Cinders In The Rain

Cinders In The Rain

“Hell, I’m starting to get tired of all this pink around here.”

“How come? I think it’s an alright color.”

“You would think so, Desmond. You ain’t got a negative bone in your body, boy, you’re blessed.”

Desmond pouted at that, crossing his arms and kicking his legs back and forth from atop the box he sat on. Just before he could open his mouth, he heard a familiar chuckle off to the side, signaling Head’s return to their temporary ‘base’.

“Come now, Demon, leave Desmond alone.” She waltzed over, taking her hat off and placing it atop his white head of hair once more, smiling down at the boy with bright orange eyes. “He’s still a kid. Ain’t been with us for two whole years at this point, he’s not gonna just adopt your outlook.”

The older man rolled his eyes, his own hat sitting on the table next to him. His long black hair hung over one shoulder as he wrung it dry into the ground below them. The rain outside had lightened considerably since they had decided to rest for the night, but it had thoroughly soaked through them all before it had come to that. 

Desmond, now standing taller than when he first joined, was dressed similarly to Demon; Tall boots, a button-up shirt and a long jacket that dragged against the ground behind him since it was a tad too big. He was certain he’d grow into it, so they’d neglected to get him a new one.

The group had taken to the young boy joining their ranks almost immediately. Even Demon’s icy cold demeanor had seemed to warm up to him, though slowly of course. 

“Now I ain’t sayin’ he needs to do all that, Head.” Demon said, flicking stray water from his hands as he picked his hat back up and fit it over his head. “Just that the boys’ a lil ray of sunshine ‘round here. Whole lotta positivity in ‘im.”

“Yeah! I’m a ray of sunshine!” Desmond puffed out his chest, both hands on his hips. The display was enough to draw another chuckle out of Head who, shaking her head, waltzed over to the other side of the table Demon sat at and dropped into a chair.

“We’ll get you a title one of these days, Desmond. You’re already a member of our family, you deserve one.” Head threw one leg over the other before leaning over the table, looking to Demon. “The others haven’t come back yet?”

“Bot and Doc are held up in the back room.” He jutted a thumb over his shoulder, toward a door leading further into the abandoned home they called their base for the night. “Crow and Scholar are still out, but I did get one of Crow’s birds a bit ago. Says he’s held up cuz of the rain.”

“Oh, yeah, his body reeeeally can’t hold water well.” Desmond piped up. From inside his own coat, he produced a pistol; His first handcrafted gun. It was a bit shoddy, clearly of his first few attempts, but he pulled out a set of tools and started working on it, undoing and replacing pieces that he currently had in his kit. “I dumped water on him once as a prank and he was soaked for the rest of the day. He chewed me out for it.”

Demon cracked a smile, though a look from Head had it fading into nothing sooner rather than later.

“Yeah, and you deserved it, ya little jester.” He shook his head again, stray water flinging from the brim of his hat. “I haven’t heard back from Scholar yet, but you know how she is. Probably found a library or something and lost track of time.”

“Oh, hell, it’s been hours, though. D’you think she’s alright?” Desmond asked, looking up from his gun. Instantly, Head turned to him and he shrunk under her gaze.

“Watch your mouth, boy, you know we don’t like you cursing!” She objected. Desmond shied away, his hands still over his kit before his shoulders slumped.

“Sorry, Head.” His words were mumbled, though it was clear to all of them that he wasn’t really sorry he’d said it. Just sorry that he’d said it aloud. “But she’s been gone really long! She said she was gonna help me fix The Lady before bed.”

“The Lady?” Head asked, head tilted. The anger in her voice from but a moment ago was practically untraceable as she leaned onto the table once more in interest. “S’that what you call your little toy there?”

“She’s not a toy! The Lady is a lean, mean, shootin’ machine!” He brandished the gun, not unlike how Head taught him, but with much more bravado. He then set it back in his tin and continued to pick at it. “But she’s broken right now. Scholar was gonna help me fix it, but she’s not back yet.”

