[IC] Reality is a nightmare.

[paragloan]

The screams were what woke her this time. Usually she could go an entire night without fully waking up but this time the nightmare had been worse than ever. In fact, it had not even just been a nightmare but a memory. She sat up slowly and shut off the switch on her sleeping chamber. Whatever happened she would not be going back to sleep anytime soon so she might as well conserve energy. She reached for the bottle of water that she always had sitting by her resting area and took a few long gulps to soothe her scream ravaged vocal chords. She looked at the opposite side of the room that she shared with her cousin and saw that thankfully she was still asleep and the scremas had not wakened her.

Standing up on still shaky legs, Karen decided that she would go into the living room and watch some tv for a while. She needed to do something to get the bad thoughts out of her head. She was glad that she was old enough to live on her own now and did not have to worry about waking up anyone except her roommate. She closed the door to the bedroom softly behind her and walked over and switched the tv on. She winced as the volume blared for a minute before she found the remote and lowered it considerably. She idly flipped through several channels before finding an old episode of a sitcom to watch that would not take too much mental power and then sat down on the couch. She wrapped the throw from the back of the couch around her legs and curled up as much as she could. She found herself zoning out after a bit and the memories from her dream filling her head. Tears ran down her cheeks as she lost herself in her own mind.

She had come home late one night after a date, and sat down on the couch for a few minutes to relax before heading off to bed. She had not meant to fall asleep but she had. Soon she had started to dream and at first things had been fine. It was a normal dream and such but it suddenly took a turn and then it became a nightmare. She started to think about the killer from the movie she had watched and then she was being chased by him. She managed to run and run and finally thought she was free when he smiled at her and started to fade out with a laugh and she woke with a start. She heard the screaming then and knew that something was horribly wrong. She ran towards the stairs and quickly went up them only to see something that could not be true. Coming out of her parent's room was the killer from her dreams, holding a blade dripping with blood. She gasped and felt herself grow pale and without thinking, started to move. She dashed down the hallway, running past the killer and into her twin siblings' room only to find that they had been slaughtered as well. The 6 year olds were lying half on the bed and half on the floor. Their bodies had been brutalized and their clothes were in shreds with their throats slit and the fear they had felt in life still present in their dead eyes. She turned around when she heard a sound behind her and saw the killer standing there with a grin on his hideous face. He looked just like the killer from the movie, down to the burned and scarred face that made him more monster than man. He whispered "Thank you for setting me free" before turning and exiting the room. She did not know why he did not kill her as well. She stayed frozen on the spot until she heard the front door slam and the sirens from the cop cars pulling up outside. She heard gunshots and knew that her nightmare was dead but at too great a cost. She was responsible for the murders of her family. She was the one that had to live alone knowing it was all her fault. She slowly sank to the floor and started to cry until the cops came up and found her. That was when she found out that she carried the dreamer gene; the gene that let a dreamer bring their nightmares to life. While not everyone had this gene, most people did. Those who did not were called "Blanks" and were lucky. They were saved from the consequences that being careless brought about. They would never know how it felt to kill everyone they loved.

Wiping a tear from her face angrily, Karen got to her feet and went into the kitchen. She started some coffee brewing and tried to forget about everything. She had been lucky that it was early on and the laws had not gone into effect yet that said that the creators of nightmares were responsible for any actions done by them. She would be rotting in prison now if that was the case. Since she had been 15 when the incident happened she had been sent to live with her aunt and uncle. However, the hate, mistrust and fear that she saw on her aunts and uncles faces as well as the guilt that ate her up inside were something that was constantly with her to punish her worse than any prison ever could.

She sighed and walked back to the couch with her mug of java. She was just lucky that her cousin had been a bit more tolerant and understanding. In fact, if it was not for her cousin, Rachel, who as now her roommate, she would probably have killed herself before she graduated high school. Rachel had been there for her even when no one else was. When the stares of her classmates and the whispers assailed her and made her wish to disappear, she had been there to lend her strength and courage. She sat back down on the couch and looked out the window. She saw the sun starting to rise and felt a chill go down her spine. While the rising of the sun meant that night was almost over, it did not make things better. People would still be sleeping and dreaming and not everyone was able to afford the resting chambers that made nightmares only nightmares and not able to become a reality. While her neighborhood was one of the lucky ones with everyone being able to afford them, only a few blocks away was the area called "The Forsaken" where the people not as lucky lived and where nightmares still came to life. While they had patrols and fence that should keep them safe, Karen knew that even with these measures someone would die and another family would be destroyed. She started to rock back and forth, clutching her mug as she stared out the window and waited to see where the sirens would come from this time.

[Love Dove]

The lights were to bright, she could remember thinking that as she and her sister walked through the halls of the orphanage. Their clothes and hair ragged, clearly not well feed, but that wasn't their fault, none of this was. Though they had grown up just outside the Forsaken zone their family did so barely, and once her family left them, their mother didn't want them anymore. So, no, none of this was their fault. Things shifted within the dream, and suddenly they were in a bedroom with a few only kids. This room wasn't protected like the other, the children in here either didn't have the DTR gene, or weren't old enough. Damia being one of the ones they thought didn't have it, she was sixteen now and though she had nightmares, they hadn't came to life, along with her and Rosalina there were about six other children in this room. The bunk beds laid out around the edges of the room.

