Path to the Apocalypse

Chris woke up the next morning, stretching as he let out a satisfied groan. It was good to sleep in a bed again.

“Did you sleep well?” Thad asked, looking up from a book he'd been reading as he sat on his bed, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

Chris glanced at him, frowning slightly. “Yeah? Did you not?”

Thad shook his head. “I didn't sleep at all. Couldn't get comfortable with that being in the room with me.” He waved at Jello.

“You should have woken me up.” Chris sighed, sitting up. “I would have put them away if they made you uncomfortable. But seriously, Jello is completely safe, you don't have to worry about them.”

“You just got back from the Maze. I wasn't going to interrupt the first good night's sleep you've had in weeks just because I'm being irrationally paranoid. And yeah, I get the slime is safe, because you're using it as a damn pillow, but for some reason my brain can't accept that and I feel like I have to watch it. Like when we were kids and I was always worried there was something hiding under my bed.” Thad explained, grimacing slightly. Chris raised an eyebrow at him, picking up Jello and tossing them at him. “Gah!” Thad jumped, freezing as the slime landed in his lap. “Why!?!’

“Remember how we fixed the bed issue?” Chris shrugged.

“Yeah, you- oh.” Thad paused, remembering how Chris had insisted they both sleep under their beds for a week. Eventually the space just became familiar, and he never worried about it again. “So… you want me to spend time with your slime so I can get familiar with it?” He asked hesitantly, eyeing Jello warily as they bubbled happily in his lap.

“It's either that or I can just stop using them as a pillow, since it isn't like under the bed where you needed to get comfortable with it. But if you want to get over it, then yeah, spend some time with them.” Chris replied, getting up and grabbing his towel and toiletries. “I'm going to hit the showers. Let me know what you decide when I get back.”

“Wait!” Thad called after him, but Chris just ignored him, waving over his shoulder as he left. Thad's expression twisted as he refocused on the slime. “Your master is a dick.” Jello gurgled slightly, causing Thad to flinch, before letting out a frustrated groan. “Fucking- ugh, I gotta get over this.”

Chris returned about half an hour later, finding Thad and Jello in the exact same position he'd left them in. “Made your decision?”

Thad glared at him for a moment, before letting out a weary sigh. “Yeah. I'll spend some time with the damn slime. Just- let me sleep first?”

Chris chuckled. “Fair enough.” He agreed, opening a portal next to Jello for them to jump through.

Thad flinched as Jello moved, cursing at himself internally as he nodded at Chris. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Get some sleep.” Chris replied in an insistent tone, Thad waving him off as he laid down and rolled over. Chris quickly picked out a change of clothes and got dressed before leaving the room. He'd been planning on unpacking all his stuff and getting it put away, but Thad never could sleep with something else going on in the room, so he'd just have to find something else to do for now. He thought for a moment, considering his options, before shrugging and making his way down to his favorite common room and falling into his favorite chair, turning on the TV and pulling out his phone.

"Chris! Come with me!" Mrs. Richardson suddenly rushed into the room, just as he'd gotten comfortable, quickly rushing back out, heading towards the front door.

Chris frowned, jumping out of the chair and heading after her. “What's going on?" He asked as he caught up with her outside the orphanage, following Mrs. Richardson as she made her way to the railcar station.

"It's Derek." Mrs. Richardson replied with a tight frown. Mrs. Richardson was Derek's aunt, and part of how Chris had gotten so close to him. "He's back, but… he's injured. As soon as he got back, he fell into a coma. The doctors have him stable, but it might be some time before a healer is available to take care of him."

Chris tensed for a moment before letting out a breath of relief. If all Derek needed was some healing, he could take care of that. If his space could handle a goblin getting its brains smashed in, he was sure it could handle whatever was wrong with Derek.

They quickly made it to the railcar station, taking the fastest one to the lifts, before getting on the ascending lift, making their way towards the first floor. The regular lift was large enough to accommodate almost fifty people, and it simply cycled in a loop, one lift after another rising up before shifting to the other side and moving down, shifting over again at the bottom and repeating the process, stopping at each floor to let people on and off. It took over an hour to finally reach the first floor, the two of them rushing towards the transporter station as soon as the doors opened. They had a built in medical facility for the injured coming back from the Maze, which the two of them quickly arrived at before finding Derek's room and rushing in.

"Derek!" Mrs. Richardson exclaimed as they arrived, seeing Mrs. Veach, Derek's mom and Mrs. Richardson's sister, standing next to Derek as he lay on a gurney. Mrs. Richardson carefully stepped up next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Do we know what's wrong yet? Have you made an appointment with a healer? How far out is it?”

