How a Resurrection Really Feels

2

The town of Resurrection lies in the middle of nowhere, but that is precisely why it's the only place blooming: there simply is nothing nearby to challenge its claim as the political, legal and religious center of the region. Spencer can't see much of it in the dark, but he is pretty sure that the town is lovely, or it would be if he went for the whole picket fence and flower thing, which he really doesn't give a crap about.

They got off their bikes outside of town, pushing them along the rest of the way as they now silently make their way down the deserted main street. There was a guard at the town gates, 'was' being the operative word. They don't want to announce their arrival because, even with their guns and bikes, there are three of them, and there's a whole town of hillbillies.

And if they're as insane as Mrs. Lewis...

Now Spencer's not scared. He's done shit scarier than this. He's just nervous. He's never kidnapped anyone. Well, back when they were in Gabe's gang, Skulls on Fire, there was that incident involving the kidnap of twelve virgins, but Spencer wasn't a part of it. He just walked into a full on orgy, went "Oh", and discreetly left them to it. But this kidnap should be easy enough: their plan is clear and focused and, so far, everything Mrs. Lewis said has been true.

They get to the town square, and the church's steeple rises high on the other side, lit by the moon. Light is coming through the church windows, but no one seems to be around.

"Let's leave the bikes here," Jon says, and he and Ryan obey, kicking the side stands and leaving their bikes waiting at the side of the square.

The Urie house can't be missed. Mrs. Lewis said it's next to the church, but even if it weren't for this obvious clue, the massive mansion-like building in the middle of the town where all the other houses are small and modest is a clear indication of where the big shot lives.

They cross the square, and Spencer eyes the statue that has been erected in the middle. It's a cross and, from what he sees, a man is hanging from it. What a weird statue to have. Spencer's used to all statues being guys with silly kinds of hats riding horses. Resurrection is giving Spencer the creeps.

They agreed who would do what beforehand, and Spencer is pleased that they are working as a team pretty damn well. Once they've reached the house, Ryan silently starts picking the lock while he and Jon get their guns out, ready for action. They're hoping to catch the Uries during dinner or some other evening ritual, though it is too much to hope they'd be in bed already. Or maybe they are. Who knows with these people?

"Okay," Ryan whispers, straightening up and moving aside. He mouths, "one, two, three" before giving the door a gentle push, and he and Jon instantly aim their guns inside. No one in sight. Jon nods towards the house, and the three of them sneak in. The front door squeaks slightly as they close it behind themselves.

Jon silently points to different directions, and they separate accordingly. Spencer's heart is beating fast, his hands sweating and all senses electrified. The lights aren't on in any room, but Spencer can see the fancy furniture in the moonlight, paintings and small statues, expensive looking grandfather clocks. These people have got it damn nice.

Spencer enters the kitchen where a fire is slowly dying in the fireplace. No one there either. He sighs and lowers his gun.

"Anything?"

Spencer swirls around and sees Ryan, who looks annoyed. He shakes his head. "Nothing here."

"Fucking fantastic," Ryan curses, looking around the room. "Can we at least empty the kitchen while we're at it?"

"Quiet," Jon orders, having rejoined them from his own look around the house.

Ryan sighs. "Look, we gotta make the best of this damn situation. Do you want to wait until the family gets back? I mean, someone's gonna spot our bikes outside, man, and –"

In one swift movement, Jon moves behind Ryan, pulling him to his chest and covering Ryan's mouth with his hand. Spencer's about to intervene, realizing that Jon has finally decided that Ryan is too annoying to have around and that killing him is the best option, but Jon holds a finger to his lips and says, "Shh." He points to the ceiling.

Spencer looks up and hears it too: movement right above their heads.

Jon lets go of Ryan, who glares and tries fixing his hair. "Let's go get the bitch," Ryan declares, and the three of them head for the stairs in the foyer, going slowly to stop the floorboards from giving them away.

Once on the landing, they instantly see one door ajar with a beam of light coming through it. Spencer goes first, gun ready.

Kidnapping a house wife from some small town in the country? This is easy. This is doable.

