Sequel: Jersey City

The Beginning of the End

Chapter Four

They walked for a while before they happened upon a shop that Kurt thought might have the sort of map he was looking for. Adam held onto their city map and tried to navigate them out of town with it. So far all they had accomplished in terms of that mission was putting a lot of ground between themselves and Bushwick. Still, that was progress, at least.

The store was abandoned, as they had expected, so they walked into it with some caution, mindful of any lurking dangers. The thought of another encounter like the one they’d just had earlier put Adam on edge; he gripped the baseball bat in his hand more tightly.

The more of the shop that they explored, the more it became apparent that they were the only ones inside. They could breathe a bit easier, but they didn’t dare let their guard totally down.

“Aha! There we are,” Kurt said, locating the item they were searching for. He picked up a small book of maps and opened it, quickly examining its contents. “This will do.” He placed it in his bag. “Anything else?”

“I think we’ve got everything we need for now,” Adam replied, “At least, I can’t think of anything else.”

“Okay then,” Kurt responded, “Let’s keep going, I guess.”

They left the shop, and after that, they walked for a while longer. For some time, things were thankfully uneventful.

Then, they saw two figures in the distance ahead of them, walking and talking. They appeared to be carrying bags like Kurt and Adam. Perhaps they were travelling as well.

Adam’s natural inclination was to be friendly and chatty, but he knew it would be foolish to assume the two strange men were harmless. He and Kurt slowly walked a little closer and then stopped, studying the other men. They looked at each other; Kurt was clearly as wary as Adam was, if not more so.

Until Kurt’s expression suddenly changed. “Wait a second,” he said, “I think—” He listened to and watched the others again and began to slowly approach them. “I know that guy.”

Adam followed him. “Which one?”

“The taller, skinny one,” Kurt replied, “I used to sorta hang out with him, although mostly not by choice.”

“Are you sure it’s him?” Adam asked.

“I’d know that smug voice and meerkat face anywhere,” Kurt said. He quickened his pace, and Adam followed suit to keep up.

“Do you know who he’s with?” Adam asked.

“No,” Kurt answered, “I don’t think I recognize that guy.” To the men ahead of them, Kurt finally called out, “Sebastian Smythe! Fancy meeting you here!”

The two men jumped and quickly turned. The man who was presumably Sebastian Smythe responded, “Kurt Hummel. What a surprise. I would’ve thought you’d either be dead or out of town by now, and I probably would’ve bet on dead.”

“I could say the same for you,” Kurt said, “Although I didn’t know you were in town.”

“Yeah, I moved here after high school,” Sebastian explained, “I was taking classes at NYU, but then that turned out to be a waste of time.” He gestured to the abandoned and damaged streets and properties around them. “What about you, Hummel? You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself.” As he said it, he looked Adam up and down with a lecherous expression.

This evidently did not go unnoticed by Kurt. “Yes, I was enrolled at NYADA before all this, which is where I met Adam.” There was an edge to his tone which implied Sebastian needed to back off.

Feeling a bit awkward and also not wanting to seem standoffish or rude, Adam said, “Hello.”

“Hey,” Sebastian said, still slightly flirtatious.

Before Kurt and Sebastian could start in on each other again, the other man spoke up. “Hi.” He extended a hand. “I’m Elliott.”

“Nice to meet you,” Adam said as he shook his hand.

Kurt echoed the sentiment and also shook Elliott’s hand. Then, he asked, “So, what brings you guys out here?”

“We’re trying to leave the city,” Sebastian replied, “which is easier said than done because it’s fucking huge.”

“Really? Us, too!” Adam responded enthusiastically. Maybe they could travel together for a bit. It might be advantageous to travel in a larger group, not to mention fun to make new friends. “Where are you headed?”

“We’re trying to get to Paramus, New Jersey,” Elliott explained, “I’ve got family there we’re hoping to stay with. What about you guys?”

“Lima, Ohio,” Kurt answered, “for basically the same reason.”

“You’re actually going back to Lima?” Sebastian questioned skeptically.

“Yes, I am,” Kurt said adamantly, “Or we’re gonna try to at least. It’s not like it’s a loser town more than any other town anymore.”

“Never said it was,” Sebastian said easily, holding up a hand in mock surrender, “but if we’re all heading in roughly the same direction, we could travel together for a while.”

“That’s a great idea,” Elliott added, “We totally should. If you guys are cool with it, that is.”

“Of course,” Adam said, “What do you think, Kurt?” He looked at Kurt expectantly.

Kurt considered it for a moment. “Yeah, I’m fine with that. It’s probably better to travel with a bigger group anyway.”

“Actually,” Adam suggested, getting an idea, “we could go with them to Paramus—if you’ll have us—that way we can stick together for a while and possibly have a place to stop and rest for a few days between here and Lima—if no one minds us stopping there. That’s on the way, isn’t it?”

“Uh, I think so,” Kurt said, consulting his maps, “I mean it’s in roughly the same direction in that it’s west of here...Sure, I guess we could do that. If Sebastian and Elliot are alright with it.”

“Fine with me,” Sebastian said.

“Yeah, that’s totally cool,” Elliott responded, “And I’m sure no one will mind if you guys wanna crash for a few days. Ohio’s a long way from here.”

“Yeah, it is,” Kurt agreed.

“Paramus isn’t exactly close, if you’re on foot,” Sebastian commented, “We should probably get going again if we wanna get there this year.”

Everyone agreed and, after consulting the maps, resumed travelling in the direction they hoped would lead them out of New York City.
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This is the start of a larger series that I am really stoked about! The next installment should pick up not long after this one ends, so stay tuned! :)