Until the Sun Rises

“-rgil? Virgil!” 

Virgil felt a pressure on his arm and jerked away, but he relaxed by a notch when he saw Dee raise his hands and take a step back. 

“It’s okay, Virgil, breathe.”

Virgil managed a few deep breaths, and grimaced up at Dee. 

“I’m sorry, I–”

“Nothing to apologize for, Virge,” Dee said with a wave of his hand. “You wanna tell me what that was about though?” 

Virgil shrugged, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets. He glanced around, then frowned when he saw that Thomas and Remus, who’d been with them a moment ago, were no longer standing nearby. 

“I had Remus take Thomas down to the main hall,” Dee said. “Now c’mon V, what’s going on?” 

“Thomas has asked about archery before,” Virgil said. “I keep telling him no. I’m sorry he dragged you into it too, I–”

“Why?” Dee interrupted, tilting his head slightly to the side.

“What?” 

“Why tell Thomas he can’t learn archery? He’s old enough, if we make him a modified bow. It wouldn’t be much good at first, but he’d be able to use it to build up his strength eventually and–” 

“No!” Virgil said, shaking his head. “I...I mean...no, it’s...it’s not ‘cuz I don’t think he could do it, I just...” Virgil sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“You just what?” Dee prompted, and Virgil looked away. 

“I don’t want him knowing what this feels like, Dee,” he said quietly. He reached up and touched the locket around his neck as he spoke, running a finger absently along the edge. 

“This?” 

“This!” Virgil repeated. “What we deal with every day; what we face down every time we have to go out there for supplies. I don’t want him to have to look into someone’s eyes and make that choice, because it isn’t a choice, how could it be, but you still have to pull the trigger and–” 

Virgil’s breath hitched, and he shook his head firmly, blinking back tears. 

“I don’t want him to ever have to carry this guilt around,” he said. “I don’t care if he hates me for it in the meantime.” 

There was a beat of silence, then Dee shook his head.

“Yes, you do.”

“Sorry?”

“You do care, Virgil, I can tell,” Dee said with a sigh. “I know you think you’re doing him a favor, but you’ve already lost everything else. Do you really want to lose your relationship with Thomas too?” 

“If it keeps him safe,” Virgil insisted, and Dee shook his head again. 

“Safe was out of the picture a long time ago, Virge. We both know it. We can hide behind the relative security we have here all we want, but the fact of the matter is that Eden is only somewhat safe in the first place because the people here know how to defend themselves.”

“Thomas shouldn’t have to defend himself!” Virgil exclaimed. “He’s nine, Dee, he’s a nine year old who watched his mom die in front of him!”

“And you’re an eighteen year old who shot your own mother to keep him safe,” Dee said gently. “None of this is fair, V. And as long as he’s here, everyone here will protect him, I promise you that. But he should still learn how to protect himself. Besides,” he added with a small smile. “He desperately wants to be useful around here; he’s a child who’s been forced into an adult’s world. He needs to feel like he has some kind of control in his life.” 

“You’re probably right,” Virgil admitted, ducking his head and wiping at his eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Dee shrugged. 

“Never said you did.” 

“...okay,” Virgil said finally. “You can teach him. But he’s not taking that thing with him on raids until he’s older.”

“That’s perfectly reasonable,” Dee agreed. 

“And...and I want to be there, for the lessons,” Virgil added. “So...so I can keep an eye on him.”

“Why Virgil, are you saying you don’t trust me?” Dee asked, his voice dripping with mock hurt. 

“Never,” Virgil deadpanned.

“You’d never say that, or you’d never trust me?”

“What do you think?” Virgil asked with a smirk, and Dee nudged his shoulder. 

“There’s that snark I missed so much.”

“There’s that pain in the ass I know,” Virgil shot back.

Dee laughed, and the tightness in Virgil’s chest loosened, if only a little bit. 

Thomas does not ask to learn to shoot a bow again.

He does ask Virgil to watch while he proudly notches his first arrow and pulls back on the string as hard as he can. His elbow is too high and he squints too much and the arrow lands three feet away from the makeshift targets by the lake, but Virgil still claps for him while Dee adjusts his form and murmurs instructions in his ear. 

Thomas notches his second arrow, and Virgil breathes. 