Mrs. Veach wiped her eyes as she continued to stare down at Derek. “They- they said he was bitten by something and the venom reached his brain. They managed to counteract the venom, but the soonest a healer capable of dealing with the brain damage will be available is next month! Jack is doing everything he can to get one sooner, but…” She trailed off helplessly. Healers were always in high demand, particularly after the Trial, and those powerful enough to fix something like brain damage were even more so. The Veaches simply didn't have the money and influence to get one any sooner.

“I can probably take care of it.” Chris offered.

Mrs. Veach whirled around, eyes widening as she caught sight of him. “Ch-Chris? You're alive!” She cried, rushing towards him and pulling him into a tight hug.

Chris grunted as she barreled into him, patting her on the back. “Yeah, I made it. Didn't Mrs. Richardson tell you? I got back yesterday.”

Mrs. Richardson smiled weakly. “I wanted it to be a surprise for Derek and you know Sandra can't keep a secret.”

Mrs. Veach scowled at her. “Mary! Chris is practically my second son! How could you not tell me he survived!?!” The Veaches had actually offered to adopt Chris at one point, but after discussing it with him, he'd turned them down. As much as he would have enjoyed having a home and whatnot, he knew they'd love him, and it just seemed cruel to develop that relationship when he knew he was going to die in a few years.

“Can I heal Derek now?” Chris interjected before they could continue arguing.

They both turned to him, looking surprised and more than a bit skeptical. “You- want to heal Derek?” Mrs. Veach asked tentatively. Even though Chris had survived the Trial, it couldn't have been a pleasant experience for him. She was worried he was suffering from some brain damage himself, or at least psychological. “How?”

“Well, it turns out I actually do have an ability, it's just kinda hidden?” Chris explained. “I can open portals to this space that heals anyone that dies inside it. It managed to heal a goblin I crushed the skull of, twice, so it should be able to fix whatever's up with Derek.”

“Chris…” Mrs. Veach began in a soft tone, convinced this was some delusion he'd created, cutting off as Chris waved his hand and a portal opened, her eyes widening.

“We just have to get him in here.” Chris continued, not even noticing Mrs. Veach's shock. “Can we move the gurney or should I just pick him up?”

“Let- let me get- get someone.” Mrs. Veach stammered, rushing off.

Mrs. Richardson pointed through the portal at Dyrdek. “Chris, is that a goblin?” Mrs. Veach had been at the wrong angle to see him, but Mrs. Richardson had a clear view of both him and Jello.

“Hm? Oh yeah, that's Dyrdek.” Chris replied. “He's my minion.”

Mrs. Richardson blinked. “Minion?”

“Yeah, the space lets me form a connection with creatures so I can control them.” Chris shrugged.

Mrs. Richardson frowned. “But why call him a minion?”

Chris cocked his head. “Because I'm not employing him, subordinate feels too militaristic, subject seems too official, and slave just feels wrong?”

“I- suppose that makes sense.” Mrs. Richardson muttered, before shaking her head. “I can't believe you actually have an ability! I'm so happy for you, Chris!” She pulled him into a hug.

“Thanks?” Chris offered hesitantly. He was never sure how to respond to people being happy for him.

Mrs. Richardson just smiled, laughing lightly as she pulled away. “Still the same old Chris.”

A moment later Mrs. Veach returned with a woman who looked to be not that much older than Chris. The woman glanced at Mrs. Richardson before focusing on Chris. “You have a healing ability?” She asked. “How does it work? Is it invasive at all?”

“I just need to get him in here and kill him.” Chris gestured to the portal. “After that the healing just kinda happens? Honestly not really sure how it works, but it's brought me back from the dead twice now. It's also brought a goblin back to life after I smashed its head in. As for invasive… I would probably consider killing someone pretty invasive.”

The woman scowled. “I'm going to need more than just your word before I let you kill one of my patients.”

“I could kill myself first?” Chris offered. “Show you it works?”

The woman raised an eyebrow. “And what if it only works for you?”

Chris sighed. “Then you can test it on someone else? But at that point, we might as well just heal Derek.”

The woman considered that for a moment, before nodding as she came to a decision. “You will demonstrate first, then I will test it myself. If it works on me, I'll let you use it on my patient.”

Chris shrugged. “Works for me.”

“Are- are you sure, Doctor Alvarez?” Mrs. Veach asked. “I would be willing to take the risk if you need someone other than Chris to demonstrate.” As insane as it sounded, she was more than willing to believe Chris could actually do this. He would never claim he could do something he wasn't a hundred percent sure he was capable of. If he managed to bring himself back, she was confident it would work on her as well, at least enough to take the risk for Derek.