“Ah, hell, Des, you may have to wait until tomor-” Head started, but the sound of thudding hooves drew all of their attention to the door which, a fraction of a second later, was thrown open and banged against the inside wall. 

Standing in the open doorway was Scholar, her clothing drenched with droplets of water dripping from her horns, and her glasses tilted on her nose. Behind her, out in the rain, her horse trampled the ground nervously, just barely held steady by Scholar’s hand on the reins. The rain continued to beat at the ground and the pink-leaved trees outside, heavier than before.

“Scholar! You’re back. How’d the-” Head began again, but Scholar cut her off by rushing in and grabbing the woman by the arms. Looking at her closer, Head could tell the woman was crying.

“Head! Head, you-you gotta help!” Her words were a mess, trying to get out, but trying to explain all at once when she didn’t have the energy to do it. “Th-there’s...ash, s-so much ash a-and I...!”

Demon stood from his seat and walked briskly over, a hand on Scholar’s shoulder that seemed to steady her, at least briefly. 

“Calm down, Scholar, you aren’t making sense. Take a deep breath, after me.” He breathed in deeply and Scholar, thoroughly stressed it seemed, attempted to follow. After a few rounds, she seemed to calm down, standing a bit straighter and breathing a bit easier. “Better? Now tell us what happened. Slowly, girl.”

She nodded, floundering with her hands for a moment. And then, finally, she pointed back out into the rain.

“Fire. Th-there was a fire, a-an orphanage just on the edge of the city limits.” Eyes widened at her words and Desmond jumped down from the box he sat on. “It went up so fast, I-I was at the library across the street, and I h-heard screaming. I-I couldn’t do anything, s-so I came back as quick as I could. Head, Head, we gotta help those kids!”

The woman looked down at Desmond who was already nodding and, a moment later, rushed through the door leading into the back. Head turned back to Scholar and nodded at her, leading her toward the chair she had inhabited mere moments ago.

“We’ll help them, Scholar. But you need rest. You’ve been out in that rain, you’re gonna get yourself sick.” At her words, Desmond came back, followed by Doctor and Bot. Doctor immediately knelt by Scholar’s side, whereas Bot walked up to Demon and the two shared a quiet conversation. Head, meanwhile, knelt next to Desmond. “You’ll want to come with us, won’t you?”

“Absolutely!” He said, determination etched onto his face. “You guys helped me, so I’m gonna help those kids, too!”

Head smiled and adjusted the large hat on his head before nodding and standing back up.

“I knew you’d say that. Demon, Bot, you’re with me. Desmond, you’re on my horse, Doctor, I need you to stay here with Scholar. And Scholar-” She turned to look at the woman and all eyes followed. “I need directions.”

Moments later, the sound of three horses hooves pounding into the night was almost enough to match the thundering rain overhead. Head, her hat protecting her from the chilling rain, had Desmond pressed against her, shielding him from the rain with her body as they pressed onward, pushing their horses as fast as they dared.

It didn’t take long for them to encounter the smell of smoke and ash in the air, traveling alongside the wind like a blade hidden in a sleeve. Another few minutes of travel and the tall pillar of flame made itself known to them.

The building currently burning down had probably been close to a few stories tall, though now the fire was busy turning it into a shadow of its former self. It raged into the night, the heavy rain sizzling where the two met, yet failing to quell it’s undeniable hunger. As soon as they were close, the horses reared and the four members of The Band were forced to dismount. Bot took control of all four, whereas Head, Demon, and Desmond all rushed toward the burning building.

In the wet grass before them was a small group of kids of assorted ages, all covered in ash, grime, and scars of all kinds. Desmond slid to the kids instantly, taking charge and making sure everyone was okay while Head and Demon stalked closer to the looming fire. It raged into the night, burning bright and the two stopped a dozen or so feet away before stopping.

“What do we do, Head?” Demon asked, his voice low as to keep it from the kids. “There’s no way that’s all the kids from this orphanage. There’s gotta be more in there.”

“What are we supposed to do, Demon? You might be fireproof, but I ain’t and Desmond sure as hell isn’t. If there are any kids in there, how are we gonna get them out?”

