the ruins of the day painted with a scar [TOH AU]

yesterday, today, and tomorrow

ok this chapter is sorta shitty bc it's one of those filler ones before it gets interesting. also, two chapters being posted in the same week????? I pulled an all nighter so I just decided to finish writing this chapter.
TW:mentions of smoking/cigarettes, weaponry

Edalyn sat atop an RV, long graying hair loose, red dress cinched at the waist, cigarette in her mouth, and a rifle in her hand. She was on watch, a job declared to her by her elder sister, Lilith. She didn't mind much, it gave her a reason to sit by her son.
Her eight year old son, King, sat beside her with a toy gun and a twig in his mouth to imitate Eda's cigarette, yet still blabbering his mouth off about every single thing he sees. Eda didn't mind, that was her son after all. She just didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. A sudden bang on the side of the RV startled Eda, but not enough to be scared.
“Whadya want?” Eda asked as she blew out the smoke, and King copied her. She peered down to see a familiar dark skinned fashionista.
“Your watch time is up in ten minutes,” Darius yelled out, reminding her that keeping watch is a popular job among the small camp. Just two days before, a herd came by and wiped out half their camp in a tragic disaster. Only six survived, leaving many camp responsibilities to be put on the few adults there.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't need to remind me every thirty seconds,” Eda responded. She went back to keeping watch, and saw a figure out in the woods, followed by four more. She raised her rifle to shoot but as they came closer, Eda felt a surge of emotions as she realized who it was.
Eda jumped off the RV, leaving both Darius and King confused until they realized what she was heading for.
Camila Noceda held the kids’ hands, followed by her eldest daughter and the teen boy. Eda caught a glimpse of their faces, but headed straight for Camila.
“Camila,” Eda breathed out as she wrapped her arms around the familiar woman. Camila followed her, crying as she held her back.
“You're alive,” Eda murmured in Camila's ears. After a few more seconds, Vee tugged on Camila's arm.
“Mami, who's this?” Vee asked.
“Yeah, who is that?” asked King, with a snarkiness in his attitude. Eda pulled away from the hug, looking at the people Camila brought.
“That's Eda,” Luz whispered to herself, remembering how she used to see Eda nearly everyday when she was younger. Last time she saw her was right before Vee was born.
She obviously recognized Luz, but Luz stayed back beside another boy. At first, the boy was a stranger to her, she had never seen him before. She looked him in the eyes, and her mind clicked on who it was. Before getting herself into more trouble, she got everyone to come speak with Lilith before anything else.
***
Masha and Vee sat outside crisscrossed on the dirt across from King. Vee observed King and noticed his unusual looks. His nearly black hair had two giant white splotches on opposite sides, and his forehead had vitiligo in the shape of what seemed to be a skull clashing with his dark skin. And on top of it all, he was wearing a Burger King crown.
“What's that stick in your mouth for?” Vee asked, talking to King. He stopped what he was doing and stared at her as if she was dog shit he accidently stepped in.
“It's my cigarette, duh,” King talked back, taking it out and blowing out the ‘smoke.’ Vee rolled her eyes.
“Cigarettes are bad for you, you know,” Vee argued back, trying to make a point. She had a sly smile on her face and stared King down.
“Well my mom smokes and she's fine,” said King with a sense of annoyance in his voice. He took his ‘cigarette’ out of his mouth and drew some more in the dirt. Vee cringed at the sight of it.
“What's your name and how old are you,” Vee stated as if it wasn't a question. Masha sat quietly beside Vee.
“My name is King Clawthorne and I'm eight years old,” King sighed. Vee used that as her time to shine.
“My name is Victoria Yaris Noceda but you can call me Vee for short. I'm nine years old but I'll turn ten on September 5th,” Vee beamed. She nudged Masha in the arm. They copied what Vee did.
“I'm Masha Ekaterina Popov and I'm nine,” Masha held their hand out to be polite, only for King to ignore it.
After a bit of silence, King asked a question. “Why are you and your family here?”
“Because mama said we would be safe here. Eda told us to come here,” Vee explained as she started drawing little doodles in the dirt in front of her.
“Not really, a herd of those things came by and killed most of us. Aunt Lilith is thinking about going farther down that highway, finding new shelter because apparently it's not safe here anymore,” King informed Vee and Masha.
“Oh,” Vee mumbled. “Well how do you know?”
“I hear mom talking with Aunt Lilith, Darius, and Steve. They now lead us, which is funny because they're the only adults here,” King mentioned.
“How many kids?” Masha asked King.
“Besides me, only one other. I don't really talk to him, he's always with his brother and mimics everything he does,”
Vee looked off in the distance and her surroundings. They were entirely alone, she could see her sister through the little RV window and there were two older guys watching them, making sure they don't run off. One looked only a year or two older than her, but the other boy was definitely an adult. They were only a few yards away from them, sitting by a nearby tree, but Vee could tell they were the siblings King was talking about.
***
“Who is this boy and why is he with you?” Lilith asked, referring to Hunter who was standing beside Luz. They were in Lilith's small RV, sitting at the tiny table. Lilith and Eda sat across Camila, while Luz and Hunter awkwardly stood beside Camila in the small little walkway.
“Maybe we should send them outside, they're kids after all,” Eda whispered to Lilith, her voice strained.
“No, I want him to tell me who he is,” Lilith shot back.
“Lily, no. He can't be in here right no-”
“Shut up, you told me three people, and now we have five. We barely have enough supplies but now feeding more? I need to know who he is,” Lilith murmured to Eda. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Camila, who overheard everything.