The dream shifted again, and in her mind, she knew this was a dream within a dream. She was dressed in a in the pajamas that the workers at the orphanage gave her, yet she was in her old house, and she could hear her sister crying. All of the lights were not and she had to feel along the walls to find her way to her sisters room. Though as she closer she could feel herself step in something warm, wet, and sticky. As she continued and started to get closer to the crying she started founding it harder to walk, until she stopped as a small nine year ago with black hair with her back to her. "Rose?" No response. "Rose? Stop crying we can fix it." She didn't know why she was saying that. Slowly her little sister turned her head as if to look at her, but she were her eyes should been was scratched out screaming. Damia screamed as the girl ran at her tackling her down into the puddle of blood trying to scratch her eyes out.

Damia woke with a start, she could still hear the screaming in her ears, her first instinct was to look for her sister. Before the reality not she wasn't going to be there hit her. She was breathing heavily, her long light red hair still in the ponytail that she had put in before going to bed, was much messier now. Her body was covered in a light layer of sweat, and she could still feel herself shaking a little bit, closing her eyes Damia slowly forced her breathing to slow before opening them again. Her dark chocolate eyes glancing at the limp of blanket beside her that was boyfriend, absentmindedly seeing if her movement woke him, happy it hadn't. She hated looking like a scared little child when she had her nightmares, but she hated it even when someone saw her.

With a soft sigh Damia pulled the blanket off of her, getting out of bed and stretching her body. It was so much better sleeping in her own house, especially when he stayed over. After thinking for a moment, she peeked her head under the bed just to make sure. The small machine laying on the ground keeping staying a steady blue colored light, and she smiled standing back up. Not everyone was like these assholes a few blocks over, who had their fancy homes and apartments with rooms that protected them from the boogieman. There were some like her that lived in The Forsaken, where you still struggled to by despite the jobs that you could get living here. After all, not a lot of people wanted to hire someone who could be dead the next morning. Well....not good people anyway. Nine times out of ten this still was the place orphans like Damia ended up anyway.

Shaking her head a little Damia tried to shake her head to get the thought out of her head, this was going to be a good day. The first day back from the little "vacation" she had in the fancy neighborhood while some random person left their house empty. Looking down at the floor she decided to just grab a shirt she stole from Nathaniel and a pair of undies rather than try to figure out which of the clothes thrown excitedly on the floor was hers, and headed to the bathroom. As she glanced into mirror pulled her hair down, before her fingers went down to the rose tattoo on her waist, running them over it. Before glancing away wiping her eyes, the sound of Rosalina's screams filled her ears for only a second, as she turned the shower on.

As she stepped out of shower she dried her hair and getting partly dressed before leaving the bathroom and heading to the kitchen. Putting a pot of coffee on, Damia made herself some breakfast, as a after thought making enough for both of them, her mind wondering off as she ate. The screams outside were what brought her back to reality, not that she was surprised to hear them, it was normal here, but still. Taking her coffee cup in her hand Damia walked over to the window to watch and see who was causing the noise this time. A few houses down there movement and she couldn't help but watch the chaos out her window wondering if and when the sirens would come as she waited for Nathaniel to get his ass up.

[paragloan]

He was having the dream again. It was the same one that he had had for at least once a month for the past few years. In fact it wasn't a dream so much as a memory that just replayed in his head over and over again. It always started the same. He was shown a collage of his miserable childhood from the beatings that he had gotten over the years when he pissed off his mom to the drunken rages she threw and the many men that had wandered in an out of their lives as she searched for Mr. Right and instead found loser after loser. It repeated until he turned eight years old and she told him that he was going to be a big brother. He was thrilled but scared at the same time. He knew how to handle his mother and her tantrums and such but a baby would change things. He did not want his sibling to go through what he had and he vowed to protect him no matter what. When his mom finally had his brother he fell in love instantly with the kid. Casey was so small and helpless and good. He was everything that Nathan was not. Time flew past in the dream for several more years until Nathan was sixteen and Casey was eight. That was a turning point for Nathan. His mother had just found another true love and had moved him into the house. Casey was away at a friend's house and his mom was at work and his new "Daddy" was home as usual after losing another job. Nathan had been in his room that he shared with Casey when all of a sudden the door had been opened and "Daddy" came in with several friends. What followed was too horrible for him to even dream about and the dream skipped to the next day when he was still lying in his bed, bruised and bloody and aching in all kinds of ways. He had tried to tell his mother about what happened but she dismissed it. Later that night he had been walking by their bedroom and overheard her talking to "Daddy" about the cash they had gotten from Nathan's ordeal.

The dream skipped again a few hours to where he was packing his stuff and Casey was begging him not to leave him. "I swear I will be back for you as soon as you turn twelve. Then you can legally come with me and we will both be free. For now, just hang in there and let me get set up somewhere. I promise I will be back for you."

He hugged his brother tight and then crept out the window and away into the night. Once again the dream fast forwarded two more years into the future. He was scraping out a living in another town a few hundred miles away. He was living in a small apartment that he had gotten with a fake id and some stolen cash and a few favors. He worked as a clerk at a store and had managed to save a bit of cash and such and owned a beater of a car that ran most of the time. He had written many emails to his brother using the computer at the library over the past two years. At the time he was too scared to call him until he turned 18 and was legal just in case his mom answered. Casey seemed to be doing alright but he knew that most of it was probably bullshit. He could tell from what was not said that things were far from the way Casey made it sound. In fact, he had gotten another email today from Casey that worried him. It was like the others but something about it was just not right. This time though it had a phone number at the bottom of it and a plea to please call him. Nathan had gotten a burner phone from the store and dialed the number. It was worth the risk. However, it was not Casey who answered but his mother.