“Girl, I ain’t ever heard you hesitate this hard before. Take my coat, I’m divin’ in there.”

“Keep your damn coat on, you ain’t!”

Head and Demon began to bicker, the rain drowning them out as Desmond stood up from the group of kids. With confident steps, he began to move toward the burning building. With each step, he grew a little bit more confident. With each step, he picked up a little bit more speed. Words rang in his head as he continued forward, the rain beating down the long coat he wore as it swished through the air behind him.

“Dammit, Demon, you aren’t immune to fire!”

“And you ain’t resistant at all, so take the damn coat, Head!”

“Outta the way, there’s still kids in there!” Desmond called and, as he watched Head and Demon’s heads swivel toward him, he crossed his arms in front of him and jumped through the fire. Heat washed over him, but he didn’t dare open his eyes until he felt himself hit the wet ground. Coughs racked his body as Desmond sat up, finding himself sitting just in front of the vacant door of the once grand orphanage. 

He stood up quickly, stepping on the hem of his coat a little before righting himself and then dashing into the building. He thought back to what the girl said; A young girl, just a bit taller than him, with skin as dark as his own and bright red hair. 

‘Sh-she was still in the first-floor bathroom when the pillar fell! She pushed me out of the window and I haven’t seen her since! Please, you have to help her!’

“Dammit, what the hells the layout of this place?” Desmond cursed as he turned into a room and, upon finding it vacant, dipped out and across the hall. The next room turned out to be just as empty as the first, and he kept on his journey.

Breathing was a chore enough as it is, but by the time he dipped into the seventh empty room, he was beginning to find it harder and harder to do. An arm pressed over his nose, still dripping with the rain from outside, he stormed into another room, knocking something to the floor as he coughed, stumbling into the room. It certainly looked like a bathroom, but with the smoke continuing to build in the room, he couldn’t be too sure. He coughed once more before looking around, his wet hair dangling.

“Hey! Is anyone in here?!” He exclaimed. When he was met with silence, he cursed, leaning into the wall to try and remember what the girl had told him. “Y-Your name, it’s...it’s Delilah, right?! Your friend asked me to come get you!” 

Desmond stood in silence for just a bit longer, trying his damndest to breathe into his wet sleeve. Once he was certain he heard nothing, he cursed and began to turn to leave the room. 

“W-wait!” A young girls’ voice called out and Desmond turned on his heel, spotting a small girl with a head of blackish, blueish hair falling unceremoniously out of one of the stalls. She had her hands covering her mouth and her clothes were burned, tattered, and singed in some places. Her large pink eyes were wide with fear and disbelief at the sight of him. She coughed once before stumbling toward him, a hand against the wall to steady herself.

“Y-you...did B-Bella send you?” She asked, her voice low. Desmond tried his hand at his best reassuring smile, though he wasn’t sure just how convincing it was.

“Dark skinned girl, little taller than me with dark red hair?” He asked and when Delilah nodded, he smirked. “That’s the one. She asked me to come save you after you saved her. Let’s get outta here, alright?”

When Delilah inched closer, a loud crack sounded through the room. Desmond looked up, just quick enough to see flames burning through the supports in the ceiling, breaking and crumbling down toward them. With nary a thought to his actions, he dove forward, tackling Delilah to the ground as the ceiling came falling down on where they once stood. He wrapped the smaller girl in his arms as he rolled, holding his wet sleeve over her nose as smoke rushed through the room.

Desmond’s body was racked with coughing for a moment until he got a handle on it. When he looked back, the entrance to the room was blocked by smouldering rubble, heat from the flames washing over them. The girl in his arms seemed to shrink further into him, away from the flames, as he backed up, pulling her along with him.

“Dammit, things would go wrong now.” He mumbled to himself as his eyes scanned over the bathroom. “Where’s that window you pushed Bella out of, huh?”

Delilah, her arms quaking with fear, pointed towards the back corner of the room. Desmond stood and gripped her by her shoulders. 