Spencer takes a look inside through the crack and sees her: a woman in a fancy, lavender dress with long sleeves all the way down to her wrists. Spencer only sees her back, but it's clearly a conservative dress, one designed to leave everything to the imagination. Well, she is the priest's wife. Spencer realizes that she's standing in front of a mirror, examining herself from different angles, and he leans back so that she won't see his reflection.

She's alone and unaware. Excellent.

Spencer goes through his pockets and gets out a small cotton sack they found in their house, probably used to store rice in. Now it'll get used for something else.

He looks at Ryan, who seems as nervous as him, and he looks at Jon, who seems perfectly calm. Jon might as well be back in the house, petting Monster – his expression isn't any different.

When they burst into the room, everything happens in a flash. They storm in, practically launching on the wife, who is instantly floored. Ryan smashes his gun to the back of her head before she can scream, and she goes limp beneath them. "Come on, come on!" Ryan mutters as Spencer takes the bag and puts it over her head, securing it with the robes around the bag's mouth but still making sure he doesn't strangle their victim. She'll be no use to them dead.

Jon, who has merely stood still and observed them, now says, "Carry her."

Ryan stands up and dusts off his black jeans. "Why don't you carry her?" he asks in a challenging tone, but Jon is already out of the room.

"I'll take her shoulders, you carry her legs," Spencer says, and together they manage to lift her off the ground. She's heavier than Spencer expected, but it's probably the dress. She's damn flat-chested, though. Maybe the love she shares with her husband is more spiritual than physical. Most likely.

Jon makes sure the way is clear as they carry her downstairs. Ryan groans. "God, I go from being one of Patrick's favorites to carrying some old nun of a woman in goddamn Resurrection. Physical labor, Spencer! I don't do physical labor." Spencer ignores him but then Ryan exclaims, "Dude, her legs are fucking hairy."

"Are you looking up her skirt? Don't look up her skirt! Man, that's disgusting!" he spits and adds, "And shut up about Patrick, would you? Because you certainly didn't waste time going from the favorite to the most hated."

No more words are needed as Ryan glares at him but remains speechless. Ryan can never argue back, not when Spencer offers the truth. Also, Spencer figures Ryan must be really damn desperate to be checking out women.

Before making their way out, Spencer and Ryan wait for Jon by the kitchen doors while Jon fills Spencer's bag and his own with the most delicious food available. They didn't take that much from Mrs. Lewis, after all, and they still have to make through the days until they get their ransom.

The Urie wife starts feeling heavier, and Spencer adjusts his grip on her. Jon is ready in the kitchen, leading the way to the door with his gun out and ready.

It's still silent and deserted when they step out onto the porch. Jon closes the door behind them, sticking the note they wrote before leaving it on the wooden door with a knife. That should scare them.

The note is simple. They have taken the wife and the reverend is to wait until he receives their ransom note. After that he has to deliver the requested items: he will get his wife back, they will get all the stuff they need, no one gets hurt and everybody wins.

As for now, they need to exit as quietly as they entered, but the wife starts struggling in Spencer's arms when they have almost reached their bikes, ready to go back to the house with their prey. Spencer curses and holds on, but the woman is surprisingly strong. She gives Ryan a kick to his stomach, and Ryan recoils, releasing her legs from his hold.

Ryan lets out a loud, painful groan. "You fucking bitch!"

"I thought you knocked her out!" Spencer complains, trying to keep the lady still in his arms. It's difficult as she's putting up a lot of resistance, fighting desperately against him as much as she can. Spencer hasn't been in bike gangs all of his life for nothing, though, and he can easily overpower one feeble woman.

"Help! Somebody help!" the captive yells, and the three of them exchange puzzled and worried glances. The even and deep voice is way too masculine for a woman. Flat chest, hairy legs... There's an uncomfortable click in Spencer's head.

They don't have time to think, however, as people are now coming out of the church, undoubtedly having heard the yelling. The churchgoers freeze on the other edge of the square that is now perfectly illuminated by moonlight. Fuck. Spencer tries not to panic, but fuck, they are too many. Even if Jon killed all the villagers Spencer is sure that he'd run out of bullets doing it.