She yelled at him and cursed him when he demanded to speak to Casey, shattered his world when she told him, "He is dead. He committed suicide last night. He always was a weakling and this just proves how worthless he was. The burial is in two days. I am going to sort through his shit and get rid of it then." She had then hung up. He had set there stunned and in shock for an hour before he called his boss and told him that he quit and then packed up his car and headed out.

He had arrived back at his old home the net morning and had been let inside by his mother who looked even worse off than when he had left. She was living alone now without any "Daddy" to cater to and was bitter and spiteful. He brushed past her as she hurled insults and curses at him and went to Casey's room. He saw that she had already gone through most of it and of course had sod all the electronics and anything of value. He took a few mementos and pictures and prepared for the burial. It had been the worst experience he ever had, even more so than the night he left home. Seeing his little brother so pale and lifeless had devastated him. He felt a part of himself break inside and knew that he would never be the same.

That night his world changed once again but this time for the better. He had seen the news reports on dreams and nightmares and them coming to life but had not really thought anything of it. He had also seen a few reports where it was said that some people could control their nightmares but that had to be just hype by the media to sell papers and up the ratings. Nothing like that could possibly be true. He had had many nightmares and dreams and none of them had come to life. He lay down to sleep and was proven wrong. He had an intense nightmare about a demonic type creature that tortured people and then sucked their souls out of the broken bodies before consuming the flesh. The creature had just finished killing yet another person in the dream when it froze and turned to where Nathan was standing and disappeared with an evil grin on its face. Nathan was jolted awake by a loud bang coming from the hallway. He climbed out of Casey's bed and walked down the hall towards his mother's room where the sound seemed to be coming from. He opened the door and saw the same creature from his nightmares slicing his mother with its claws. "Stop!" he yelled reflexively and was shocked when it did. It turned to him and waited expectantly. His mother was screaming and yelling at him to do something and to help her. he looked from the monster to her and back again. He felt nothing at seeing her lying there in pain except pleasure. The coldness he had felt ever since finding out about Casey suddenly became glacial. "You never loved me or Casey. You let us be abused and he died to get away from it. You are not family. You are just a waste of air." He smiled at her before looking the monster in the eyes and in a clear, calm voice saying, "Do what you want to the bitch then disappear." He walked out of the room to the sounds of torture and screams and left the house shortly never to see it again.

As if the sight of the car driving off was a signal, Nathan's eyes popped and he woke up. He felt his heart pounding and cursed under his breath. It had been two months sine he had that dream and he thought that maybe the cycle had been broken after he got together with Damia. Now it seemed like it was back He sat up , running his hand through his hair and yawning. He looked around and saw that she was not beside him in bed. He smirked to himself thinking about last night. He had really hit the jackpot when he found her. She was his perfect match. He smelled a heavenly aroma coming from the kitchen and knew that she had made coffee. "I wonder if she made enough for me this tie, the bitch." he muttered affectionately as he got up and walked into the kitchen without bothering to get dressed. He saw her standing at the counter holding a cup and walked u behind her hugging her. He spun her around and gave her a kiss and then took her coffee cup and took a swig. He walked out of the room saying, "I am going to take a shower. Care to join me?" He did not wait for a reply and instead took another drink of the stolen coffee. He knew he ha probably pissed her off by taking it but that was just another good thing about her. She was even hotter when she was mad. He laughed out loud and went into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

[Love Dove]

“Come on Rexton, it’s just a room.” The voice didn’t have a face, it was simply there. Though, his dreaming mind didn’t really care about the person talking to him. He was more focused on the room. It looked like one of the classrooms in the boy’s boarding school he was living, but there didn’t look like there were any desks inside. Though the room was so dark, there might have been. “What? Are you scared of the dark?”

“No, I’m not….”

“Rexton’s scared of the dark. Rexton’s scared of the dark.” There were more voices now, they were all chatting the words over again, making fun of him, getting louder and louder.

“Shut up! I’m not scared!” He yelled angrily his voice sounding like he was wanting to cry, making the voices stop for a moment, and he was alone standing staring into the room. Then there was movement inside of the room. He barely caught it, but somehow he knew it was coming at him. Blood red eyes, peeking out of the darkness at him.

“Then come, play inside.” The voice was the same that had been talking to him, teasing him. A wide smile showing under the eyes, the teeth sharp and a nasty yellow color. A black hand made from darkness reached out, fingers stretching out to a long razor sharp tip. Only for Rexton to back away, and as the hand hit the darkness smoke rose from it and it pulled back a sound between a scream and dog whimper filling the room. Before the smile came back and disappeared.

The sound of screaming woke him, and Rexton watched in honor from his top bunk as his classmate was pulled off of the bed by the monster with red eyes and yellow teeth, it’s mouth opening wide and swallowing the boy whole before one of the teachers opened the door, light shining in and destroying the monster.

The screaming whimpering sound of the monster was what woke him, the noise still ringing in his ears as he lay in his bed staring at the ceiling, the lamp at the edge by the door keeping the room dimly lit. He hated to that about that night, the night his life was ruined. Sure, maybe to other people it might not have seemed like it, living in this nice house, in a nice neighborhood, but they didn’t know.

