(no subject)

[burgling]

They say this world is cruel to those born after the apocolypse came and went, but William would like to respectfully disagree. His nephew, Freddy, had never known what it was like to nip down to Tescos for milk or what milk tastes like. While that might sound horrible, it also means that he can't miss it. For him, tea is always bitter, when they had been able to find it. Chocolate isn't a given for good deeds, it's more like the most amazing birthday gift in the world. There's no video games to rot his brain or distract him from life.

Then again, there's no sense of safety either. But Freddy had never known what it's like to be safe. And he'd question is poor uncle why the older man woke up at night or stood, quaking, at the shambling sounds of the infected if they got too close to their hide away.

Believe it or not, the old Baker Street tube station had been a fairly good place to live for the last five years. William, or as Freddy called him since he was little, Uncle Bilbo, and his young nephew had taken shelter there when the infection spread through London and the hospitals had been shut down. Some entrepreneurial Samaritans had taken the liberty of bricking up the tunnel entrances and the community had flourished more or less. They were careful. Bilbo took care of the children. They'd made due for several months with just the subterranean shops. And when that ran out, they had parties that headed up to the surface for supply runs.

Five years of that might have seemed enough to drive a man mad but William hadn't minded it as much as some that took the easy way out with wasted bullets early on. By their fifth year after the infection hit, they'd gone from seventy-three people to a healthy group of forty-two. They had spaces carved out of those old shops and a barter system that worked very well. Crime had been a minimum. Stress was low.

And then one of the hunters got careless. Infection ran through their happy little home. It took his friends. It took Freddy. And sometimes, William wishes that it would have taken him especially after having to flee the only safety he'd known for years. London's a ruin. The streets are trashed. There are no supplies anywhere around. William has had no choice but to find places to stay, places to hide, and no choice but to keep moving.

He has no food.

He has no water.

London might as well be the desert.

On the fifth day since his forced exile, William climbs the steps of the National Museum of art at Trafalgar Square and pushes his way inside the massive doors, long since pulled from their hinges to haphazardly block the way in. He sits under the dome in the atrium, he looks up...and when sleep comes, he lets it take him, falling back with his arms spread out.

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[kinginexile]

It had been a month since they'd lost Fili. It had been a few years since they'd been forced to leave the safety of walls and and what one could call a 'society'. There had been order and there was no fear of infected attacking them there, but the authorities weren't much better. It felt like a prison, not a place to live.

After his sister had died he'd taken over caring for her boys, then again they were both in their teens by then. Fili was older, Kili younger and along with Thorin they didn't have anyone else they could trust in this place. Trust was a damn hard thing to earn, but even quicker to lose. As was a roof over ones head. It's one day that a guard accuses Kili of stealing something, food provision cards, a lie of course, Kili knew better than to do something foolish that like, what with his brother and Thorin working hard to get them the 'legal' way.

Things get ugly when Fili tries to reason with the guard and he pulls his gun on him, telling him to back off. An argument breaks out and shots are fired. Thorin comes out to seeing this guard taking shots at his nephews and does the only thing he can. He shoots him in the damn head. Damn corrupt guards. But it does cause a problem, a big one, now they have to leave, escape before they're found and probably executed. Taking everything they can mange to, Thorin manages to sneak them all out and they plan on trying to find an old friend of Thorin's in Ipswich, but that means having to go through London. Or well that was the best bet.

Sadly, before they can even get to London more tragedy strikes. They stumble through old farms and cottages out in the country and get ambushed by clickers, Kili being the loudmouth he is at times, singing and whistling, attracted their attention. It had been such a good day for them too. He's not yet forgiven himself, blames it on himself for Fili being bitten, for making his uncle put a bullet in his brother's brain instead of being man enough to do it himself. He just couldn't do it.

So it's been a month and finally they're in London.

London sucks.

They've been there for a few days now, looking around, trying to restock as best they can on whatever they can find. Thorin doesn't think the National Gallery will have much in it for them to use, but it looks like the way through to where they need to head next. Also could be a possible place to stay for the night. When they head inside, Thorin is as always, on guard, listening for any infected, but it's Kili who spots the body, newly dead probably, possibly hunters or bandits got to him. Not a good sign, they really didn't need to be dealing with other people right now.

"... hey I think he's still alive!" Kili says, on closer inspection. Thorin had been doing a quick sweep of the area, peeking into any place someone could hide and ambush them. At his nephews words though he turns, looking back and heads over.

"What-" And once he's there, and really takes a look at this guy, it's then he realizes he's not even hurt. Not shot or stabbed. Roughed up sure, but everyone was in this world. He'll nudge him with the toe of his boot in his side. Hope you don't mind waking up to a gun being pointed at you, William.