Things may not be fair, but Virgil thinks that they just might be okay anyway.

---

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"So, Thomas," he said casually. "You're a pretty good shot with that bow of yours." 

Thomas immediately brightened, and Patton heard Remus chuckle softly behind them. 

"Thanks! Dee's been teaching me, I'm not as good as him yet, but I'm getting there! I told Virgil that I was good enough to bring it on a raid, I told him!" 

"He doesn't like you coming along?" Patton asked, and Thomas shrugged. 

"It's not that...I mean, I don't think he likes it, but he likes leaving me alone even less, so I come whenever he does. But just 'cause I'm younger doesn't mean I can't help! If I'm gonna be here, I might as well be useful!" 

"Well, you were very useful at the farm," Patton said, and Thomas beamed. 

"Thank you!" 

The party continued on, sometimes making small talk, sometimes walking in silence, and the sun was hanging low in the sky by the time that Lauren raised up a hand, signaling the group to come to a halt. 

"We're here!" she called. 

Patton peered around the group, and saw what looked like a makeshift wall made of branches and scrap metal stretching out between the trees. He saw two figures silhouetted by the setting sun’s rays, and judging by how Lauren spoke to them, he figured they were on lookout duty. The little party went on through an opening in the wall, and followed the trail to where the campgrounds began proper.

It was reminiscent of the 4H camp Patton had gone to as a child, just with fewer animal pens. There were a few buildings scattered naturally into the woods that he supposed were cabins, with one slightly larger than the others that he guessed had once belonged to the camp director. They kept walking through the little group of cabins, past a few decrepit basketball courts and what Patton thought was an empty field at first before he realized it was a swimming pool that had long since overgrown. They passed all of this and approached the camp’s main lodge: a large, two story building with wide double windows at the front. There were a few other people milling around, some of them carrying supplies, some just talking, and a few casting curious glances Patton’s way. 

“How many people live here?” he asked, trying not to stare at what was easily the largest group of living people he’d seen since the outbreak had started. 

“Including us? Around thirty,” Virgil said.

“It feels more like a hundred,” Patton replied, looking around at the bustle of activity.

Lauren smiled kindly. “I guess it would, to you,” she said. “You’ve been isolated on that farm for so long.”

“Spare us the sob story,” Wade said as he and Virgil placed the chicken carrier down. “We’ve all got problems.”

“Some more than others,” Lauren muttered and Wade glared at her. 

“Come on! Let’s go and find Dee!” Thomas said stopping any further arguments from ensuring. 

He let go of Patton’s hand and pulled open the door to the lodge before disappearing inside. The others trailed in after him, Patton falling behind the rest of the group; he was quite nervous if he was being honest with himself. No matter what Remus or Virgil had said, the decision of Patton staying at Eden was ultimately up to Dee.

There was a guy in a tattered checkered shirt and glasses sitting in the lobby, with dyed hair that had long since lost its vibrancy poking out from underneath a backwards baseball cap. He rose once he saw the group come in, and Lauren's pace quickened. She wrapped the petite figure in a hug as soon as she reached him, and Patton heard him grumble something, but he leaned into the hug anyway. 

"Her brother?" he asked quietly, and Virgil shook his head.

"Her partner, actually. He has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, so he can't go out on raids with us. First thing Lauren does everytime she comes back is tell him she's okay."

“Oh,” Patton said. “That must be pretty hard on them.”

“They manage,” Virgil shrugged.

After a short whispered conversation, Lauren turned back to face Patton. “This is Kai,” she told him. “Kai, this is Patton.”

“Hi there,” Patton said as cheerfully as he could muster.

Kai nodded at him. “Another person?” he muttered to Lauren. “You think Dee will allow that?” 

“Only one way to find out,” Lauren said. “Where is he anyway?”

“Main hall,” Kai replied, lowering himself back down on the chair. “I’ll wait for you here.”

“Okay.” Lauren kissed him on the forehead and the group continued forward. 

As they walked deeper into the lodge, Virgil explained the building’s many purposes to Patton. There was a kitchen where they cooked and ate their food, they had turned the camp nurses office into an infirmary, a few extra rooms had become storage areas, and finally there was the main hall. 

