It's Us Against The World

7. Fate, Trust, and Who Forgot The Pixie Dust?

"Hey, Walter?" 

"Yes, Kieth?"

"Do you think there could be more survivors we don't know about?"

"Oh, I'm certain of it."

"Then why don't we find them?"

"Because we'd like to live."

"But-"

"I'm not stopping you, Kieth. If you want to try and find others, be my guest. But if you do, take Amethyst with you," Walter stood and left the hotel room. Kieth scrunched up his face in thought, unsure of what to do next. 

It then dawned on Kieth that he hadn't seen Amethyst all morning. When he woke up, she wasn't there. His mind started to race with worst-case scenarios. Was she bitten? Was she taken? Did she just abandon us? How long has she been gone? 

His mind kept racing, and he bit back the urge to cry. 

"Kieth?" He heard a familiar voice ask. 

He looked up and let out a long breath of relief. Amethyst stood in front of him, her face twisted in concern. Kieth jumped up and engulfed her in a hug. "Woah, Woah, Kieth. It's okay," she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm right here."

"I-I th-thought you-you were..." his voice dropped to a whisper. "Dead."

"Oh, Kieth," she cooed. "I'm okay." she rubbed his back, and he let her go. 

"Then where'd you go?" He bit his lip. 

"I was just patrolling outside the hotel when I found someone," she looked behind her, and a young boy peeked from behind her. 

'How had I not noticed him before?' Kieth wondered. The boy took Amethyst's hand and stayed close to her side. "Kieth, this is Rogers," Amethyst smiled. "Say hello, honey."

"Hello, mister Kieth," Rogers said meekly. 

He grinned and knelt to Rogers' height. "Hey there, buddy." Rogers looked from Amethyst to Kieth before letting go of her hand and shuffling toward Kieth. Rogers stuck out his hand, and Kieth shook it. 

Walter's footsteps echoed as they entered the room. A squeak of fear escaped Rogers as he jumped into Amethyst's arms, who scooped him up. 

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Walter chuckled. 

"Walter, this is Rogers." 

"Hey, little man." Walter peeked over Amethyst's shoulder to meet the little boy's teal-blue eyes and freckled face. "My name is Walter," he said gently. "We're gonna keep you safe, okay?"

Rogers nodded softly, his sandy-brown hair bouncing. Walter chuckled, and offered a kind smile. The boy returned it as he began to feel more comfortable. 

"I like your bandana, Rogers," Walter nodded toward the black bandana tied around Rogers' forehead. 

"Thank you, mister," Rogers said into Amethyst's shoulder. Amethyst chuckled before sitting on the hotel bed. 

"Hey, Rogers?" She leaned back to look at the boy. He hummed a yes. "I've gotta talk to Kieth and Walter, so I need you to let me go for a little bit, okay?" she cooed. He nodded and crawled onto the bed. 

Amethyst, Walter, and Kieth walked into the kitchen so Rogers wouldn't hear them. 

"Do you know how old he is?" Walter crossed his arms lazily. 

"Four, I'm guessing," Amethyst shrugged. 

"Where did you find him?" Kieth added. 

"He was in the parking lot, sitting on a bench that normally people waited on for the bus."