He was the first in his family, the Smithson family was not only a rich family, but they were known for being blanks. Rexton had been the first of his family to be born with the gene, and his family looked at him little he was an disgust to the family, as if him having the gene would make it spread to them. After the accident he was moved to the farthest put of the family estate, cut out of the will, and homeschooled by tutors. Once he was old enough to leave he was given the deed to a house his uncle owned not far from the forsaken area to get him out. He even was forced to change his name to Bail, his mother’s maiden name, so he didn’t shame his family.

With a sigh he looked at the alarm clock beside his bed before sitting up, it was still early but there was no way he was going to be able to get back to sleep. Instead his pulled on just a pair of sweats and left the safety of his room, turning the light out as he left. Going into the kitchen he started up a pot of coffee as he started around his house, pulling the curtains open to let in as much daylight as possible.

[paragloan]

The noises from down the street were starting to grate on her nerves. It wasn't anything unusual, just the normal sirens and screams that drifted in from the Forbidden Zone, but today they were making her antsy. She sat down in the bed to pull on her black combat boots and started to lace them up. It was the beginning of her work week and she was not looking forward to it at all. It wasn't that her job was bad or anything, but she was just so tired of having to work and work and still barely manage to pay her bills with nothing left to enjoy. Tying the last knot, she sighed and walked over to the dresser and grabbed her purse. It wasn't a long walk to her job so she had plenty of time, but even though she did not have to be there for another hour the thought of staying cooped up inside was more than she could handle. She needed to get out of the apartment and away from the monotony that was her life even if it was only briefly. She passed out of her bedroom and saw her cousin sitting on the living room couch painting her toenails.

"Be careful today, Karen. I heard on the radio earlier that one of the nightmares is still on the loose and if it gets past the border then all hell will break loose. You should be far enough away that it won't be an issue, but still don't take any chances." Rachel said as she finished the toe she was working on and put the cap back on the bottle of polish.

Karen shivered a bit at her cousin's words and replied, "I will be careful. I have my tazer and pepper spray on me. If anything seems odd I will haul ass to the nearest emergency center. Enjoy your day off. You suck you know." She laughed a bit as Rachel stuck her tongue out at her and walked over to the door and let herself outside. She walked down the few steps and started down the sidewalk. The sun was bright and warm but she still felt a chill every so often. Lots of people were out today but no one stopped and made conversation. Everyone kept their eyes on The ground and avoided direct eye contact. The news of the loose nightmare must have made everyone more paranoid than usual and that was saying something. Taking a deep breath, she quickened her steps. She only had about six more blocks before she got to work. Her earlier anticipation of a rest in the park near her job was now just a fleeting thought. All she wanted was to get to work quickly and safely.

With one block left to go, she heard the warning siren go off and her heart started to race. All around her she saw people start to run and scream as they hurried towards the closest emergency center. The nightmare would have to be close by for the siren to go off and by the sounds coming from a few blocks away it was a deadly one. She raced up the stairs to Smithson and family Law just as the PA's on the corner started to broadcast. "Please be advised that a nightmare is nearby. It has taken a medium size creature form. Its saliva and talons have proven deadly on contact. Under no circumstance should you engage this creature. We are tracking down the source and expect for it to be dealt with soon. For now everyone is directed to go to the nearest emergency center or building until otherwise informed." The PA abruptly shut off and the silence lasted for a few seconds before what few people were left on the streets began yelling and running again. Karen hurried through the double doors and a security guard bolted the door and turned on the lockdown sign in the window. Steel shutters came down over the Windows and doors with a hiss and clang and the place was sealed.

Karen went through security and was soon heading for the elevators and the fifth floor where she worked. The next eight hours would probably stretch out forever. This is just a perfect beginning to the work week. I am sure that my boss will be in uber dick mode after all this. If I make it through the day without punching him it will be a miracle. She pasted on her fake smile and walked off the elevator and headed towards her cubicle to begin the joy of data entry.

------------------------------------------

After the fun in the shower, Nathan was ready to start the day. He got dressed in his usual jeans, t-shirt, and boots and went into the living room. He grabbed his laptop and pulled it onto his lap and booted it up. He checked his banking account as soon as it was running and smiled when he saw that his latest deposit had come through. Fifty thousand bucks. Not bad for a few hours work. If I can get a few more clients like this then I can retire and just live off the interest. It sure was lucky that I happened to run into that man at the bar one night and for him drunk enough to find out just what he is terrified of and what I could do to make it a reality. I still don't know why a businessman like that was in the Zone but lucky for me though. He knows that if he ever says a word to anyone I will kill him too instead of just ask for a contribution like I did. Maybe later I will go down that little cafe outside the Zone and see if I can find another mark. Since I was never registered they have no way to trace me so it might be worth it this time if I can sneak past the guards.

He grinned at his thoughts. When the laws had first come down about nightmares and their makers, everyone that was found to have the gene was made to register so that if anyone was caught not using their suppressor machine then they could be arrested and made to pay for any damage or deaths that occured from their carelessness. After a few months this became mandatory and testing was done in middle schools across the country since the gene usually showed up around puberty. There were also other ways to catch the late bloomers as well. However, in Nathan's case since he was in the first group that the gene activated in before testing, he managed to get away without being discovered.

