𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 (An Emo Quartet Crossover AU)

Chapter 4

~Mona POV~

When I wake up, the sun shines bright through the stained glass window of he sanctuary. It casts beams of multicolored light over the room, creating a work of art. As I raise my head from the pew I've been sleeping in, I listen for the noise that woke me.

Someone's playing the piano.

I stand up and walk out of the sanctuary, into the hallway, then into a small room. This room, once a classroom when his was still a church, holds a piano and a few stacks of chairs. I walk over to the piano, noticing that Sarah is playing it.

"Good morning, Sarah," I say softly.
"Hey, Mona," she responds.
"What'cha playing?" I ask.
"It's one of the songs we found in that stack of notebooks a while back. I'm pretty sure it was called 'The End Of All Things', but I can't be sure."
"It sounds really pretty either way."
"Thanks!"

We sit there for a few moments, listening to the song Sarah is playing. I'm about to say something, when Brian bursts into the room, face red and breathing heavy.

"Sarah, Mona," he pants, leaning over. "Meeting. Sanctuary. Right now."

We get up and follow him back into the sanctuary, seeing that a few Sinners are gathered up by the pulpit and large, broken pipe organ. They turn to the three of us and we join them.

"What's going on?" I ask.
"We found something really weird on a supply run," Mary, my older sister, says. "We deemed it important."

She pulls out an aged smartphone and turns it to us. On its screen is a picture of a graffiti message with curious wording:

You'll have to come and find me, find me
36.1029° N, 115.1784° W

At the bottom, a series of four faction signs are inscribed in black paint: ours, the Killjoys, the Youngbloods, and one I'd seen before, but couldn't name off the tøp of my head {I have no regret}.

"What could it mean?" I wonder aloud.
"Maybe it's the key to finding the guys again," Sarah comments, almost whispering. She was the most affected by their disappearance, since she'd known many of them for years. I hope for her sake that she's right.
"I'm not sure," Mary begins, "but we should brainstorm long and hard before we do anything about it."

****

~Alyssa POV~

I never thought I'd be going back into Dema.

The last time I left was months ago, and I vowed that I was going to fight as hard as I could to stay out of there. It's a dangerous place with the purpose of grounding people instead of lifting them up. I got very close to the edge many times, though that was the Bishops' job anyway.

And yet, here I am, walking back through the dark underground tunnel that'll lead us straight back to the city. Torches burning, faces covered, and jackets taped, we walk in an amorphous group, not conforming to a single file line. Josh, Ashley, Abby, Jay, Zack, and I are at the front , leading the Banditos, though the anxiety coursing through my veins is almost enough for me to tear off in the opposite direction and run as fast as I can back to the camp, where I'm far away from the concrete city. I don't move, though, because of one thing that's at the end of the tunnel:

Or really, one person: Tyler.

I've known him since I was seven; we've been best friends for years, and I've almost become a member of his family at this point. I can't run away from Dema knowing that he's still in there suffering, so I press on, a little shaky but hardly worse for wear.

Once the end of the tunnel approaches, I take a deep breath and exhale, calming myself. We walk down the street, seeing the citizens closing their windows and disappearing from view. If only they knew that we were here to help, to free them.

Having reached Nico's district, we stand there, waiting. Eventually, a door opens and a figure with an olive jacket steps out. He begins walking in our direction, then sees us and turns to go the other way, where he sees he's surrounded. Josh steps forward and removed his bandana from around his face, smiling at Tyler, and they perform their 'secret' handshake, ending with a brief embrace.

****

Once we reach the tunnel, Zack retrieves a roll of yellow duct tape from his knapsack. Removing several strips, we apply them to Tyler's jacket, marking him as a Bandito. We walk in silence for about ten minutes, finally reaching the outside. The mountains before us give way to a large stretch of flat land, expanding for miles. Though I've seen the view hundreds of times, I still find it stunning, sporting hues of green, brown, white, and blue. The sun, shining brightly above, welcomes us to Trench.

After a brief walk, we reach the camp, and the group of Banditos disperse. The Joseph-Dun-West clan walks into a large tent at the center of the camp, where I drop my stuff in a table and practically leap into Tyler's arms. His arms wrap around me as I non-verbally communicate how much I missed him. After a few moments, I look up at him, returning the smile he gives me.

"Good to have you back, Joseph," I say, a few tears in the corners of my eyes.
"The same to you, West," he responds, his grim widening, and we both break into a fit of laughter.
"Dare I say, " Ashley begins, laughing, "this might be even more iconic than when Tyler and Josh did their handshake in the middle of the street."
"I'd have to agree with you there, Ash," Josh replies, chuckling. "When I first met them, my immediate thought was 'that's a package deal'. There's no way you can split them apart for long."
"Speaking of which," I chime in {I know it's a dead meme, I don't care}, "How'd you get that far on your own?"
"I don't know," he answers, smile dropping. "Maybe it was just a coincidence that the streets were empty."
"The most important thing," Josh cuts in, putting his arms on our shoulders, "is that the squad is back together."
"Agreed," I remark, and the three of us walk outside.

****
{Buenos Dias.

Here's another chapter, kids. Stay in school, get some sleep, drink your milk (unless you're lactose intolerant, I guess), and take your meds.

Gotta blast!

-anaenae, local Suburban Soccer Mom™️