Hell's Reign (Patrick Stump/Fall Out Boy Fanfiction)

Chapter 5 - Guns and Guitars

            The sun was high in the air when they left the edge of road that they had chosen to be their camp. Patrick and Andy were in the back of the van, the former leaning over the back seat, which was occupied by Victoria. Pete was driving, and Joe was sitting in the passenger seat with his feet kicked up on the dashboard. Patrick stared complacently out the windshield ahead of him, his arms folded over the back of the van seats and his chin balanced on top of them. He was hungry, but he didn't bother to tell anyone; He knew they needed their rations, and he had already been given a bit of soup for breakfast. He was almost regretting having given his dinner to Victoria, but the fact that she was sleeping comfortably on the way to whatever store they could find was comforting enough to him.

Instead of worrying about food, Patrick eventually decided to get Pete's attention. "Hey," he said, quietly enough not to wake Victoria. "What happens when we run out of gas?"

Pete looked up at Patrick in the rearview mirror, his eyebrows knitted together like it was an obvious solution that he was about to voice. "We find more," he stated simply, eyes returning to the road. Patrick didn't push the issue, but it was beginning to bother him that Pete's solution to every problem so far has been, we'll find it. Food? We'll find it. Shelter? We'll find it. Guns? We'll find them. Gas for the van? We'll just siphon the nearest gas station, won't we?

With a sigh, Patrick relaxed again and went back to staring out the windshield. Victoria moved in her sleep, startling him slightly, and let out a long, slow breath through her nose. Patrick looked down at her and frowned. Her eyebrows were knitted together, as if deep in thought, and her lips were pressed tightly closed, a slight downward curve tugging at their corners. After last night, Patrick felt bad for her. He was almost certain that she was having a nightmare, but he didn't want to wake her. For one, she needed the rest. And second...well, she'd just be waking up to another nightmare; Stuck on the road, in the middle of the apocalypse, with four strange, smelly, teenage boys she'd never met before. Patrick figured he should just let her sleep.

As they drove into town, Pete had to slow the vehicle. They were everywhere. Slumping down the roads, dragging themselves over sidewalks, even hanging out of buildings. They were horrible things, some of them missing body parts, and Patrick couldn't look away. Instead, he stared, focusing in on one at a time, the sickening thought that he might recognize one creeping into his mind.

Finally, Pete broke Patrick's thoughts and spoke up. "How about that?" He asked, pointing to a Cabela's sign, looming over them from a little ways down the street. It was a hunting and fishing store; Sure to have a few guns they could break out of it.

"Let's go," Joe sighed, glancing back at the sleeping girl behind him. "Patrick, wake her up. She needs to come in with us."

He looked down at Victoria and reached over the back of the seat to gently tap her leg, which was stretched over the seats. "Hey," he said, "Tori. Wake up, we found a store." She stirred slowly, humming an inaudible response, and rolled to face Patrick, blinking up at him sleepily. "We need your help picking out some guns," Patrick added, smiling shyly at her.

Victoria yawned and sat up, stretching her arms. "Four boys," she sighed, "And you need me to help you pick out weapons. I definitely found the right group to survive the apocalypse with." She giggled lightly at her joke, but Pete and Joe both turned to glare at her. Andy snickered from behind Patrick, and he simply smiled at her.

"Hey," Pete snapped, "We're trying, okay?"

"Technically, I found food for you guys too," Tori added. Patrick smiled a little wider at that, but tried to hide it as he sank back down behind the seats.