He set his laptop to the side and went into the kitchen. Opening the fridge he saw that supplies were getting low again. "Damnit, Damia I thought you were going to do the grocery shopping this week. There isn't shit in the fridge worth eating. What the hell?" he yelled towards the bedroom and frowned. This was the second time that she had not done her part of the chores in a month. He knew she was busy and had responsibilities but Goddamn. He managed to do his shit so why couldn't she. True he did not have a full time job since he mostly worked off the computer from home but that wasn't the point. It was about being part of a team and she was starting to piss him off.

He slammed the fridge door and went into the bedroom to grab his keys and wallet. She was lying on the bed reading something or other and he glared at her before saying, "I am going to the store to do the shopping. When I get back I think we need to have another talk. Plus there is something I want us to do that I will need help with as well. I have an idea that I want to run by you and see what you think." He tried to stay mad but just looking at her made his anger start to drift off. He leant over and have her a kiss before leaving with a muttered "spoiled brat" before leaving. He really did love her but sometimes she drove him nuts.

He closed the gate behind him As he hit the street and went over to his car. It wasn't anything special, but it ran and was an upgrade form the piece of shit he had before. He started it up and pulled slowly out onto the road. While the Zone was fairly safe during the day, it still paid to be vigilant since accidents could happen. He knew of a man just a few blocks away that had been killed While driving when a nightmare had blown his car into the air and wrapped it around a tree. Usually his sense told him when a nightmare was close by but not always. It was another aspect of the gene and the specific mutation he had that let him control his nightmares. It also made him hyper aware of others that dreamt and the, for lack of a better word, resonance that their body put out. It was something that not all dreamers could feel, only those that had control. Well that was just his guess anyways. He only knew or thought this since he used to know another guy that could control his nightmares but the Dumbass had pushed things too far with the wrong guy and ended up dead. That was the vibe he had gotten off of him at any rate. Just went to show that while it was nice to have control it did not make one immortal or anything. They were still human and could die just like a null. Fucking shame that.

Shaking his head at his random thoughts, he turned on the radio and flipped the dial until he came across some music that didn't make him want to hit his head against the dashboard. His stomach growled and he pushed the pedal a little harder. The sooner he got this done the sooner he could eat and run his idea by Damia. He hoped that she was agreeable to it. It was risky but the payoff would be well worth it. It would mean only one thing that he wasn't sure she would be ok with and that was leaving the Zone. Travel outside the walls that was not job related or an emergency was prohibited unless you had the cash to bribe the right people but he knew someone that owed him big time and once outside then things would really become fun.

[Love Dove]

While the shower was a fun way to get her mind off of the nightmare and start this morning, Damia still felt exhausted. After all she often didn't get to sleep until the early morning. She sent eight hours on her feet or on someone's lap, not counting when she found a place to rob for rent money. Or out of boredom. Plus Nathan was so damn needy and jealous when she came home. Honestly she couldn't complain about his jealousy though, she kind of loved it, it made her feel wanted. After he left the bathroom she fixed her makeup and got dressed in her normal t-shirt and shorts. She didn't follow him into the living room because “she was distracting”.

Maybe if he didn't spend all day on that damn computer he wouldn't find me distracting. I find those faces he makes at that stupid thing distracting. Don't see me bitching about it. She thought to herself before sighing and digging in a box under her nightstand. Due to the fact that she had woken up early this morning she could do a few things that she had been putting off. After all it wasn't like she could get Nathan to do them for her. She pulled a shade of baby doll pink nail polish out and painted her toenails, grabbing a book to read as she waited for them to dry. Then she would go and do their laundry, and go grocery shopping, and….she rolled her eyes as she heard Nathan yelling about there not being anything it the fridge to eat. Maybe if you didn't eat like we have money, we would.

“I know babe, I haven't got a chance to. Just find something until I go today! Damn! You're a big boy.” She yelled back towards the living room before looking back at her book. Her eyes looking over her book as he stomped all pissy into their room and grabbed his keys and wallet, glaring at her. She wasn't sure if that glare had worked on other people, but she sort of enjoyed it, smirking a bit before nodding. “Of course babe, I’ll be right here waiting for you to set me all straight and shit. And your idea, of course.” Her smile only widening as she kissed him back, watching him walk out of the room, her eyes going back to her book. Well that was one less thing she had to do today.

After Nathan left for the store that she painted her fingernails the same color, she hated this damn color. But she was being forced to be Damia “the school girl” this week and she had to wear this ugly ass shade of pink. Once her nails were dry she grabbed a load of clothes and threw them in the crappy washer she had stolen, with Nathan’s help. She had just started cleaning the house when she heard a car door close, and peeked out the window. To see their new neighbors get into a car a drive away.

The poor dears, they had moved into the Zone from inside the wall because their son had gotten the gene and his dream killed three of their neighbors. Stupid test had been the only reason they knew that he had been caught. And now on the first day away at the center they were going to be robbed. She grabbed a basket and cut through a few back yards. It was that stupid test that had gotten the boy caught, luckily not only was she old enough to have missed it and was an orphan so she was out of the system.

She picked the lock on the back door and spent a little bit of time in the new house, taking a few small things she could sell off for money. Or better that they could use, if Nathan hadn't been a dick he could have helped her with heavy stuff.

---

Rexton had been planning a stress free day, after all, at the moment he was between jobs, most of his money at the moment was what he got paid to stay away from his family. So he really had nothing to do today, or at least until the phone had rang. It had been his mother, of course, because she was the only one who really talked to him anymore. She called to ask him to run an errand for his brother, it was funny, they were so afraid that his living with them would ruin their family name but when they were to lazy to do something, lets call Rexton.

