Sweet
Marlene wasn’t scared. Not at all.
No, she didn’t jump at the creaks in the house. She didn’t startle when James started snoring late into the night. She hasn’t cried into her pillow, praying for her aunt and her cousins. Absolutely not.
For now, she lays awake, listening to the peaceful breaths of her friends. James snores loudly, and Peter occasionally kicking his blankets off, just to search for them mindlessly. Marlene can’t sleep. Can’t drift off. She’s tried.
She squeezed her eyes shut till light danced behind her lids. She had counted to one hundred, then down again. Marlene tried listening to songs in her mind. Mouthing the words half-heartedly.
In the end, every time she let her mind wander, it went somewhere dark, somewhere unwelcomed. Thoughts of the future; the unknown. The friends she’ll never see and those she never got to meet. The adventures she never went on and the places she had yet to discover. Everything is gone.
James acts like he knows what’s out there. As if he’s heard the news and is sparing their hearts; but he’s not. James has no idea, same as the rest of them. Normal infections and outbreaks do not end the functions of life. It does not stop the wind from blowing in the trees and can’t stop the barking of the dogs. Marlene knows they are missing something.
This isn’t just a quarantine. This is life or death.
They have nothing to defend themselves. James wouldn’t hurt a fly and Peter jumps at loud noises long before the sirens. Marlene can fight. Marlene can defend.
It’s hard to fight when you have no idea what you’re up against.
Periodically, her mind will flip to Sirius. She’s not sure why. Sirius is safe as far as she knows: so why does her stomach drop when she thinks of him? They had a unique friendship. Where Sirius and James were all over each other and found safety in each other, Marlene and Sirius had a different relationship.
She was slightly taller than him and will never let him forget. Sirius poked fun at her, and she yelled at him in return. They do each other’s hair and secretly make fun of everyone else. They don’t need to be attached at the hip to be close. They are intertwined in their own way.
“I am staying at James’.” She didn’t need to elaborate; they both knew what she was insinuating.
Sirius was staring up at the sky, as they passed the joint back and forth. He hummed, “ah, really?”
Marlene reached up to grab it from his hands, but he snatched it back, smiling as he brought it back to his lips. “Yeah, really.” She pried it from his fingers, inhaling deeply. “Need ya’ there.”
Sirius threw his head back and tried to laugh, “Please, you don’t need anyone. Lone wolf you are.”
Marlene lay back on the grass, her head was heavy, and her mind was full. “Even lone wolfs need their pack.”
Sirius really laughed then and leaned down to kiss her forehead. A real wet smacking sound followed. “Actually, defeats the purpose of lone wolf if you need a pack.”
Marlene had sat up quickly and turned to face Sirius. “Fine, not a lone wolf then. I am a pack leader; leading my pups into the great unknown.”
Sirius had hidden his face in his hands, his body shaking from his laughter. Watching him laugh made Marlene begin to vibrate with giddy. They didn’t talk about it anymore after that. Stubborn was Sirius Black. Once his mind is set you something, you just can’t shake it.
Sirius would absolutely adore knowing they were all stressing about him. He would thrive in the attention and stick it in their faces if he were here. If he were here. She would kill to hear Sirius poke fun at them. For Sirius to jump out of the bathroom and yell "I heard you the whole time, you softies."
She knows he won't.
She’s staring at the damp circle on the ceiling; probably mold. She was being dramatic- she had a flare for it She couldn’t stop flipping from memories of them. All their memories. You don’t know what you got till it’s gone.
The sofa dipped next to her, and she whipped her head around to see Peter, blanket around his shoulders. “Could practically hear you thinking. Are you alright?” he was whispering, and his eyes were soft. Marlene just placed her head onto his shoulder and let him place his head on hers.
“Yeah, ‘course I’m alright.”
“Everything will be fine, you know? Whatever happens- well, happens.”
“I know you’re right but- it still sucks.”
“It does.” Peter kissed her head, and they sat in silence, besides the rumble of James’ deviated septum. Marlene and Peter sat together long after sunrise, just staring, just thinking.
-
-
Lily was pinned down; she couldn’t move. His hands held Lily’s arms in place above her and his leg was pushing into her hip. His eyes were wide, most likely in fear. Perhaps throwing a stick at his head wasn’t the best way to be woken up. He’s a tad jumpy.
