This Broken City Sky

"-will not be a fucking part of that, thank you very much." Dylan's eyes widened, and she held up her hands as she sat against the wall. The small group was discussing the matters of getting the dead out of the rooms, so the bodies wouldn't lay there to rot for god knows how long. Everyone had sat down at the end of the hall, Lily, Dylan, Johnny sitting across from Mikey, Gerard and Frank. The latter had scrounged up a packet of cigarettes, so both were smoking.

"You have to help out too, if you expect to stay." Frank said cooly, turning his head to his hand, which held the cigarette loosely.

"Expect? If you haven't noticed my cousin has the master key to the rooms, you dumb son of a bitch, so it should be you-"

"Alright, alright, stop fucking arguing," Gerard snapped, in a sudden outburst. He held out his hands, and looked at Dylan, "He's just being a dick, obviously. And we have keys to our own rooms, so," He shrugged, then looked at Frank, "Quit picking fights, you're not helping anything."

Frank shrugged his shoulders, and took another drag of his cigarette. The smokey air around them was thick with silent tension, and no one wanted to look at one another because of it. As Dylan turned her head to say something to her stoic cousin, who hadn't said a word in quite almost three hours, a muffled but tell-tale bang reached their ears. All of them, especially Johnny, perked up, and listened for any other sign to tell them what was going on. Another shot came, and seconds later a great crashing sound, like the shattering of glass. At that, all were on their feet and scampering down the hall to the door behind which Kat had dissapeared. Over the heavy pattering of their footfalls, two more gun shots could be heard.

"KAT!" Johnny screamed, beginning to pound on the door. The others skidded to a halt around him, waiting to see if she would reply. Gerard glanced at his brother, and then Ray, who in turn looked at Frank. Dylan sighed, shouldered past him, so she stood next to Johnny at the door.

"Move," She said, and instantly, Johnny looked over at her, his face bent in anger or surprise, "Move!" She hollered, positioning the shotgun against her shoulder. Johnny stepped aside, so Dylan could take his place at the door. She jerked the forestock quickly, and pointed the double barrels at the wood between the door frame and the handle. Then, squinting one eye closed to prepare for the kickback, she squeezed the trigger hard. Of course, the blast caused the butt to slam into her shoulder, but it was her left, so there was no harm done. Instead, wood splintered everywhere, scratching her arms, and battering her jeans. Johnny held his arms up a bit, sheilding himself from the fragmented wood. But once the debris fell to the floor, the door hung open, lock shattered and bent. Immediately Johnny pushed it back, and slipped into the room calling out for his sister.

"SHE'S HERE!" Johnny cried, his voice carrying his distress. Dylan didn't hesitate in jogging into the sprawling suite, her eyes searching the lavish room frantically for the boy and his sister. She was so busy looking around her that she didn't pay attention to her feet, and the corpse that lay in their path. So when she laid eyes on Johnny, lifting his unconscious sister into his lap, she immediately stepped forward anxiously, catching her toe under the ribcage of the dead man lying in her path. Footsteps clattered through the room as Dylan pitched forward hard, her long gun flying from her hands as she hit the floor. Because she didn't reach her hands out fast enough, her cheekbone made contact with the hard wood floor of the kitchen area.

"Fuck-!" She heard one of the men hiss, and felt hands on her shoulders as she pushed herself up, her feet scraping the floor to find purchase. Frank looked at her quickly, making sure she wasn't bleeding, and dashed off to help the others. Dylan followed, shaking off the pain of the fall. She wasn't the worst injured, now.

"'S a lot of blood...shit..." Gerard sighed. He kneeled beside the blonde woman, one side of her face covered in a black, wet substance. Dylan wondered if it was in fact blood, because the bright red splotches that stained her formerly crisp white shirt where much more...blood-like in color. She stood next to Ray, Frank and Mikey, as they looked down at Lily, Gerard, and Johnny, who were trying to figure out what to do. Lily plucked gently at the hem of Kat's now red shirt, but quickly let it be. Her delicate hand flew to the pocket of her coat to retrieve the key ring she had snatched earlier.

"Here," She tossed them to Dylan, "Get down to the gift shop, they have more first aid kits. Hurry up," Lily commanded, and Dylan nodded quickly, turning on her heel, "Go with her for god's sake!" Lily finally yelled at Ray, Mikey, and Frank, which startled them both into following after Dylan quickly.

When the three were gone, Lily took control, and moved next to Johnny, who had Kat's shoulders propped against his knees. His hands were already covered in blood, and in his eyes, was a very primal fear.

"Let's get her to the bathroom, she's going to be alright once we get everything cleaned up..." She sighed airily, and moved her hands under Kat's shoulders. Johnny nodded solemnly, and helped the frail girl lift Kat's shoulders. Gerard took the hint, and stood up, only to move down to Kat's feet, then bent down to take her ankles in hand. Together, the three hobbled through the wrecked suite, and down the little hall across from the kitchen. The huge bathroom was directly across the way from the bedroom, and they shuffled in there.

"Bathtub..." Lily mumbled, her hands loosing their strength against Kat's shoulder. Gerard looking over his shoulder, stepping backwards, and as the trio reached the tub, they used the last bit of their strength to lift Kat over the edge, into the bath. Johnny kneeled at her head, which lolled against the edge of the tub, and he patted her cheek gently.

"Kat..." He murmured, his eyes searching her face urgently. Almost responding instantly, Kat frowned slightly, and her head moved, "Kat!" Johnny said a little louder, as her eyes began to flicker.

"Help me get her shirt off," Lily said, as she reacher her arms over the edge of the tub. Gerard and Johnny stared at her with wide, unsure eyes, "We need to get everything cleaned up, I know it's awkward.