Never the less Rexton sighed into the phone and nodded his head eventhough his mother wouldn't be able to see him through the phone. “Yeah, what is it that I’m supposed to be picking up?” He asked, the voice on the phone rattled off three long numbers which where data files for a case his brother was working on. Some type of money laundering case with a big company in town. Honestly he wasn't the much interested in it, the one the only things good about being disowned, was that he wasn't forced into being a lawer. He wrote the numbers on a piece of paper and shoved it in his pocket.

The office wasn't that far from his home,but he really wanted to get this over quickly and got in his car to drive there. The radio was blaring news about the fact there was a nightmare seen having escaped the Zone about thirty minutes again. The thought of the Zone make his skin crawl, and he had only stayed there for an night before his parents paid the judge off. He couldn't understand how people could actually live in an area like that. Shaking his head slightly he started the car up and drave a little faster to the office.

Smithson Family and Law, Rexton laughed a bit at the name has he heading towards the tall light gray building, it was seven stories, because of course they had to make the third tallest building left in the city. The doorman gave his usual greeting as he headed in. “Greeting Mr. Bail, here running another errand for the boss?”

Rexton shook his head giving a small smile. “Nah, Tim. Just picking up data logs for Markus. Which floor is data? Its been awhile.”

“Fifth floor sir.”

Rexton nodded a bit and muttered a thanks as he got off of the elevators he could hear the sirens and PA’s going off outside. It only took a second for the PA’s inside of building to go off repeating the message that it was giving off outside. Which meant that the building would be locked down for hours, great.

“Mr. Bail? Hello sir, long time no see. Is there something I can do for you?” A female voice asked, making Rexton look at the skinny blonde talking to him. “I’m just here to get some files for Markus. Who has these files?” He asked showing her the list of numbers.

“Oh that would be within Karen’s file numbers.” She answered before looking towards a cubicle, before frowning. “She isn't here yet, but you can wait there for her.” She said pointing towards the cubicle before smiling a little. “Until you would like to wait in my office that is.”

Rexton gave the blonde a bit of a look. “No thanks Miss. Blanch, I’ll just wait at her cubicle.” He answered before shaking his head a bit as he walked over and sat in the desk chair and waited.

[paragloan]

When Nathan got to the store he took a few minutes to think about what all they needed. He did a mental inventory of their cabinets and realized that yeah they were out of pretty much everything. He grabbed a basket and made his way down every aislt throwing stuff in the cart. The longer he shopped the more annoyed he got at Damia. If she would just do the damn chores when it was her turn then it wouldn't be this bad and take so long. He had other things that he could be doing right now such as investigate a few new places to see if there was anything that he could liberate for their apartment or to sell. Yes, he did have money now but every little bit helped and most of the idiots here deserved to be robbed blind. They either were stupid in the first place or so naive that it was really a karmic necessity for them to see how life could Fuck you over if you were not smarter and meaner than everyone else.

He paid, loaded the car, and pulled out of the parking lot. When he finally got home he took a load of bags and opened the door. "Damia, come help me with this shit. The least you could do is put stuff away now that I did the shopping." he waited for her to reply but nothing was forthcoming. He set the bags in the counter and walked into the bedroom but she wasn't there. "Just where the hell did she go?" he thought and went to get the rest of the stuff. He slammed the door when he finished and the stuff was put awAy. He laid out food to make for dinner and grabbed a sandwich to hold him over until then since he was starving. He walked into the living room and glanced out the window and saw a flash of something over in the neighbors upstairs bedroom. He smiled to himself as he now knew just where Damia had gone. "That little wench. She must have gotten impatient and went to play without me. I knew better than to expect her to wait for me like she promised she would. She is my beautiful little magpie that has to go and check for shinnies at the first opportunity. I guess I should go over there and see if she needs help with anything. I know they have some big Shit that would take two people to liberate. Good thing they are gone for a few days. I don't want to have to kill them if they find out who took their stuff. Well, not unless it is absolutely necessary."

Whistling a little tune, he went and changed into something a little more comfortable and less conspicuous and headed out the backdoor. He swept his eyes around to make sure that no one was home in either of the two houses nearby and then booked it over to the downstairs window that he and Damia had cases the other day. As suspected it was not quite closed and he could tell that she had been through it. He made his way inside and then listened intently. He could hear a soft noise coming from upstairs and smiled. He walked over to the stairs and quickly made his way up. He went towards the noise and what he figured was the master bedroom and saw Damia bent over rifling through the dresser. He cleared his throat and said, "I don't know whether to be pissed or turned on right now. The sight of you helping yourself to things makes me hot but Damn babe couldn't you have waited until I got back? You know I wanted to get in on the action."

He walked over and slapped her ass with his hand and pulled her back against him. He kissed her neck and whispered in her ear, "I guess that I will just have to let you make it up to me later." he hlgabe her one last kiss and stepped back. "So did you find anything good?" he asked and went and sat down on the bed with a bounce. He knew that she had probably already marked all the stuff of interest so he would just wait until she told him what she wanted and then get to work.