[burgling]

"Let me see if he got bit," Kili mumbles, pushing up William's sleeves and then his trouser legs before the older man jumps up, startled.

Seeing the man scramble away might have been comical in other situations, but it's been a long time since William's seen an unfamiliar face that he's got very little idea on how to deal with this. He's heard stories from the hunters of finding uninfected massacred. Not bitten, not planted with spores, not suicides.

Other people hurt them. Killed them, sometimes, for a little food or shelter or sex. People have become animals. And given the looks of these two with their straggly hair, with their dead eyes, William can't be sure he's not about to become a victim.

"Please, I have nothing," he cries out pitifully. "And if I did, you could have it!" Yes, a few hours ago, he'd given up. Unfortunately, the desire to live is a great one indeed.

It's really all reflex now as he tries to get up.

Kili, still crouched, has his hands on a knife but he glances up at his uncle. "He's unarmed," he says and waits for the go ahead. Sometimes these things can be a trap. Good Samaritan bullshit or whatever. They can't trust that this man isn't alone.

[kinginexile]

This man should be damn lucky that Thorin didn't have a jumpy trigger finger as the jump from the man suddenly waking up. He would have had a bullet in his damn head if he did. He tracks him, gun following the man, eyes darting between him and Kili. Glancing around them, making sure no one is popping out to attack.

He'd not seen any indication of there being anyone else, but who knew. It was hard to tell sometimes.

"Shut up. Shut up." Thorin will growl at the man, this whimpering pathetic looking man. Either he was a good actor or actually ready to piss himself at the moment. He moves forward, gets closer and holds the gun right at William's head.

"Is there anyone else?" Telling him to shut up then questioning. Sounds right.

[burgling]

He wants to laugh. He shouldn't, but he looks either about to weep or to giggle. Maybe faint and puke on himself. Kili immediately stands back, out of his uncle's line of fire, and eyes the older man cautiously.

William swallows, hands up. He shakes his head before he thinks to actually answer. He hasn't thought about what happened five days ago. He hasn't thought about Freddy or about the Sackvilles or any of the others that had been scattered or infected.

"They're all gone," he whispers, still unsure of what to make of these two here. They don't look infected. Or deranged. But they are armed and that could spell his death no matter what he says.

"I haven't seen anyone in days."

Kili arches an eyebrow at his uncle. "Think that means London's been completely looted?" He's disappointed, clearly.

[kinginexile]

He glances at Kili.

"It means nothing." He'll mutter. Then his attention is back on this other man. He looks so harmless, he's not armed, easy pickings. Thorin steps back a little, but keeps the gun aimed at him, still not trusting.

"Gone?" Gone how? Gone as in left, or... dead?

"What I should be asking is if you're stupid, just sleeping out in the open like this. Are you trying to get killed?" It was very suspicious.

[burgling]

"I think he was more like...passed out," Kili says, scratching at his chin as if it might make the stubble he's been nursing grow. Of course, even the most easy of edged looks from his uncle get the young man's mouth to shut.

For William, however, not being immediately shot or threatened or told he'd be used for kindling and for Sunday dinner has him emboldened. He drops his hands and his face hardens in anger.

"What I do is none of your concern!" he bites back and immediately tries to keep himself from clapping his hands over his mouth. Oh, what is he saying?! "I-- My home was infected. I don't think anyone else made it out." William is soft. Well fed, probably better fed than even the safe zone Thorin and Kili came from. He'd been more or less lucky.

And now, as he's not yet dead, his luck seems to be holding out too.

It's borderline impressive.

"We were living in the Baker Street tube station until a few days ago."

Kili, ever one to brighten up, turns to his uncle. "I bet they've store rooms!" Store rooms overrun with infected of course.

[kinginexile]

Thank you, Kili. His nephew's observational skills were sometimes better than his, but not needed at the moment. The man's initial reaction to his question does have Thorin ready to shout back, to tell him that everything he does is his fucking concern when he could be working for hunters.

But then he continues on and... his threatening edge softens, gun coming down a bit.

"Kili." Thorin says, a slight reprimand, more a warning that it wasn't the most opportune time to sound so cheerful. Really taking a look at this man in front of him now, it's obvious he's no hunter, they wouldn't keep someone like him around anyway, not even for tricking people. He was too soft, too small, probably couldn't use a weapon if he tried. Didn't look like he had the heart to kill someone if he needed to either.

Thorin lowers his handgun completely now, but he doesn't put it away.

"... how many lived there?"

[burgling]

Kili frowns but shuts up. He gets it already, the grown ups want to talk. He's not sure when he gets to be the grown up but he owes Thorin everything and there's no way in hell he's going to do anything to really piss him off if he can help it. Don't worry. He moves back and pretends to look around the place. From what he remembers of field trips, there use to be a lot of art in here. There's nothing on the walls anymore. There are still some paintings and a lot of frames, but everything's gotten looted or graphiti'd.