The main hall was the true heart of Eden, according to Virgil. It was where the residents held meetings, played old board games they had found or just hung out and spent time together. As they walked in, Patton could see a few groups of people scattered around the room, talking quietly amongst themselves. 

“DeeDee!” Remus shouted suddenly, and he sprinted towards one of the clusters of people. 

A man in an old cargo jacket and beanie started to turn around, but he didn’t get very far before Remus had leapt onto his back. 

After hearing the others talk about him, Patton had been pretty nervous to meet Dee, but seeing him allow Remus to ride around on his back like some kind of pet monkey made Patton second guess his worries. 

Lauren must have known what Patton was thinking because she giggled and said, 

“Trust me, Remus is the only person in this entire place who can get away with treating Dee like that.”

“Hi DeeDee!” Remus squealed. “Did you miss me?”

“Not in the slightest.” The other man, Dee, replied dryly. “I was actually rather enjoying the solitude.”

“Aww, I missed you too!” Remus said, giving Dee a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

“Remus, you are a menace.” 

“I love it when you talk dirty to me.” Remus cooed.

“Get off!” Dee snapped.

Remus pouted, but then he slid to the ground with a grin, and Dee turned to face the group. 

“How’d it go?” he asked, and one eyebrow quirked upwards as his eyes fell on Patton. “I take that it was an...eventful trip.” 

“This is Patton,” Lauren said. “Patton this is Dee.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Patton said, smiling as best he could. 

Dee opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Thomas rushed forward and threw his arms around Dee’s legs. 

“Dee!” Thomas cried. “Guess what?” 

“What?” Dee asked, his expression softening as he returned the hug. 

“I shot my bow in a real, actual fight, and I hit a terminal more than once!” 

“Oh, wow, you did? That’s great, Thomas!”

“I know! Patton said I was really useful!” 

“Did he?” Dee asked, looking up with Patton with an unreadable expression before looking back down to Thomas. “Tell me something, little man, what do you think of Patton?” 

“I like him!” Thomas said immediately. “He’s super nice, and he let me pet his chickens which are super fluffy, and he makes really good omelettes!” 

“Is that so?” Dee said, amusement clear in his voice, and Thomas nodded. 

“Uh huh! And he’s sad right now, which Virgil says is because he just lost his family, so I know how he feels. Maybe I could show him things that help me feel better when I’m sad about mom.” 

Patton blinked back the sudden tears he found threatening to well up in his eyes as Dee looked up at him again. 

“Maybe you could do that, Thomas. I’m sure Patton would like that very much.”

Patton nodded dumbly, and Dee flashed him a grin. 

“Well then Patton, welcome to Eden.” 

--- --- ---

Patton woke up to sunlight shining directly in his eyes and he let out a quiet groan, raising a hand to shield his face. Why had he left the curtains open? He always went to sleep with them closed-

“Time for archery!” said a cheerful voice. 

Memories of the day before flooded his mind, and he groaned again, sitting up. 

“Thomas! Quietly! We’re sharing this room now,” Virgil said, shooting Patton an apologetic glance. 

“It’s fine,” Patton mumbled around a yawn. 

It had been late when they’d reached Eden last night, so he’d quickly been assigned a cabin where he would stay with around five other people, including Thomas and Virgil, to Thomas’s delight. There hadn’t been much unpacking to be done in the small space, and Patton had quickly realized that for the foreseeable future, he’d be more or less living out of his bag. 

Still, for a shelter during the apocalypse, it could be much worse. The cabin had two bedrooms with a bathroom between them, so even though there were five others staying there, it didn’t feel too crowded. 

He’d fallen asleep the moment his head had hit the pillow. 

Thomas waved sheepishly at Patton before hurrying out the door with his bow strapped to his back. Virgil moved to follow, but paused for a moment, looking back to Patton. 

“Take as long as you need to get settled in,” he said. “If you have any questions, you can ask pretty much anybody.” 

“Thank you,” Patton said with a smile. 

Virgil nodded in acknowledgement, then followed Thomas out of the cabin, leaving Patton alone. 

Patton realized very quickly that he didn’t like being alone. 

He should have been used to it, after all, he’d spent years in isolation back on his family’s farm. But that was different; even though there’d been no contact with the outside world, he’d still had his family. Even the last week or so when Morgan had been...unwell, she’d still been there. He’d never truly been alone. 