-----------------------------------------

Karen hummed to herself as she waited for the elevator to get to her floor. The elevator was crowded as usual. It did not matter what time of day it was the thing was always full of people. She guessed that it was even more busy than usual since there was a nightmare loose and everyone needed someplace to be safe. The building did have a room where people that were not a part of the company could go if they did not find an alternative shelter. By the looks of some of the people in the elevator There were a lot of those to say. The shelter was in the first floor though so she did not know why they were on the elevator. "I bet they didn't read the signs and just followed the crowd. Damn lemmings. I swear society is doomed if people don't pay attention to their surroundings and learn to read what is right in front of their noses. I can't remember how many times someone comes to my cubicle and asks where such and such is when it is clearly posted. Oh well. I guess I am just touchy today."

The elevator slowly made it way up to her floor with people getting off and on at each stop until finally she was there. She took a deep breath as she got off and started to walk down the corridor. She was getting a few odd looks from some of her co-workers and wondered just what was up. She knew that she had remembered to put on all her clothes and brush her hair so that couldn't be the issue. She also couldn't think of anything that she might have done or not done that would warrant their States. Maybe it was just all the tension from the loose nightmare. It did tend to make people act oddly. She was almost or her cubicle when she was stopped by Cindy who wanted to chat about her latest boyfriend. She listened for a few minutes until she could politely excuse herself a d then came to a dead halt when she got to her desk. There was a guy sitting at her desk, making himself at home. She did not recognize him and wondered if maybe He was one of the people that was randomly wandering the building today. She decided that politeness was the best policy in this case and asked, "can I help you? That is my desk and I do need to get to work. If you are lost I would be more than happy to point you in the direction of where you need to go."

Today we just one of those days. With the nightmare on the loose and the idiots in the elevator and now someone at her desk it just kept getting more and more aggravating. She shifted from one foot to the other as she waited for the man to reply. He was cute which made the whole thing even worse. She never did well when she had to deal with a handsome man. She tended to make mistakes and get tongue tied. She just hoped that she could send him on his way soon before that happened.

[Love Dove]

When she heard someone clear their throat behind her, Damia jumped slightly, planning to flirt or girl her way out of being caught. However, when she saw it was only Nathan she smiled. “Oh hey babe!” She said before going back to digging in the drawer. She hadn't heard Nathan come in, which was a little surprising with how fucking noisy he usually was when they were robbing a place. Or maybe it was because she was so focused on the dresser she searching through. She smirked a little at his words about not knowing if he should be turned on or not. Though she gave him her best pouty face at what he said next.

“I know babe, but you were gone too long and I got bored. Since I’m not allowed on your computer.” She said trying to make it seem his fault that she left without him. Her smile returned as she felt him slap her, and she bit the inside of her lip giving a small noise as his kisses and words caused goosebumps. Damn him being hot as fuck at that moment. Damia had to clear her throat this time as he asked what she found that was good.

“Well, I found some jewelry that we can sale. One of which being really pretty diamond earrings that should go for a lot.” She said starting off with the small things. Though she had really wanted to keep them, they were much too broke and they would have go. She sighed a bit at the thought. They were so shiny. “The dresses in the basket won't sell. So I guess I’ll have keep them.” She continued before smiling and pulling out a big wad of cash that the owners had hid in a sock. She turned and counted, three hundred. She pulled a fifty out and pocketed it before handing it to him. “Two-Fifty for the house.”

Damia let him count it before moving to the bed and pushing him down on his back, straddling his hips and smiling down at him. “I think that's a good start of making it up to you. And maybe later, if you're a really good boy and apologize for yelling at me earlier.” She reached over and pulled a light pink piece of see through lingerie out of the basket. It would have to be washed even though it had been clean, but it was so rare she found it in her size. “I’ll let you rip this off me when I get home tonight.” She finished wiggling her hips on top of him before kissing him.

She pulled away and slapped him before grinning. ”Now! In the living room there is a laptop, nice tv, and blander they must have from inside the wall. There is a Couple machine in the corner over there, if you can move them please. I haven't made my way through the whole house.” As she finished she got off him and starting looking through a few boxes. ”Chop chop babe, we are losing time before the other neighbors get home from work. We don't want them stealing our shit.”

---

Rexton tried to keep his mind busy as he waited, ignoring the few glances that were thrown his way. His eyes scrolling through news on his phone. He had a few things he had to do today. Even if he didn't have an actual job, but from the sirens outside, it would be a while. Hopefully this Karen woman had actually gotten to work today. There was a chance that this was going to be a complete waste of time.

Bored of his phone he started looking at the clatter on the desk he was now sitting at. A small smile on his face, before he looked up at the voice asking if she could help him. When the woman said it was her desk he quickly got out of the chair and moved away from her desk. “Oh sorry, it seemed a lot…...mind numbing to wait here than with your boss. Karen right? I was looking for you. Rexton Bail.” He said offering a hand for her to shake.

“Anyway…” he cleared his throat pulling the paper of case files out. “I was sent to get those files for Markus. Because he can't bring himself to get off his lazy ass. They said they were your numbers.” He said not really sure why he suddenly was sounding like a complete idiot. Though the woman in front of him was very beautiful, and that might have been the cause of it too. He let his eyes look over her, but the sirens outside drew his attention back. The speakers inside rattled off that the nightmare had been last seen right in front of the building. A few people stupidly moved towards the windows wanting to see the nightmare, like it was somekind of wild animal and not a monster. He shuttered looking towards the windows before shaking his head and looking towards Karen. “Take your time of course, we will probably be here for awhile.”