And Kili's not really the sort to care actually. He'd been young when all of this happened. Young enough that this has become his new way of life. Young enough to know that his brother's death won't be the last person he loves that will leave him.

Like other people that had been kids or teenagers when the world went to shite, Kili's grown insensitive to certain things.

William, however, has not. His hands shake from sorrow and weakness as he addresses Thorin. "Thirty-three, and me." He's not sure what might be there any more. They all ran, those that could at least. The doors had been left open, therefore. He's sure the neighbourhood is swarming with infected by now.

[kinginexile]

He's sorry, Kili. It's just the way Thorin operates, or how he knows how to. It's his way of trying to keep himself in one piece, to not fall apart. Especially after Fili's death. He had to stay strong, for Kili. He had to keep on keeping on so they didn't end up like everyone else, so hunters didn't get them, or the infected.

Thorin is too hard on Kili, had been on both boys, but right now it was familiar and he had to make sure he kept his remaining family safe.

"..." He regards the man, shaken and obviously upset... before reaching a hand down. One hand for the other man, the other clutching his gun.

"You're going to take us there." As Kili had said, there would still be supplies, or should be. He'd rather go check than not. Some people could still be alive after all, like this man. Those that weren't... well, they'd deal with them. Infected he didn't want to deal with, but if they had to, it was something he'd do. Though he would need to keep a close eye on Kili, he couldn't lose him as well.

[burgling]

William looks absolutely stricken. Not because of the long walk back -- and it will be long, Baker Street is several kilometers away -- but because he's terrified. He'd not run into any infected up this way, they've all become static, pollenating corpses under this part of the city by now, producing spores and little else. If they go back, however--

He does take the hand though. He's weak. He's not had anything to eat or to drink in five days. Everything's been completely picked clean in this area. His grip, therefore, is feeble.

He's not going to say no to these two, however, even if he's surprised by the fact that the younger of the pair is suddenly at his side, supporting him, and handing over a small candy bar.

"You'll appreciate the sugar," Kili tells him, though giving over his second to last sweet is sort of heart breaking.

[kinginexile]

The man doesn't argue, seems he doesn't have the strength to. Kili takes care of it for now, offering him food. Strange how a candy bar is considered 'food' now. He remembers back when it was just a snack, junk, but now? Now it was a diamond in the rough. Like anything they could find.

Thorin doesn't like being right here out in the open, if hunters or anyone else came in they'd be easy pickings, so he seems agitated that they're still standing about here.

"Come on, we need to move." He motions for Kili to help him, and together they'll help William as they move deeper into the building. Once they find a room they can easily escape from if attacked, but one easy enough to defend, he'll only relax, just a bit, then. Thorin pulls out a flask with water, he'd made sure they'd packed clean water before leaving after all, and with Fili gone they... they had all of his supplies too. Extra back pack and everything. Kili carried it around, not wanting to give up his brother's things, it could also be used to carry anything else they found. They hadn't exactly planned on finding someone else, someone that wasn't trying to actively kill them both.

"Here, drink." Thorin offers the flask to William, moving to sit beside him, having put his gun away for now. Kili is looking about the room, touching everything of course, seeing if there is anything he can take. Anything at all. It's amazing really, all of this stuff. Back when he was young all of this stuff meant something. History. Art. Now it was nothing. It wasn't worth taking, who would buy it after all? Artwork and pieces of history wouldn't keep them alive.

"... so what is your name, I'm not keen on calling anyone 'hey you'." Thorin tries for conversation, though he is hardly good at it. He's really quite shit at it to be honest.

[burgling]

Never before has William encountered something so wonderful as water in his life and he grasps the flask with both hands. Kili can't help but laugh at the strange little man and after a look from his uncle, heads away from the pair to watch the unbarricaded door. Though he very much doubts anyone is in here, you never know these days.

After his throat has been painfully and delicious quenched, William leans his head back and finally looks over his saviour and still potential attacker. "William," he answers the bearded man with his piercing blue eyes. "William Baggins. Most people call-- Called me Bill."

Kili is terribly bored. Poking around in the corner of the room, he kicks some old paintings over to look beneath them. Sometimes you can find breath mints or power bars. People leave weird stuff behind.

He ends up with a pack of unopened tissues, and it's not food, but it works for him. Kili's pleased with his scavenging and murmurs something to the brother no longer alive to hear him. It doesn't matter. It cheers Kili up.

Back with Thorin, Bilbo almost reverently opens the sweets and nibbles on the corner. "I'm surprised you didn't kill me."