing my legs over the side of the cot, touching my feet to the tarp floor below me. I stand, padding to the other side of our spacious tent.

"Morning, Lyssa," Ash says quietly as soon as I sit at the small table, holding two cups of coffee.
"Morning, Ash," I reply, considerably less chipper as she hands me one of the cups.
"Maddie and Abby left for the checkpoint already. It's a faction-wide patrol day."
"Thanks for letting me know. Do you wanna go ahead while I get ready?"
"And miss a perfect opportunity to ride out with my best friend? Not a chance."
"Okay, just give me a minute."

I stand, walking back to my cot to get ready. After I quickly finish my coffee, I throw away the empty cup and take my backpack off the chest it's sitting on. I stuff all my supplies into it, making sure to include a blanket, a pocketknife, a lighter, and a fully loaded gun. I set it down on the bed and sit down next to it, slipping my combat boots over my woolen socks and lacing them tightly. I stand, walking over to grab my jacket from the foot of my cot. I slide the sleeves, adorned with strips of yellow tape, onto my arms, zipping up the army-green coat. I pick up my bag and slip it over my shoulders, walking to the front of the tent where Ash stands, waiting.

"You ready, Dun?" I ask.
"You know it, West."

We tie our yellow bandanas around our faces, concealing them, then walk outside. The one thought I have as we begin our trek is as follows:

Why is today a faction-wide patrol?

****

When we finally reach the others, I see a large group, each marked with yellow duct tape, bandanas, and dark clothing.

One figure in particular jogs up to us, pulling down their bandanna.

"Josh!" Ash exclaims. "It's so good to se you!"
"Hey, 'Lyssa, Ash," he says, embracing us.
"What's the dealio?" I ask as we break apart the group hug.
"You mean why we're all here?" He clarifies.
"Yep, exactly."
"Well, we've heard that there's a perimeter escape attempt that's being made today."
"Really?" Ash asks. We don't hear of perimeter escapes that often, so it's a special occasion whenever one happens. We do what we can to help, but there's usually not much we can do.
"Yeah. Now come on, everyone's gathering."

We walk over to the group of about a hundred people. The figures, all clad in yellow and army green, notice our arrival and nod their heads in welcome. Josh re-fastens his bandanna, and we start to form a line surrounding the canyon, looking down. To our surprise, there's already someone there.

There's a figure lying in a stream at the bottom of the canyon. It's difficult to make out their face, but I'm pretty sure it's a male. We stand there silently for a few minutes, and the figure opens his eyes and stands slowly, we duck out of his line of sight, waiting for danger to come.

And come it does. As the man is walking along the canyon floor, we notice something approaching from the city: a Bishop on a horse. I can't tell which one it is, but something tells me it's Nico.

We look on to see what happens next. The Bishop, donned in a red cloak, comes to a stop a few yards away from the man, dismounting the white horse. I peer closely to look at the man's facial features, and I realize who it is:

Tyler.

As Nico approaches, Tyler doesn't move a muscle. He just stands there, submissive. Nico reaches Tyler and places his hands on Tyler's neck, leaving behind what looks to be black paint. He walks away, remounting on the horse, and makes his way slowly towards the entrance tot he canyon, Tyler following closely behind.

We gotta save him.

Ash and a few others seem to have similar ideas, seeing as about 8 or 9 of us step to the edge of the canyon. The rest of the Banditos follow suit, and we are soon surrounding the canyon. Reaching into our pockets, we pull out yellow flower petals and start throwing them down, hoping that the gesture will help Tyler understand he has to fight back. Tyler, noticing the petals, looks around, becoming slightly more agitated. The white horse that Nico is riding on starts to buck very violently as the petals fall to the canyon floor, and Tyler quickly snaps out of whatever state he was in. He turns quickly and breaks into a full-on sprint in the other direction, towards freedom. He stumbles a few times, but picks himself up again.

Unfortunately, the second time he falls over, he doesn't get up. Nico, no longer on his horse, approaches, standing over him. We back away from the canyon and realize that we can't help anymore. Josh lingers for some reason, then follows the rest of us. We run towards our vehicles and start the engines. As we speed off, I can't help but recall seeing a figure in one of the canyon's many caves.

****

{Hi shisters, anaenae here (I'm sorry, that was uncalled for)

Double update????

Slap the vote button and comment or whatever.

Stay frosty, broskis.

-anaenae}