[paragloan]

Karen stood there blinking for a few minutes before what the man had said hit her. He was one of the most attractive men she had ever seen and did not seem to be aware of it either. What a rare and wonderful happenstance. However, he was not here to flirt or to sweep her off her feet, he was here for some files. It was doubtful that he would be interested in her even if he did think she was cute or something. She had never had much luck with men and especially ones that were good looking.

"Of course. I will get them for you. You said that they were the ones for Markus? Let's see, he did send a request for some files, let me just find it...." she broke off once she had the paper and frowned. Just wonderful. The files he needed were stored in the archive, which was in the sub-basement. Just what the hell did he need with these old files anyway? The information should be computerized by now so he could just pull it up but no, he had specifically requested the paper copies. What a dick!"

Turning to Rexton she said, "I am sorry but I will have to go and retrieve the files. We have been a bit backed up and I have not had the chance to get them for Markus. They are in the sub-basement. You are welcome to wait her or come with me whichever you would prefer but it might take some time since things are not well organized down there."

Tucking a stray hair behind her ear she got to her feet with a blush. She ha been pissed yesterday and when the request for the files for Markus, king douche of the floor, came down she had deliberately placed it on the bottom of her stack of work. She felt no need to bust her ass getting him things when he would just change his mind a few hours later or chastise her for being too slow or fast or whatever his mood called for at that time. He was always treating the women that worked here as his won personal slaves and called them baby and sweetness and such and managed to stay just this side of a sexual harassment lawsuit while being as sleazy as possible. If she had known that he would be sending someone else for the files she would have made it a point to get them much sooner. She hated to keep a fellow worker bee waiting and facing the possible wrath of Markus when they were delayed getting back to him due to her behavior.

The noise outside seemed to be dying out a bit. She no longer could hear as many screams and knew that soon the lockdown would be over. That was something to be greatful for at any rate. Any day where there was a lockdown was extremely stressful and things and people sometimes got misplaced or ended up being places where they should not. She just hoped that she did not encounter anyone odd this time like she had the last time she had to go down to the sub-basement. Just thinking about that time made her shudder. The man she had ran into had turned out to be an escaped criminal who just so happened to make it inside the shutters before the lockdown and he had not been happy to be found by her in his hiding place. She was lucky that someone had heard her scream or she might have ended up raped or dead.

Taking a deep breath and pasting back on her professional face, Karen looked up at Rexton and said, "Alright. I am headed down to get the files for you. If you are staying here I will try and make it back as soon as possible but if you are coming with then please follow me." She once again walked towards the elevators and thought that she could not wait for the day to be over and for her to be back home.

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Grinning at Damia as she ordered him around, then slapped him, and then ordered him around some more, Nathan did not say anything and just went to start appropriating their goods. He made quick work of the small things like the blender and the couple device. Then he started on the bigger items, such as the tv and a few other things that Damia had earmarked for him. By the time he was finished, stuff was safely back at their place an hour had passed and he was sweaty. He took one last look around the neighbor's house to make sure that there was nothing else of interest, and then made sure they had left no prints or evidence that they were there. He then went back out the window and shut he place up nice and tight. Hopefully they would just think that it was another gang robbery. Hell, even if they did report it to what passed for authorities in this area not much would be done about it. Anyone stuck in the zone knew that they were bound to be fucked over one way or the other at least once a week. It was just how things were. Damia and Nathan were just lucky since they did have some connections and people knew that if they messed with them that they would be paid back threefold with interest.

Nathan wasted not time in stripping off his sweaty clothes and taking a quick shower. Once he was done he got dressed and walked back into the living room. He sat down on the couch and got his laptop out. While it booted up he went into the kitchen and started the prep for dinner with the stuff he had laid out before. It did not take too long since he was jut making burgers and home cooked fires. He set the food aside and washed his hands and went back into the living room. "Babe, I am going to start cooking in about 30 minutes so if you are going to shower or something make it short." He called out to Damia who he figured was back in the bedroom again. She tended to spend a lot of her time hoed up in there. He clicked on the site he was looking for and sent his emails to a few known associates who dealt in used goods and were not picky where they came from. He made arrangements to sell all but a few of the items there with a nice profit and then sat back with a sigh. It would be late tonight before they showed up to make the exchange so for now he was done. He was upset that he had not been able to move the couple device and the blender. True the couple device could be a bit tricky to resynch to new people and erase the old data and leave no traces or old biometrics but the blender stumped him. Everyone needed a damn blender. Maybe that was the issue. Oh well.

Covertly looking over his shoulder to make sure that he was alone, he logged into his personal banking account and saw that the latest deposit had been made. Nice. Then he checked one last place and saw that he had another request from a client. This one made him raise his eyebrows and whistle. He wasn't sure that he could handle it alone. His potential employer wanted to make a certain millionaire agree to a trade deal and wanted to use him to use his "influential self" to make sure that he complied with all his demands. He was to obtain one of his children to make sure that the man agreed and if not then he was suppose to get rid of the entire family, including the millionaire. All this was to be done outside of the zone without being caught. Tricky. He had not told Damia about his gift yet but he might have to since some reliable backup might be necessary. He still had a few days before he ad to get back to them with a yes or a no so for now he would table it. He loved Damia with everything he ad but trusting her with such a secret, well that was another story altogether.

Nathan shut down the laptop and put it away and then went back to the kitchen to begin cooking. His stomach growled and he grabbed a bite of cheese before getting the pan out to fry the meat and fries. He could hear some noises in the bedroom and figured that once the smell of the food hit the air, his lover would come running. She did love his cooking after all.