"Amber!", Bullet screams and I look up at him shoving bullets into magazines with his speed loaders, "Yes?" "Help me load these!" I shake my head and grab at my wounds, "I'm hurt, Bullet." He groans, "I killed a whole boat of MY PEOPLE, to keep our little secret! Get over here!" With a wince, I walk over to him, "The whole group would've understood. You didn't have to-" He looks to the leaky ceiling, "They all would've shot you dead. Oh! And if Cornelius found out-" He grabs his sides and laughs, "He'd kill you so fast. He can't stand you existing already." He waves, "I said help me load." I start loading up the loaders, "I still can't believe you didn't have the strength to kill that little rat- Slim, was it?" There really is no going back. I sniffle, "But I'm still proud of you. You killed that traitor, Victor." He hugs me from the side and I jump at him looking up at me, "You really are amazing." I freeze, what is this? He's never hugged me like this, in this state. Why is he acting weird? I smile and look away, "Thanks, Bullet." He lets go and just stares at me. I grab at my heart and start huffing for air, "Amber?" I close my eyes for a second, "Amber!"

I open my eyes and he's shaking me, he jerks his face forward and shouts, "Are you ok?!" I jump in my skin and push him away. He gives me a threatening look as I get up, "Amber, I told you, don't be like that." I shake my head, "Sorry. I-" I grab at my head, "You had me thinking you were dying of a heart attack for a second there!" What just happened? "I think I'm okay." He shakes his head, "No, take a rest, Carter can wait a couple days before we kill him." He just sits there after I pushed him? Shouldn't he be furious? Shouldn't he be hitting me or doing something more than- that? I can even feel his eyes being trained on me, watching me lay back down. I curl into a ball and stare at the wall.

I jump awake to a light kick to my stomach, "That wasn't cool, Jack." Mama snores as I groan, "You're still mad about that?" She pouts, "Of course I am. I feel like I'm going crazy in here!" With a strained groan, I get up from the floor, "Go cry about it to Norbert." She pokes me hard, "Ow!" "At least I have a father figure still." Father...

I wave in front of his face, "Jack?" He isn't moving. "Jack!" I poke him hard, "Jack!" Mama grabs at her ears, "What's going on!?" I turn to her, "Jack isn't moving!" She forces herself up without her cane, "What did you do?" "I-" She puts her hands on her plump hips, "I didn't do anything."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

A faceless woman holds me and cries, someone other than Mama's voice. She sets me down in a scary, foreign place on the cold ground and I reach for her. "Mama? Where's dad?" She smiles amongst the broken buildings with Jon at her side, "Todd Delora? He's out of the picture, Jack." Rose and Mama shout, "Jack!" I look to Mama, "What was dad like?" She sighs in relief, "You gave us such a scare-" I shout as Rose rushes out the room, "What was dad like?!" She touches me my arm, "Jack- Todd" I pull away as my head swells, "That isn't what I asked!" She huffs, "Jack, I have to tell you something." She takes a deep breath, "You're not my son." I shake my head, "But I am your son! You and Todd are my parents!" I point at her, "You told me yourself!" She grabs my arms, "Jack, there is no Todd." She starts to cry, "Child, I gave you that name." Huh?

Amongst the rubble of Houston, a brown blob gets close, "Are you ok, child?" She takes me by the hand amongst all the gunfire and noise, "Come on Jack Delora." With a shake of my head, my head tightens further as I violently escape Mama's grip. I grab myself as she comes closer, "Get away from me!" "Jack!" I twirl and shake my clenched fists down, "You lied to me!?" She sobs, "Jack-" I scream at her, "That's not my name!" I grab my head and grip my hair, "Who am I?! Who are my parents!? Did Jon know about this!?" She tuts, "Who else knew!?" She sobs, "Child-" She grabs my face in her palms as I cry, "You were a lifeless husk of a boy when I found you! I HAD to fix you." I shake my head, pull away and scream, "I didn't need fixing!" I grab at myself and my fingernails dig into me, "Of all the things I felt and endured, ever since around 15, Houston to even now, they're nothing compared to what you did to me!" She breaks down crying as I march away, El tuts. I march down the steps and a blob stands in front of the door, "Don't make me knock you the fuck out, kid." I slam my fist into the wall and break the drywall. El rushes down towards me, "You broke my damn wall!" I shout, "Fuck your wall!" He yanks me back by the jacket and a heavy hit goes to my head.

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