Jon and Ryan point at the townsfolk with their guns before the crowd can properly react, and there's a collective murmur coming from them, low and shocked. Some scared shrieks echo here and there, but that is not a comfort as such: fear is the only thing that separates that crowd from the three of them. Their plan will go to hell if the churchgoers suddenly decide not to be scared anymore.

"Help!" the man in Spencer's arms yells again, struggling more and more.

"Are you a Urie?" Spencer hisses through his teeth.

The crowd is now moving restlessly, and Jon shoots at the ground as a warning. Ryan follows his example, but they just create a big fucking mess that shouldn't be happening. Spencer eyes the situation with increasing worry.

"Stay the fuck back!" Ryan yells at the crowd, but they are scared and start running everywhere just to get away from them and the guns. And even if people are running away, they are all out of control, and Spencer knows that the possibility of something going wrong is way too high when they do not have control of the situation. They can't take that risk when there are only three of them.

"Are you a fucking Urie?!" Spencer yells at their captive again, not having time for this bullshit.

"Yes! I'm the priest's son!"

"Fair enough," Jon concludes and steps over; hitting the man's bagged head with the butt of his shotgun.

The boy's body instantly goes limp. Jon throws one of the food bags to Spencer and the other to Ryan, and he lifts the boy over his shoulder easily, using his free hand to shoot with his shotgun without any attempt to actually aim. Spencer and Ryan follow him to the motorcycles in a similar fashion: they shoot at everyone and everything, which creates the biggest chaos so far but keeps everyone a safe distance away from them.

They get on their bikes, and Jon throws the passed out man across the body of his bike. The noises and screams of the people are shut out by the loud roar of the engines. Spencer takes in a calming breath as they speed out of the square and down the main street. People are still running haywire, screaming loudly, and Spencer figures it's not every day that the people of Resurrection get to witness such an eventful kidnapping.

Once they're back on the road, Spencer takes the lead, just as a way to regain some control of the plan that got so out of his hands. Our hands, our hands, he repeats to himself. It's impossible for him not to feel like he's in command when he's the one who has to save Ryan's ass all the time. He's also always the one who figures out what they do next. It was Spencer – not Ryan – who got them into The Snakes after several months of wandering and looking for a new gang. Spencer can't see in the dark, but he still has the gang tattoo on the back of his left hand: a snake baring its teeth and ready for attack.

Their current situation is completely different to their pre-Snake era, though. Well, with eating crows, finding monsters and kidnapping wrong people, Spencer thinks it's pretty safe to say this is new, unexplored territory. But it's not just that. Firstly, Spencer rules out the possibility of joining a new gang, for now at least. And definitely not until Ryan learns how to control his sexual impulses. He's like an animal in heat, really. They have to wait until the whole thing with Ryan screwing Pete blows over. The Snakes are a very influential gang with a reputation and a string of connections in several cities. Ryan, and therefore Spencer, has a bad record by now. They can't risk going into a new city just to be shot or handed back over to The Snakes for justice. As an odd bonus, however, Fifty-Two Walker is with them, and Spencer couldn't be more grateful for that.

He tries to calm himself down even if it's difficult. A hit has never been that hard in the past, which is understandable since this was a hit realized by three men. Usually robbing a huge place or even the smallest one required at least twenty people. Safety in numbers and all that. They used to move in groups, so there was always an extra pair of eyes watching your back or neutralizing a situation that could have turned into a mess.

Luck was on their side tonight because they have what was needed and no one got hurt. Everything's fine.

"Everything's fine," Spencer whispers reassuringly.

The moon is shining brightly when they arrive at their house, and Spencer is happy to be home as the cool night air was starting to get to him. The Urie is still knocked out when Jon gets off his bike. Spencer wonders if Jon accidentally killed the guy.

"Basement?" Jon asks, carrying the Urie on his shoulder.

"Yeah."

Jon nods silently as always and disappears inside the house. Exhausted but not showing it, Spencer takes a little detour with Ryan to the kitchen where they empty their bags after lighting up a few candles so they can see what they're doing. At least they probably hit the best equipped house in the entire countryside. It's pathetically exciting to find canned meat, spam and fucking sausages. In the good old days this kind of food was the norm. Now, it feels like they are blessed.