The boy on the ground was pale- even whiter in comparison to Lily’s dark skin. His hair was long and a deep black. There was dirt caked on his shirt and hair. His eyes were grey and shined with mischief. For such a short guy, he was awfully strong.
“Did they bite you” His voice was gruff and sharp.
She looked into his eyes, trying to decipher exactly what he meant, “What, did who bite me?” She knew people were hurt, she knew people were dead, but she didn’t know why she would be bit. Maybe she hadn’t been paying close enough attention to the people she had found but what was he talking about. “Do you always attack girls when you first meet them?”
He was still holding her down, just staring at her, not saying a word. “Of course, no one bit me, why would someone bite me?” He stared at her for a second longer before slowly removing his arms and scoffing. The boy grabbed his blanket from the ground, flinging the mulch off it. He placed it near the rest of his stuff and sat back against the tree. She stared back at him, waiting for his explanation. He was looking her up and down, almost looking for something on her; something off, before finally beginning to speak.
" I don’t know, I ran into a woman with a bite mark, figured it could have something to do with those sirens. It’s not every day you see a human shaped chunk taken out of a person.” He wipes the branches and mulch off his pants, "And anyway, I'm more scared of girls than they are of me."
Lily would usually have something to say, but now she's just thinking. So many pieces are coming together. Thousands of puzzle pieces fitting together seamlessly, but the picture isn't clear without the last piece. Maybe the few wounds she seen could’ve passed for a bite, they’d all just looked like big, nasty holes to her. But human bites sounded crazy, how could people just go around biting each other. He didn’t look crazy though; he did look worse for wear, a little scuffed up. But if he’d heard the sirens then he couldn’t have been out here for much longer than Lily. She took a deep breath and sighed, “You look like shit.”
“Wow. Thanks, I’m Sirius by the way.”
“I am too, you look rough”
He huffed out a giggle, trying to keep it to himself. “No that’s my name, my names Sirius.”
She couldn’t keep her mind off the bites. The people she’d seen had had wounds, maybe bites,
They could’ve been bites. But a bite doesn’t kill someone, a bite doesn’t make people’s blood dry up. If someone was bitten, then they’d still be bleeding and alive. Not laying on the ground twitching, or whatever was happening to them. “How bad did the bite you saw look?”
Sirius looked confused; he obviously wasn’t expecting to go back to this. “What do you mean?”
“Like, did it look infected or just… wrong?”
“I mean, it was weird. It was a big bite- genuinely huge, and she wasn’t bleeding, like, at all. Just left-over blood on her shirt.” He tangled his finger together as he spoke, “It’s not every day that you see a human bite mark, so I’m not really sure how it’s supposed to look.”
Everything made sense- almost everything. A huge, gaping, hole. No blood. A human bite. No blood. Something was wrong. One person bitten would have just been a weird sight, but multiple. Something wasn’t right. What animal is biting chunks out of human skin?
“I remember her saying something about being infected though. I wasn’t sure what she meant.”
Infected
The bites were infecting people.
“Sirius, I think we should move deeper into the woods, get a bit farther away from people.”
“No.”
“No, what do you mean no. It’s not safe.”
“I mean no. I’m trying to find my little brother; he got lost when the sirens started. I’ve been out looking for him since.”
“I was just back in a neighborhood, there’s dead everywhere.” There are infected people everywhere.
“That doesn’t mean he’s dead, Red. I’m going to find him. We have somewhere to go when this is over.
He wasn’t getting it. There is nowhere to stay, people are being killed left and right. People were being bitten, infected. Being in the woods was where lily had seen the least amount of dead people, and her first alive. “There is nowhere to stay, this is the safest you’re gonna get out here. There were people dead throughout the streets, all of them with bite marks.”
“I’m telling you Red, I have someplace to stay, I’m going to get to my friends, James’ house. I know it safe there.” He looked confident, like he could trust that that was a safe option, that his friend was still alive. “He’d love to have you if you need somewhere to stay.” She stared at him for a moment longer, he was the only alive person she had seen, she had to trust him. It was that or the woods, maybe she could find Remus. She must find Remus.
“I’m looking for my friend.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll help you find your brother, if you can help me find my friend.”
He thought it over for minute. There was no other option. It was help her or be alone. Finally, he nodded, “We can start walking again soon but maybe we should take a break for now.” He wraps the blanket around her shoulders, “Where’s he live?”
“On the streets.”
“Ah, don’t worry, we’ll find him.”