“Even if you did, I would still need to go through it myself.” Doctor Alvarez replied, shaking her head. “I couldn't allow one of my patients to go through something I wasn't willing to go through myself.”

“Does anyone have a good way to kill ourselves?” Chris asked absently, looking around the hospital room. “Scalpel, maybe? Though I think we'd want to go for brain death… Dying from blood loss sucks.”

“I'll take care of it.” Doctor Alvarez replied.

“Cool. Shall we then?” Chris asked, gesturing to the portal.

Doctor Alvarez nodded, walking inside. After Mrs. Richardson's reaction, Chris had sent Jello and Dyrdek to hide in the Maze with his rats. He wanted to focus on healing Derek, and the doctor getting sidetracked by his minions was an unnecessary delay. “Alright, stay still.” She ordered, placing her hand on his forehead. “This is your last chance to back out. Are you sure about this?”

“Yup, go for it.” Chris confirmed. Doctor Alvarez hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh and activated her ability, sending a pulse of vibrations through his skull and turning his brain to mush. Chris barely even felt anything, his vision going dark for a moment before he woke up on the floor. “Damn, that was almost pleasant.” He muttered, stretching slightly before getting up.

“Fuck.” Doctor Alvarez breathed out a sigh of relief, hand on her chest as her heart raced. It'd taken a moment for Chris to heal, and in that time she'd started to convince herself that he wouldn't, thinking she'd ruined her career based on the arrogant and delusional claims of a man fresh from the Trial! She was in the middle of berating herself for being stupid enough to actually let him convince her to attempt this when he'd woken up and a flood of relief hit her.

“Alright, your turn.” Chris announced. Doctor Alvarez froze. Could she actually go through with this? He had healed, just like he claimed… but that didn't mean it would work on her. Was this a stupid risk, when all they needed to do was wait a month or so for a licensed healer to be available? “Something wrong?” Chris asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Doctor Alvarez grimaced. “No, just- preparing myself.” She couldn't bring herself to back out when he'd already done his part. She placed her hands on her forehead, taking a deep breath to prepare herself, before releasing the vibrations, her vision going dark. “Gah!” She woke up a moment later on the floor. “It- worked?”

“Yup. Can I heal Derek now?” Chris asked.

Doctor Alvarez stared at him for a moment, before nodding. “Yes- yes, I just need to get him ready to move.”

They returned to Derek's room and Doctor Alvarez called some nurses over to help her unhook him from all the machines. Once he was all unhooked, Chris opened a portal at the end of the gurney, pulling it through while Doctor Alvarez pushed. She then placed a hand on Derek's forehead, using her ability to scramble his mind before stepping back to let him heal. Moments later, Derek slowly sat up with a groan, rubbing his head. "Ugh, where am I?" He muttered, looking around before finally seeing Chris. "Oh, fuck, I died, didn't I?"

"Why wou-" Chris began, before pausing and looking around the pure white room. It did kinda look afterlifeish, didn't it? He let out a heavy sigh, discreetly waving Doctor Alvarez out the portal before closing it on her. "Yeah, buddy, we died. What the hell man? I thought I told you to be careful!”

Derek groaned, burying his face in his hands. "It was so stupid! I stopped by a stream for some water, didn't check the surroundings well enough, and got ambushed by a snake. It all went downhill from there. I started getting delirious, I could barely walk, every fight became more and more desperate… I had a beacon on me and… I thought I'd activated it, but… I guess not."

"Wait, you had a beacon on you? Why weren't you using it?" Chris asked incredulously.

Derek flushed. "Well… I was sort of hoping I might run into you. I didn't- I didn't want to miss you if you were still alive… How did you go, anyways?"

Chris sighed, shaking his head. "You're an idiot. I died just a few days in! I fought some rats, which left me in pretty bad shape. Then it was a slow downward spiral until I finally got jumped by a goblin while I was trying to get a drink. By then I wasn't sure whether I was dying from the fever, the venom, infection, or blood loss. Maybe it was all of them. The world slowly went dark, and then I ended up here." Chris explained, enjoying the fact that he wasn't even lying.

“Shit.” Derek grumbled bitterly. “I really am an idiot, aren't I?”

“A colossal fucking moron.” Chris agreed. “Come on, let's get out of here.” He waved for him to follow.

Derek snorted, hoping off the gurney, before pausing with a frown. “Why is there a gurney? And why am I wearing a hospital gown?”

Chris shrugged. “They came with you when you got here.”