“You’re good to walk, right?” Once she nodded, he smiled and pulled his coat off his shoulders, instead wrapping it around hers and rolling the sleeves up her arms until he could see her little hands. “Keep that on. The wet sleeves will make it easier to breathe if you hold them against your nose. Stick close to me at all times, alright?”

She nodded slowly and then, as if realization dawned on her, she shook her head voraciously.

“B-But what about you? Th-this is your coat...” She objected. Desmond smiled and knelt down next to her, though she wasn’t that much shorter than him.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m here to get you out, got it?” He stood again, rolling his sleeves up his arms, revealing age-old scars that continued up into his shirt. “Follow me. We’re gonna try to get out the way Bella got out.”

Delilah gripped his shirt with white knuckles and he proceeded to lead her through the bathroom, keeping close to the outside wall away from the worst of the fire. Smoke invaded his senses, though he pretended it didn’t bother him as he pulled her away from another crumbling section of ceiling, which collapsed into a burning pile blocking their way soon after. Desmond cursed under his breath as he pulled the girl around and instead scaled an already collapsed section of wall that, thankfully, wasn’t on fire. The window was in sight across the room, but more wreckage was piled up in their way. With gritted teeth, Desmond simply watched for a moment before he smiled and knelt down once more.

“Alright, Delilah, listen up.” The pink-eyed girl nodded, her arm held over her nose. “I have a plan, but I need you to trust me, okay?”

“Dammit, dammit, dammit!” Head exclaimed, hands behind her back as she paced back and forth. Off to the side, Demon stood with his arms crossed.

“Calm down, Head. You pace any harder than that, you’re gonna walk grooves into the damn ground.”

Head turned to him, her eyes squinted and her brow furrowed.

“Calm down? You want me to calm down?!” She yelled, jutting a hand back toward the burning orphanage. “After my boy just jumped into that death trap, you think I can calm down?!”

Demon sighed, shaking his head. The rain around them pounded the ground and irregular intervals, but the heat of the fire was enough to stave the cold away. 

“Your boy is stronger than you think. You can’t defend him forever, especially since we’re puttin’ guns in his hands and teachin’ em to shoot.” He shrugged. “He’s barely a boy anymore. Desmond’s growin’ up to be a man, soon, and things like this’ll put hair on his chest.” 

“A man? He’s eight years old, dammit!” Head stalked toward him, her hair raising on ends. “I’m not going to just sit by while he⸺”

A loud crash cut their argument short as the remains of the burning orphanage seemed to tilt on one side and collapse under its own weight. At the same time, another, quieter, crash sounded around the side of the building, which made both Head and Demon, their argument forgotten, jumped up to run around toward the sound. When they rounded the left side of the burning building, they were met with the sight of Desmond on the ground, curled up into a ball, with a small girl wrapped in his arms. Through the flames outside the building, they could see a window that had been crashed through, burning timber and rubble on the ground around it. 

“Argh, fuck...see, Delilah?” The white-haired boy groaned as he sat up, pulling the girl with him as he did. “A little trust goes a long way.”

The young girl in his arms looked around slowly and then, realizing the rain falling around her, she smiled, her eyes watering. She threw her arms around Desmond’s neck, crying, as the boy stood up, carrying her with him.

“Desmond, did you...?” Head muttered as she approached. In response, Desmond looked up at her and flashed a brilliant smile.

“Did I run into a burning building to save a girl I didn’t know?” He asked sarcastically. At Head’s befuddled look, he grinned wolfishly and nodded. “Damn right I did!”

Demon laughed dryly from behind them, shaking his head. He glanced at Head for just a moment before kneeling down in front of Desmond.

“Hell, Desmond. You’re a proper man, doin’ something like that.” He smirked, looking back up at Head. She cleared her throat, seemingly washing away some form of emotion before she nodded.

“Quite the man indeed, Des. Come on,” She took the boy by the shoulders, steering him and Delilah⸺who was quietly whispering ‘thank you’s into Desmond’s neck⸺away from the orphanage. “Let’s get you two somewhere dry.”