She smiled. She wasn’t alone anymore, she was with someone alive, and she was going to find Remus. “I’m Lily.”
“Nice to meet you, Lily. I think I’ll stick with Red, though.”
“Oh, of course you would.”
“Have you heard about… ‘ya know, what’s happening?”
Remus looked up from his book, leaning up against the brick wall. “Not much, honestly. Talk to no one but you these days.”
“Listen, Remus, it’s- well, basically.” Lily leaned her head against the brick wall next to him. “It’s bad, Remus. You really should stay with us, you know- until it’s over.”
Remus closed his book then, his freckles glowed under the rays of the sun. His messy brown hair was much frizzier than normal, and his nose was as crooked as ever. To everyone, including Lily, he was beautiful. He just couldn’t see it himself. “Nah, wouldn’t wanna be a bother. And plus, I mean, I hate your sister.” Lily almost laughed then. Almost told him everyone hates my sister. Almost begged him to stop being a martyr and let someone help you.
But it would all be for not. Remus, six-four -can’t afford a new jumper but has a pair of socks for everyday- Remus, has listened to that talk multiple times. Not once has he eased up. He’s so convinced he causes disruption to life; so concerned his presence is unwelcomed- afraid everyone who loves and cares for him, loves and cares out of pity.
‘Poor Remus Lupin’, is what Lily believes his internal dialogue would sound like, anytime someone even mentions a chance at help. ‘Living on the streets at seventeen.’ Lily had offered Remus a place to stay, almost begged him to live with her. He steadily refused. Adamant everything would be fine, that he’d figured it out. A year later, Remus had his same corner he slept in every night. Old blankets and his backpack of stuff.
She hated to admit it, but she did pity him. She felt awful for the deck he had been handed. Even worse that she couldn’t help. If there’s one thing Lily Evans hated, it’s not being able to help. It made her feel powerless.
“Alright, but I’m not going to give up that easy. I’ll get you in my house one way or another.”
He looked over at her then, smiling very slightly, “I’m sure you will, love.”
-
-
“Why is your brother out here?” Lily’s voice is soft, much quieter than when Sirius was pinning her the floor. Her hair still looked effortlessly perfect, somehow.
“Stubborn fucker, he is. Ran out of the house after the first round of sirens. His caretaker was forced to leave.”
“Caretaker?”
“We don’t have parents, not really.”
“Got it. How long have you been searching?”
Sirius stops walking and looks up at the sky. There are frown lines on the creases of his mouth; and he can feel his tastebuds scraping against the roof of his dry mouth. Sirius wants to take a shower. “What time is it now?”
Sirius watches Lily flicks her wrist, and lifts her forearm, as if she was looking at a watch. “No idea.”
She’s funny, he thinks, and laughs a little. “What about your friend? Do you know where he usually stays?”
Lily sighs and rubs her hand over her forehead. “Talk about stubborn fuckers, Remus is a pain in the ass. Refuses to take help from anyone.” Hearing Red say fuckers, made Sirius laugh. Her lips trembled around the words, almost as if it was unnatural for her. "He sleeps in a corner near a buss stop. He insists he's fine, but no-one believes that. I worry about him all the time."
"I'm sure he'd hate hearing you say you worry." Sirius shrugs her shoulders at her, some part of him relating to her friend, “My brother and I are the same. We have each other’s backs, but we don’t let ourselves rely on other people.”
Lily stops walking, again, and sits down on the floor, “Wish I could relate, but I’m a bit of an obsessive helper.”
Sirius testily sits next to her, and lays his feet out, “I relate to that as well, always been my brothers support system, protector, I guess, but I never ask him for help. Never will, I guess.” He will never take back the years of defending his brother. He would do it again and again until they were safe. When will the brothers running around each other ever end? Will it?
“Surrounded by martyrs, all of you.”
Sirius laughs at her, pushing her shoulder, maybe a little too roughly. Lily, of course, shoves him back harder. “You wouldn’t happen to have a brush, would you?”
“I do. Would you let me do your hair?” Lily fishes the brush out her bag and waves in enticingly in front of Sirius’ face. He reached his arm out to grab it from her, but she pulled it back.
“This isn’t a slumber party, Red.” She ignored him anyway, moving behind him, and taking his hair out of his ponytail. They fall into easy silence then. And if Sirius got a little choked up at the familiarity of having someone taking care of him, who’s going to know?
There's no one around.