“Huh.” Derek grunted, wondering why that'd happen as he followed after Chris. Maybe he had made it back to the City and it just hadn't done him much good? He'd been in pretty bad shape… He was so lost in thought he barely even noticed when Chris opened a portal, only coming to his senses as he stumbled slightly from Chris pushing him through. "Hey!" Derek protested, before freezing as Mrs. Veach practically tackled him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Derek! You're all better!" Mrs. Veach cried.

"Mom!?!" Derek exclaimed in confusion, seeing Mrs. Richardson over her shoulder. "Aunt Mary? You're dead too? Wait, hold on, no." Derek frowned, turning to Chris. "What's going on here?"

"What? I said we died. I didn't say we were dead.” Chris smirked.

Derek blinked. “I am so confused.”

Chris chuckled. “I'll explain later.”

*

"That's a pretty damn good ability." Derek commented after Chris explained everything. They were waiting in the hospital room while Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Veach dealt with getting Derek discharged.

"Well, it isn't exactly combat focused… but yeah, it's pretty good." Chris nodded along.

"Why would you care if it's combat focused or not?” Derek asked, giving him a weird look. “It isn't like you're going to be joining the military or anything.”

"Actually, I'm joining the Scouts." Chris replied with a shrug.

Derek blinked, shook his head, then blinked again. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I thought you just said you were joining the Scouts."

Chris nodded. "You heard right. I'll be joining in a few weeks."

Derek frowned. "This is one of your jokes, right? Get me thinking one thing before pulling a switch at the last minute, just to see my reaction, right? What, is there some sort of educational program called the Scouts? Are you joining their research division?"

Chris chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope, I'm joining the real Scouts, as a member of a squad. No joke."

Derek stared at him incredulously. "Why?!? You could go to college! Get a good job! Why risk your life when you could be doing anything else!?!”

"Well, there's a few reasons, but mostly it's because Beth asked me to, and I didn't care to say no." Chris shrugged.

"Beth? Who's Beth?" Derek asked, narrowing his eyes at Chris suspiciously.

"She's this girl I saved in the Maze. Kinda goofy, but she seems like a good person. Thinks I could do a lot to make sure people stay safe in the Maze." Chris replied.

"And you just agreed? Just like that?" Derek followed up, raising an eyebrow at him.

Chris shrugged. "Well it wasn't like I had any other plans. With all the benefits and what not, it really isn't a bad decision. Plus, it sounds like it'll be interesting work. I've never really cared what I do, I just don't want to be bored."

Derek glared at him for a bit longer, before sighing and shaking his head. "Even after all these years, I barely get you. Fuck it. Fine. Let's join the Scouts."

"Uh, what? You want to join too?" Chris frowned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I can't let you do something like this alone, now can I? Besides, as you said, it'll be interesting! Plus the benefits are apparently quite good." Derek replied with a grin.

Chris shook his head. "Derek, no, this isn't- If you aren't careful, you could die!"

"Isn't that your job? You keep me safe while I kill things for you! It's a win win!" Derek exclaimed.

"Derek, you're only a mid-tier! You aren't even that powerful in the Scouts!" Chris continued.

"That's just in raw power." Derek scoffed, waving him off. "With the speed enhancement added on, my survivability shoots way up! Plus, I'm not that far from high-tier. A bit of physical training and who knows? Maybe I can upgrade."

Chris glared at him. "Derek, you can't decide to join the Scouts just because I am! What about your plans? What about college? Taking over your family's business? You think the Scouts are going to prepare you for that?"

"Depends on my role in the squad. Sure, being a basic grunt won't do much for me, but I can always climb the ranks, taking on more responsibility. Managing a platoon can't be that much different than managing a business, right? Add in a few extra classes during the breaks and I'll be golden! Honestly, this will probably be more practical than management classes, since I'll be getting first hand experience." Derek retorted.

"Dude-" Chris began to argue again, when his phone began to ring. He pulled it out and saw it was Beth. "Hold on, we are not done." Chris growled at him, before answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey! How's it going?" Beth asked.

"Pretty good. Derek's back, he was injured, but I fixed him." Chris explained shortly. "How about you?"

"Ugh, just boring stuff. I'm glad your friend is back! Uh, I was wondering, there's going to be a… celebration this Friday, for the end of the Trial, and I was wondering if you'd be my plus one?" Beth asked, sounding a little nervous.

"A celebration? Like a party?" Chris raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What would I have to do? Would I need to bring anything?"

"Well, it's kind of fancy, so you'd need a suit… But I can help you get one tomorrow, okay?" Beth replied. "Other than that, you just need to show up, eat some high-class food, and keep me company! That's not so bad, right?"

Chris frowned slightly. "A suit, huh? You sure you want me to come? I'm not really a fancy guy."