Desmond grinned, readjusting his grip on Delilah before letting Head lead him away. He was covered in soot, grime, and ash. His clothes were torn in some places and the rain was steadily beating down on him from above. Despite that, the smile on his face was wide and the look in his eyes was pleased.

“Yeah! I’m the man!” He cheered as they approached the group of kids. Then, with a gasp, he looked up at Head and Demon. “Can that be my title? The Man?”

The two adults shared a look for a moment before Demon shrugged and Head sighed, shaking her head. She looked down at Desmond and nodded, smiling.

“Sure, Des. You wanna be The Man? You’re The Man now.” She ruffled his hair with a free hand, then took her hat off and dropped it on his head. “Welcome to The Band officially, Man. We’re happy to have you.”

Another cheer echoed through the air as Desmond grinned, dancing back and forth.

“Alright!” As they neared the group of kids, though, Desmond’s smile faded. “...What do we do about them, though?”

Head looked over the kids, watching as Desmond let Delilah down and another girl with bright red hair ran over to envelope her in a hug. Demon pursed his lips and crossed his arms.

“There ain’t much to do, Man.” He droned, turning away from them to return to Bot and the horses. “We take them into the city. We have to drop them someplace else. We can’t take all of them with us.”

Desmond watched, mouth agape, as Demon walked away and then turned back to Head, his brow furrowed.

“We can’t just leave them! Head, c’mon!” He complained. When Head shook her head in response, though, he fell silent.

“Demon’s right, Des. We can’t keep them. We’ll find somewhere they can be safe in the city, but they ain’t our responsibility.” Head knelt down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We ain’t abandoning them. We’ll do what we can, but these ain’t our kids.”

Desmond stared at her with what could’ve been anger if it wasn’t clear that he was hurt by her words. He floundered, trying to find something to say or some way to object but when the words evaded him, he sighed and crossed his arms. Before he spoke, though, someone clearing their throat from the side pulled their attention.

Standing a couple feet away was Delilah, still wearing Desmond’s oversized coat, and Bella, the red-haired girl who had asked for Desmond’s help. The taller girl grunted, her hands on Delilah’s shoulders.

“I heard what you said.” Her voice was rough, but quiet. Maybe it was the rain, but it sounded like she didn’t speak often. “I...w-we...um,”

“W-we want to come with you!” Delilah objected. She seemed to shy away at her own outburst as she wrung her hands together. “J-Just...not another orphanage.”

Desmond looked between the two of them, then to Head and his smile slowly came back.

“Head?” He asked tentatively. “I’ll look after them and everything, promise!”

The older woman chuckled, shaking her head as she stood up again.

“You’re still a kid yourself, you know. I can’t just let you watch them.” She told the boy. Desmond puffed his chest out, hands on his hips.

“I’m not a kid anymore! I’m The Man now!” He grinned and then turned to Delilah and Bella, smiling. “And don’t you two worry! You can run with us for as long as you want! We’re all family here!”

Demon strode up atop his dark red horse, followed closely after by Bot atop his own. The tall gentleman sighed, shaking his head.

“Man, don’t you just accept people in willy nilly.” And then he extended a hand to Bella. “Come on, girlie. Get on up here.” And then, almost as if it were an afterthought, he added; “You’re one of us, now.”

Bella, with wide eyes, took his hand and Demon pulled her up onto the horse, seating her right in front of him. Bot followed suit, pulling Delilah up onto his horse and Desmond followed Head onto hers. Once the three horses were lined up, Desmond smiled at the younger kids and gave them a thumbs up.

“Welcome to the Band, you two!” He whispered. Bella giggled, smiling nervously, whilst Delilah smiled and wrapped herself in the coat given to her. Desmond looked up at Head and pointed forward. “Let’s get the rest into the city, and then we can head home!”

Head chuckled, shaking her had and looking over at her two companions. Bot tilted his head, whereas Demon did his best to remain as stoic as always. She nudged Desmond with her arm and then reared her horse into action.

“You got it, Man.”