Patton was outside before he fully realized what he was doing, wandering a little aimlessly through the campgrounds. A few people glanced at him as he went past, but most seemed busy working and Patton didn’t want to disturb them. 

A flash of light caught his eye, and he turned to see the morning sunlight glinting off the surface of a lake a few yards away. He spotted a few archery targets on the bank as well, and he turned and headed in that direction, hoping that Virgil would be there...and hoping that if he was, he wouldn’t find it weird that Patton had trailed after him like a lost puppy. 

As Patton approached the lake, the first person he saw wasn’t Virgil at all, but Dee. He was sitting on an old log bench with his back to the rest of the camp, and as Patton came closer he saw Thomas standing nearby with his bow drawn. Virgil was sitting on the bank a few yards away, throwing stones into the water and glancing in Thomas’s direction every so often. 

“Mind if I join you?” Patton asked him, fiddling with the sleeves of his jacket. 

“Be my guest,” Virgil replied, and Patton sat down next to him, looking out across the water. 

Patton was quiet for a moment, unsure if conversation was welcome, but Virgil broke the silence for him.

“You get settled in okay?” he asked, tossing another stone into the water and glancing at Patton. 

“Yeah...I didn’t have much to settle, really,” Patton admitted. 

“If you’re not comfortable with anything, just let us know,” Virgil said. “We can figure something out.” 

“It’s quite comfortable, thank you,” Patton said with a smile. 

“Okay…” Virgil said, giving him a look. “So what’s wrong then?” 

“Huh?” 

“Sorry if that’s weird, I mean, you don’t have to tell me, obviously,” Virgil said quickly. “It’s just...well, it seems like something’s bothering you.” 

Patton stared at him for a moment, then chuckled. 

“Welp, you’re observant, aren't you kiddo?” 

Virgil shrugged.

“Kinda have to be. I’m raising an eleven year old by myself over here; I’d be doing a pretty piss-poor job of it if I couldn’t read people properly.” 

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Patton said, gazing back out across the lake.

“So is there?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Something bothering you,” Virgil said, and Patton sighed. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “I think...I think I’ve just been running on nerves and grief and adrenaline for the past few days, and now I don’t really know what to do with myself.” 

“I get that,” Virgil said, picking up another stone and turning it over in his hands. “I felt the same way when Dee and Remus brought me here. I’d been pushing so hard to survive and to be there for Thomas, and then we were here and suddenly everything just...froze. Everything almost hurt more then than it did right when Mom died.” 

Virgil turned to Patton and offered him a small smile. 

“But it does get better eventually,” he said. “They’ll give you a few jobs to do later today, and you’ll meet the others, and before you know it things will start to feel almost normal.” 

Patton nodded slowly. 

“That makes sense, I guess. It was sort of the same on the farm, too...things weren’t normal normal, but they were a new normal. I guess this is just the adjustment into another new normal.” 

“I’m not gonna pretend there won’t be growing pains,” Virgil agreed. “But it hopefully won't hurt forever.”

He chucked the stone in his hands as far as he could, and it fell into the water with a loud *plop!* Patton looked down at the bank and selected a stone of his own, leaning back and sending it flying with a flick of his wrist. The stone skipped five times over the surface of the water before it sank, and Virgil let out a low whistle. 

“Nice. I can barely manage one skip.” 

“My older brother taught me,” Patton said. “My dad was the best at it though, we used to have contests on our pond and he’d beat us every time.” 

He flicked another stone, and it skipped four times before sinking out of sight. 

“Whoa, that was so cool!” a voice exclaimed, and Patton looked up to see Thomas coming towards them, with Dee trailing behind. “Do that again!” 

Patton smiled, and selected another stone. Thomas watched in awe as he skipped it across the water. 

“How do you do that?” he asked. 

“Lots of practice,” Patton shrugged. 

“Can you teach me?” 

Patton blinked, then a smile slowly spread across his face. 

“I’d love to, Kiddo.” 

He patted the ground next to him and Thomas sat down, listening with rapt attention as Patton began to explain how to pick the best skipping stones. He glanced up at Virgil and Dee, who were wearing similar, fond expressions, and he smiled back at them. 

Remus had been right...Eden may not be a paradise. But Patton was beginning to see how it could be a home. 

---

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