"Yes! You have to come! Please?" Beth insisted with a hint of desperation in her voice.

Chris went back and forth, considering it for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Alright, I'll go. I'll see you tomorrow." Beth just sounded so desperate and if all he had to do was keep her company… Well, that didn't sound so bad, even if it was a party.

"Yay! See you tomorrow!" Beth cheered happily, before hanging up.

Chris put the phone away, before turning back to Derek. "Now where were we?"

"Whoa, hold on. What was that?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"That was Beth. She invited me to a party on Friday. Why?" Chris answered with a shrug.

"Beth, huh? The same one you're joining Scouts with, right?" Derek asked with a thoughtful expression.

"Yup." Chris nodded. "We traveled together for a while, so we got pretty close."

Derek looked Chris over with a strange glint in his eye. "Well I'll be damned. You finally have a girlfriend!" He announced excitedly, wrapping his arm around Chris's shoulders. "Ah, I have so much to teach you! Have you two gone on a date yet? Is this party going to be your first? You'll need to get her flowers, obviously-"

"Wait, wait, hold on!" Chris stopped Derek. "Beth is not my girlfriend! I mean, she's a great girl, and I probably wouldn't mind dating her, but I've only known her for a few weeks!”

Derek raised an eyebrow at him. "You know most people date based on like five minute interactions, right? Like, they see each other, like how they look, exchange numbers, and then start setting things up."

Chris frowned. "That seems like a horribly cavalier way to initiate relationships. You barely know what you're getting into at that point!"

"That's just how relationships work! The longer you know someone, the harder it is to ask them out. Once you build connections, you don't want to risk losing them." Derek countered.

Chris's frown deepened. "Why would you be risking anything? Isn't a date just a chance to get to know the person better to see if you're interested in pursuing something more? Why would that be a problem? If anything it's flattering, like saying you're good enough I might want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Derek rolled his eyes. "You see, people have these things called emotions that make even the idea that someone might potentially want to spend the rest of their lives with them a big deal, you fucking robot."

"Well that's dumb." Chris muttered, crossing his arms.

Derek sighed. "Sure it is. Fine. If dating isn't such a big deal, why haven't you gone on one with this Beth girl yet?"

"I still have information to gain from the friendly side of things." Chris explained. "I know we get along well, which is good, but that isn't all I'm looking for in a romantic partner. I need to examine the content of her character. We've had a few interactions that I believe are good signs, but then again she might just be the type of person who always sides with the people she likes. I'm not sure yet."

Derek buried his face in his hands. "Holy fuck you're going to blow this!" He groaned, wiping his face with his hands, before placing them on Chris's shoulders and looking him in the eye with a stern look. "Listen to me. Do you like this girl?"

"Ostensibly?" Chris replied hesitantly.

"Fuck you. Now, here's what you're going to do. You're going to go to this party with her and continue your little evaluation. However, at the end of the party, if you still think you might want to date her, you are going to ask her out! Understand?" Derek explained, keeping Chris focused with an intense glare.

Chris's expression twisted, before he finally sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll do it."

“You two ready to go?” Mrs. Veach leaned into the room to ask and the two nodded, getting up to leave.

“Wait!” Someone called out as they were about to go, Doctor Alvarez rushing over to them, stopping in front of Chris, slightly out of breath. “Sorry, I didn't have the chance to make this offer earlier, but if you're ever interested in using your ability to help people, please, give me a call.” She explained, handing Chris a business card. “I wrote my personal number on the back.” She added, before quickly leaving to get back to her patients.

Derek let out a low whistle. “Damn! Well, if it doesn't work out with that Beth chick, at least you have options.”

Chris frowned at him. “What are you talking about? She just thinks my ability is useful.”

Derek snorted. “Right. And she needed to give you her personal number for that. Sure.”

Chris rolled his eyes, putting the card in his pocket. “Not everything is about sex, Derek.”

Derek grinned. “But most things are.”

“I'm not having this argument again.” Chris groaned.

“Let's just take a look at the top ten most popular songs.” Derek snickered, patting his pockets, before frowning. “Crap, I don't have my phone.”

“Oh no, how horrible.” Chris smirked.

“Gimme yours.” Derek insisted, holding out his hand.

“No.” Chris immediately declined.

“Come on, give it!” Derek reiterated, reaching for his pocket.

Chris slapped his hand. “No means no, Derek.”

“Give it!” Derek growled, reaching for his pocket again.

“No!” Chris grabbed his hand, and the two started wrestling as they continued to make their way to the lifts. Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Veach shared a look before rolling their eyes, hiding secret smiles. It was good to have their boys back.