"Shit, Spencer," Ryan mutters, stunned, showing him two big jars of coffee.

Their lives have become incredibly sad if something as insignificant as jelly or coffee makes their knees weak. But, Spencer figures, it's a victory in two ways: they have a Urie and a nice amount of food to get by until they receive the ransom – if they ration the food wisely. Spencer feels pretty accomplished.

"Let's go downstairs," Spencer tells Ryan. "Bring a bucket of water and some ropes. We have to wake up the weirdo we snatched."

He hears Ryan grumbling as he leaves, but Spencer ignores the attitude. He descends the dark stairs to the dim basement with a lantern to help him see, and the room gets further illuminated from the small lantern that Jon is already holding. The basement is nothing but a huge room the size of the entire floor above. There's nothing interesting about the place; just a dusty floor and some old, empty shelves here and there.

The Urie lies on the floor, still passed out and with a bag-covered head. Jon is by his feet, staring at the guy.

"We can tie him to that," Spencer suggests, pointing at one of the concrete columns supporting the structures above the basement. Jon nods agreeingly.

Ryan appears seconds later with a half-filled water bucket. Spencer rolls his eyes when he takes it from Ryan. Of course his friend won't make a lot of effort carrying something unless it's vital. Spencer sends Ryan and Jon a silent signal, and both instantly get the message and pull out their guns, pointing at the Urie. Spencer pulls the bag off of his head, now seeing a mess of dark brown hair and an unconscious, definitely male face.

Why the hell was the guy wearing a dress? Spencer's not sure if he wants to know.

Unceremoniously, Spencer empties the bucket of water over the unconscious man, who gives a jolt and starts moving a little uncoordinatedly at first.

"Wake up," he orders. "And stay still, we have two guns pointing at your head."

The Urie goes completely still, staring blindly to where Spencer's voice is coming from. Spencer forces him to stand up. The guy flinches from his touch, and Spencer mutters, "Stay calm and no one gets hurt."

The Urie lets himself be pushed back against the pillar, and Spencer takes his arms, twists them to the back and ties them together securely. The kid is trembling.

Once Spencer's done and has joined his friends, he realizes how ridiculous the view is. In front of them is a young man with messy, dark brown hair, big and fearful brown eyes and a rather handsome face, save for one bruise decorating his forehead – Ryan hit him on the forehead? No wonder the guy woke up too soon – wearing a long lavender dress snugly fitting his torso, and also giving him a waist but showing hairy ankles where the skirt ends, clearly a bit too short for him.

"So you are the priest's son," Spencer starts the conversation.

The man nods quickly, looking petrified, and that's something that always helps the situation. The Urie will cooperate without Spencer having to force him.

"I am," the captive announces in a quivering voice. "I'm Brendon. I'm the youngest son."

Spencer nods. The plan should work the same. Wife, son, does it matter? But it still bothers him that it didn't turn out as they had planned, and only because the guy was wearing a fucking dress. It was there that things got out of control.

"So what's with the fucking dress?" Spencer snaps. "Are you some kind of a drag freak? How does that work out for you, then, seeing as you're the priest's son?"

Brendon gapes at him, scandalized. "I'm not a freak! It's my sister's dress, and I don't like wearing dresses, I just like the bodice! I never get good clothes. My parents just give me the old, ratty and patched clothes that used to belong to my older brothers, and they always get new and pretty stuff because they're older! My sisters get even more because Mother loves spoiling them! But if I ask for new stuff, I'm being greedy, or envious, or selfish, and then I get grounded. It's not fair on me, you know?"

Spencer's surprised by the courage that Brendon is showing in speaking so much, so loudly and so defiantly. He's most likely damned embarrassed that he got caught prancing in a dress. Brendon takes in a long breath after his rant, cheeks pink.

"So you prowl around your house wearing women's clothes when your parents aren't home?" Spencer clarifies, mocking him. It's impossible not to do it. He is trying not to snicker, and he can sense that Ryan is having the same problem. Jon, however, does not appear to be the tiniest bit amused.