"But she's waking up." Johnny protested, focusing his gaze back on Kat, who indeed was beginning to come around bit by bit. Lily sat back on her haunches, waiting for her to open her eyes. They sat silent, until Kat slowly opened her eyelids, exposing her crystalline blue eyes.

"Kat, hey, I'm here..." Johnny mumbled, and Lily's eyes shifted over to Gerard. They exchanged an understanding glance, and Lily rose to her feet. She nudged Johnny's shoulder with her fingers, and his head snapped up to her.

"Get her cleaned up, we'll bring you the first aid kit when Dylan gets back..." She told him quietly, and behind her, Gerard stood up as well. Johnny nodded, just as Kat inhaled deeply, and looked down at herself.

"Fuckin hell..." She mumbled, and Johnny smiled. With a nod, Lily made her way out of the bathroom, with Gerard on her heels. In the living area of the suite, which now lay in ruin, Lily stopped to stare at the bodies of the man and his two companions. Never, in her short time here on earth, had she imagined she'd see such a sight. But now it was becoming an all too common occurance in one single day. It chilled her to the bone, and already she was feeling hopeless.

"You alright?" Gerard asked very quietly, startling Lily. She inhaled with a shakey breath, and nodded, focusing her eyes out the windows, to the darkened city beyond them. Before she knew it, she was in tears; merciless, torrential tears. Lily stormed over to the door that led out to the balcony, and wrapped her arms around herself as she cried. Somewhere, she knew, across the night, was New York, and her family.

"Where the fu-oh. Where's Kat?" Frank nearly yelled as he, Dylan, Mikey and Ray blew back into the room. Gerard turned around from watching Lily carefully, and motioned to the hallway.

"First door on the left." He murmured, and Ray, who carried the kit, nodded, then darted off toward the bathroom.

"Lily?" Dylan called, frowning deeply, "Where'd she go?" She looked at Gerard with panic, and he nodded toward the wall of windows. He and Frank watched her dart over to the open door, to comfort her cousin. They were quiet for a few moments, looking around at the broken glass.

"Here," Frank said quietly, holding out a packet of Marlboros to Gerard, "Snagged em in the gift shop." Gerard took the cigarettes with a grateful nod, and stuck them in his back pocket. Frank on the other hand, opened a fresh pack, took out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips, then began flicking his lighter. Mikey walked past them, and over the broken glass to the long black couch that faced the rest of the room. There he flung himself down, and sighed deeply.

"I don't want to stay here," Frank mumbled from behind the filter, "I want to go home." Gerard sighed smoke, and looked back at Dylan and Lily, who were walking back into the suite.

"I think we all do Frank." Gerard replied, with a frown, just as the two girls joined them again. Dylan flipped her gun, so she could rest the butt of it against the floor and lean her weight on it.

"Once Kat is done in there I think we should head back down to your rooms and try to get some rest." She said, mimicking the quiet tone that Frank and Gerard had been using with one another. Lily crossed her arms over her chest tightly, and focused her shy gaze on her feet. Gerard simply nodded at the idea, and brought his cigarette back up to his lips. Frank frowned at Dylan lightly as they stood in their small circle, looking between one another. Just as he was about to say something to her, Ray emerged from the hallway and all eyes turned on him.

"She okay?" Gerard asked, raising his eyebrows a little. Ray nodded awkwardly.

"Yeah uh...She's fine..." He said, and tucked his hands in his pockets as he stepped up to his friends. Lily nodded silently which caused Dylan to eye her speculatively, "They should be done soon I think..." He added, and Gerard nodded this time. The group stood silent for a moment, until Gerard inhaled deeply, and shrugged his shoulders a little.

"I think Mike's got the right idea." He mumbled, sticking his cigarette firmly between his teeth before walking over to the couch where his brother lay, delfated and exhausted. Dylan nudged Lily's hip with her hand gently, and nodded toward the brothers.

"Go sit down." She whispered, giving her cousin a fervent but soft look. Lily was reluctant to respond, so she nodded in reply, and turned for the living area silently. Dylan shifted her weight with another sigh while Frank stared at her curiously.

"Is she your sister?" He asked lowly, crossing his left arm over his chest to rest his opposite elbow on it. Dylan eyed him speculatively for a moment, her eyes narrowed slightly, before she replied.

"Cousin." She said, drawing the word out slightly, before stepping over to the living room as well.

The six waited for a drowsy fifteen minutes before Johnny and Kat slowly emerged from the dark hallway. Dylan, Mikey and Ray had slipped into a sort of half-sleep, but they all perked up when they saw the siblings. Kat was wearing an ill-fitting button up shirt that had no doubt belonged to the dead man in the kitchen. Her forearms were wrapped in gauze, a red splotch showing here and there, but other than that she looked okay. The three that were most alert, stood up instantly, most notably Gerard, who bent down to the broken glass to retrieve Kat's hand gun. She watched the few others approach, and reached a hand up to rub the area around the cut on her face.

"Um...." She frowned hard, still slightly drowsy, "Thanks..." She mumbled, looking up at Gerard, who handed her the gun. Kat took it, unsure of her hand for a moment, then tucked it into the hem of her jeans.

"We're going to go back to our rooms, get cleaned up and rest a little while." He said quietly, his brown eyes switching to Johnny momentarily. The young boy nodded, then watched as Dylan, Mike and Ray joined them. Dylan rubbed her eyes and looked blearily at Kat.

"Sleep good?" Kat asked, a teasing smile playing at the corners of her lips. Dylan smiled back slightly, and shook her head. At that, the eight refugees turned toward the broken door and slowly made their way out.