“What's your name?” Lilith asked the boy.
“Hunter, ma'am,” he politely responded.
“Full name?” asked Lilith, tapping the table after seeing the boy pause for a bit. He stared at Camila who gave him a nod. Eda sinked down in her seat, knowing what was going to happen next.
“Hunter Wittebane, ma’am,” he spoke. “No middle name.”
Lilith's eyes met with Camila's, then Eda's, who had that look of ‘I told you so’ in her eyes, then back to the confused boy.
“Excuse me,” Lilith cleared her throat and stumbled out of the RV, leaving them alone to talk.
“What happened?” Luz asked, curious on why the adults were acting secretive. Camila bit her tongue.
“We'll, m-” Camila began.
“You're our nephew, Hunter,” Eda interrupted, stretching herself out on the seat.
“What!?” Both Hunter and Luz had the same shocked reaction. Camila set her head down on the table.
“I've only known you guys for one day, please stop with this..” Hunter grunted, trying hard to not believe what she just said. He knew he had some aunt still living but wasn't she in prison?
“Aren't you supposed to be in prison?” Hunter immediately blurted out an accident.
“Uh no, I got out two years ago,” Eda scoffed.
“Eda, please take a more mature take on this,” Camila whispered to her.
“Okay kid, your mom, Evelyn Clawthorne, married that big shot of you father, Caleb Wittebane. When they passed away, there was a big debate on where you would live. You were only a toddler and they thought I wasn't good enough because of my past with the law, and Lilith was too busy to even answer her phone, so they went to the next best option. Your uncle, Philip Wittebane, took you in and he's your guardian. He absolutely hated my sister so he never allowed us to visit you, or anyone else. I mean, you should see how heartbroken Darius was,” Eda leaned forward towards Hunter and explained.
His mind took in the added information, making me feel like a guy who lost all his memory regain it. It felt as if someone pressed the restart button on him and reloaded more information. As much as Hunter was confused, he really only had one question.
“Who's Darius?”
Eda sighed and said that they'll go meet him.
***
Moments later, Hunter stood outside next to the RV, a strange man in front of him shaking his hand. His name was Darius Deamonne, he claimed.
He was your father's best friend, they said. Meeting this man felt unreal, especially under those circumstances they were in. He wasn't happy or overfilled with joy to see him, he doesn't even remember him!
He wasn't a fan of Lilith who eyed him at all times, watching his every move. He can't say he disliked Darius, but he was just uncomfortable to be around him. Eda annoyed the hell out of him but she was okay. He just didn't like the fact that they all know him, including Camila.
Hunter worked with Camila to set up two tents, one larger one for Camila and the girls, and a small one just for him. They were taking turns watching over the area every few hours, but they let Camila rest for now.
Time passed by fast, and before he knew it, he was told to go to bed. Sixteen years old yet being told he had a damn bedtime by complete strangers. He laid on the ground on top of his sleeping bag, staring at nothing but the dark bluish shade of the tent. He heard the words of endearment Camila told Luz and Vee, even hearing her telling Masha how she was proud of them, giving them cutesy nicknames.
The worried blonde's eyes were wide open, unable to sleep due to his vulnerability to the outside world due to his lack of weapons. He wished he had his gun, or at least his dagger. He listened as the hours passed by, as the crickets chirped, the snores of the nearby people. He also heard the shuffling of feet, the murmurs of voices, and hushed yelling.
“There's been more walkers, and don't you remember what just happened recently?” A deeper voice said, Hunter assumed to be Darius's voice.
“It's safe here, nearby lake for water, animals to hunt, and the hill provides stability and protection from the walkers,” A naturally hushed voice spoke, so must be Lilith.
“Lilith, it's not safe here and you know it. We have to move somewhere else,” said Darius, despair in his voice. He heard another voice, a slight mix of a southern accent and a foxiness to it.
“You know we have to leave, and I know you don't want to seem like you failed, but there's more here now. Children, Lily,” Eda, for the first time in forever, said in a more comforting tone. Hunter couldn't make out the next few words they were saying, sounding more hushed than it was before. Eventually, Hunter fell asleep but he didn't forget what they were talking about.
***
Weeks pass and Hunter repeats the same daily routine. He told Darius he could shoot, so after showing Darius how accurate and gifted he was at handling guns, he now does watch duty. Everyday, he feels as if he goes slightly more insane due to the secluded area he stays, the same few people, and the disappearance of his Uncle. Not even Darius has seen his Uncle in years, which is a huge disappointment as Hunter would be more happy with his Uncle around.
Although he does feel ashamed he stopped doing his Bible lessons, he still prays every morning and cleanses his sins when necessary. Uncle would be proud for making it that far and help protect their little community.
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Fifteen walkers. Hunter Wittebane has slaughtered fifteen walkers in the span of three weeks. He's been counting to tell his Uncle his accomplishments, ridding of the spawns of the devil. He wants his Uncle back, every night he prays for the safety of his uncle.
Darius is nice and all, but he wants the real one back.

Thanks for reading! The chapter title is from the song Twilight by bôa. Sorry for the mant timeskips, i jusy dont have much to write besides them doing chores there ig?,i dont have any angsty parts for this area or anything like that, but its cominf soon!,Also, I finally added Eda and Lilith, which they don't have the most significant role yet, but I plan for them to have more important parts with the kids as well. As well as the Tholomule Brothers, they may get there own chapter at some point too. Have an amazing day!