Brendon narrows his eyes angrily, but his entire face is bright red. "I do, actually. When I'm grounded and I can't go to church, I borrow my sisters' dresses because I like some of them! So what? It's not like I'm stealing! And it's not my fault they got this dress that has this pretty bodice! It's not like I can cut the top off the actual dress and sew it back on before my family comes back from church, so I have to compromise and put on the entire dress! It's only natural!" he adds. Spencer doesn't want to inform the man that, from where he comes from, it's not very natural.

Brendon is glaring at them with defiance, and this is an attitude that Spencer doesn't welcome. It was this defiance that got them into a very shitty situation in the square just some hours ago. Yet, Jon seems more upset by Brendon's attitude than Spencer since he steps in front of the tied up man and takes a hold of Brendon's top to bring him as close as he can.

"Watch your manners, boy," Jon snarls, now approaching Brendon. He rounds the pillar and begins to fiddle with the ropes. Spencer looks to Ryan in confusion. Why is Jon untying their captive?

"Um..." Ryan begins uncertainly, but then Jon has Brendon untied, and he gives the kid a powerful shove, making Brendon stumble forwards.

Brendon swirls around, eyes wide with fear, and Jon points his gun directly at Brendon's head. "Take it off."

"W-What?" Brendon stutters.

"The dress. Take it off," Jon repeats. Spencer stares at the scene, feeling his palms begin to sweat. Fuck, is Jon going to rape the kid? Assuming that, since Brendon wears dresses, he wants to be treated like a woman too? Is Jon even into fucking guys? Spencer honestly doesn't know, but this looks bad. Maybe Jon is planning a gang rape and expects them to participate?

Ryan looks just as restless, and Brendon turns his pleading eyes to them, but what could Spencer do? Stop Fifty-Two Walker? That's a laugh.

"Take the fucking dress off!" Jon yells, and Brendon flinches, hands flying to the back of his neck for the top button. Brendon is shaking and pale, and Spencer tries not to feel bad. He mostly tries to figure out what the hell Jon wants.

The dress comes off, revealing Brendon's bare torso and skinny legs. The dress pools around his ankles, and he steps out of it, lifting it up and pressing it to his chest, clearly trying to cover himself up. He's wearing underpants, though, which go all the way to mid-thigh. Still, it's clear that the half-nudity is freaking Brendon out, and Spencer figures that showing skin simply is not allowed where he comes from. Probably a sin or something along the lines.

Jon takes a step closer to Brendon, who takes a terrified step back, and Spencer's stomach twists from the thought of having to watch Jon having his way with the kid. He doesn't want to see it, so what if he and Ryan leave Jon to it? Though what about their plans, what about not actually hurting Brendon?

But instead of forcing Brendon on the ground on his hands and knees and making him take it like a bitch, Jon rips the dress from Brendon's arms. Brendon stays still with a horrified look on his face, trying to figure out what's happening just like Spencer is. Jon starts shredding the dress into pieces, and Spencer doesn't dare say anything as there goes some lace, there flies a few buttons. He exchanges an alarmed glance with Ryan. Ryan's eyes clearly state that Jon is a psycho, which, well, Jon very well might be, but dress tearing is still preferred to raping.

Jon ends up ripping the dress in half, showing Brendon the upper part. "This the piece you fucking wanted?" he snarls, voice dripping poison. Spencer doesn't even know how Brendon manages to nod; the kid is clearly freaked out and on the verge of tears. Jon throws the piece of clothing at him, and it hits Brendon in the chest and falls to the floor.

"Tie him the fuck up," Jon commands and goes to the stairs, leaving the basement, and Spencer breathes out in relief. Of course Jon wasn't going to ruin the plan by killing or raping Brendon, but for a second Spencer thought that Brendon wasn't going to get out of the basement alive.

"We won't hurt you," Spencer tells Brendon, then realizes it's probably the wrong thing to say, and Brendon probably doesn't believe him, anyway. He's never kidnapped anyone before. "I mean we won't hurt you unless we have to. Just behave, and by the end of the week you'll be back with your family. Ryan?" he then requests, and Ryan steadies his gun, pointing at Brendon while Spencer pulls him back to the pillar and ties him to it again. Brendon's breathing is erratic and broken, like he is waiting for the right moment to start crying.

Spencer motions Ryan to follow him after he's done, and both of them start climbing up the stairs, leaving Brendon to his new home. "Could you give the guy some pants of yours?" Spencer asks his friend. "He can't spend the week almost naked."

"I don't think they'll fit him. Did you see the size of his ass?" Ryan asks, taking a last glance at Brendon before they exit the basement completely.

Spencer knows that look in Ryan's eyes all too well, and that fucking look never leads to something good. Spencer grabs Ryan by the arm and hisses in his ear, "Don't you even think about it." If Jon had plans to make Brendon his sex slave, Spencer could do little to stop it. Ryan, however, is another matter.

"I didn't think –"

"Oh, please, don't even start. Stay away from the guy, Ryan. I mean it," he warns. "We have to return him safe and sound or the plan will be ruined. They don't want him back raped." Ryan looks deeply offended, but Spencer persists. "For once in your life, keep your dick away from the one guy you're not allowed to fuck. If you're horny, go to your room and jerk off."

"Why do you always think I'll fuck everything up?" Ryan retorts, and Spencer tries not to say it's because Ryan always does. "I won't fuck it up, so no need to preach at me."

Spencer desperately needs rest but before heading to bed for at least a couple of hours, he decides to look for Jon just to see if everything's okay. It takes him no effort to find Jon as he is in the kitchen in front of the stove. He hesitates at first, looking for further signs of an ongoing violent fit, but there seem to be none.

Spencer sits down at the table, saying nothing, just waiting for Jon to turn around and... Spencer will figure what to say then. Jon's shoulders no longer are tense so Spencer figures he has calmed down at least.

"It went well, all things considered," Spencer says carefully, not sure if Jon is about to explode on him or not. He can understand that Jon would be pissed off they got the wrong guy. Hell, even Spencer is pissed off.

Jon shrugs indifferently, though. "The attitude," Jon says simply. "Now he's scared of us."

"What?"

"He was giving us an attitude, so I freaked him out. He should do as we say now."

"Oh," Spencer manages. That's all it was? Huh. A brilliantly calculated move on Jon's part, but Spencer is clearly not on Jon's wavelength. Jon freaked all of them out.

When Jon turns around, he places a mug of coffee in front of Spencer, having prepared one for himself as well. Jon doesn't sit down with him, just leans back against the counter, leaving Spencer with the delicious smell of hot coffee circling in the air. Jon made coffee? Jon made coffee. Well. He's just full of surprises, isn't he?

Spencer thanks him. Jon slowly lifts his own mug as if in a toast, and both drink from their respective mugs.

It tastes better than it smells, and Spencer decides that it's probably the best coffee of his fucking life. He was expecting to just make do with the plain coffee in the jars; it didn't even occur to him that they had sugar too. In his mind there already was the bitter taste of coffee waiting for him, and considering their situation, that would have been more than alright. But right now it's heaven to have an incredible mug of coffee, all hot and sugared and exactly how Spencer likes it.

Jon taking his coffee the same way as Spencer is the best coincidence ever.

They drink their coffees in silence. Spencer stares at Jon as they drink, trying to figure out what to say to him. Jon doesn't look upset like he did minutes before; Jon looks like he always does, unnerved and calm with his eyes fixed on the view out of the window. It's relaxing to stare at Jon's tranquil profile; the peace is almost contagious. Spencer lets himself blend into Jon's mood. Each day Spencer discovers something new about Jon that makes him happy that he's there with them.

Suddenly, words start coming easier to Spencer so he just speaks them out loud.

"I've never thanked you for coming with us," he starts, forcing Jon to meet his eyes. "I don't know why you did, but you being here made everything easier. I doubt Ryan and me would have gotten this far without you. I know everything's a mess, but we'll work it out. So thanks for being here."

Jon says nothing at first, but he sits down, slowly placing his mug on the table. Their gazes meet, and Jon's is completely blank but at the same time it's different. Spencer could swear that Jon is sort of smiling if it wasn't so hard to believe that Jon can actually smile.

"You don't have to thank me for anything," Jon says. "I came with you because I wanted to, so what I do for you I also do for me."

Spencer is stunned, but he can't help letting out a short laugh. "Dude, that's the most I've ever heard you say in one sentence."