Our days are numbered in the world of fools
We feel the hunger and follow no one's rules
Everybody wants eternal life and nobody can seem to get it right, oh,
Our days are numbered and you're no fool, nobody's fool


The air was cool and still-no one could be heard as those who were in the bunk hall were asleep. Persephone was one of those people-she had been placed in the smaller hall with the Wild Ones, Odessa and a few other people. She was sleeping in a middle bunk with Andy and Odessa above her, Jinxx below her and Maggie was across the way. Perry had overheard Mags and CC talking about sharing a bunk, but she was happy to hear her sister decline-politely. It was too soon for that and they all needed to focus on their next move.

Persephone had stayed up, even though she had been exhausted, to listen and speak with Andy, Jinxx, Jake, CC and Ashley about what was going on. They knew very little and all were shocked when Persephone recounted what had happened after they had left her home. She told them of her father being pulled from his bed, the entire neighborhood being woken and told to get out in to the streets and they had taken him. She couldn’t hold back her tears as she spoke of Reese and his death-he had run forward to protect her father and they had shot him right there in the street like a dog…dragging his limp body off into the desert. Andy had placed a comforting arm around her shoulders at that and everyone had a small moment of silence for the fallen boy.

Nothing else was known-the Wild Ones and select members of the Legion had broken in to the HQ, but had found no one. It had actually turned in to something of a fire fight, with Guards fighting against the Wild Ones and the Legion of the Black retreating. Andy had almost been killed, but Moira had taken the blow for him and then they had the sad task of bringing her back home. Moira was Odessa’s little sister and the Wild Ones biggest supporter and she had laid in a coma for over a week before finally succumbing to her fate. Perry watched as Odessa cried softly at the telling of her sister’s death and her heart went out to the older girl as Andy tried to comfort her.


“It’s going to be okay Dess-we’re going to avenge her…even if it’s the last thing that I do.” Andy was smoothing down her hair and Perry could only sit and watch as the couple comforted one another. They seemed to have such a connection and it made her smile, but Perry couldn’t help but miss Reese in a time like this.

“I-I know. It’s just foolish to think that all of us will live forever, but I want so badly to see a F.E.A.R free land.” She was smiling and Persephone only nodded her head in agreement. She wanted the same thing and now sitting around with the Wild Ones, she felt like that could actually happen.


After that they had all gone their separate ways-they were children of the night since they couldn’t be out during the day time as it was too dangerous. So Persephone followed after Andy and Jinxx back up topside, as they called it, and smiled as she watched the kids play. Odette was running around after a few other girls her age and the small boy Sean was sitting around laughing with the brown haired boy who had opened the trap door for them. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, but there was an air of foreboding-there was something coming and they all could feel it.

Persephone sat off by herself for a while, watching over everyone as they spoke quietly and observed the children. As the sun began to peak out over the horizon, Andy called out to everyone that it was time to head in. Perry was one of the last people who went below and as she walked towards the General Store she looked over her shoulder and saw that the fire and smoldering ashes that had once been Moira Montgomery had finally gone out.

She had, in fact, faded in to the night…

Now they were all tucked into their beds, sleeping soundly-well, everyone except for Persephone. It had been hard for her to fall asleep because she had so many thoughts running through her brain, but now that she was asleep she found that her thoughts were terrifying. She was running down a long hallway, her skin covered in black grease-like paint and her skirt was flapping around her legs wildly. The hallway was dimly lit and she could hear the cries coming from cells that lined either side. She was looking for something-someone-and as she tossed and turned in bed, Persephone couldn’t help but cry out. Who had she lost? Who had left her this time? Every face she saw as she passed cried out to her and yet Perry could do nothing as she ran down.

Her feet slipped on the floor and as she went down, Persephone could have sworn that she finally recognized someone behind the bars. It was a girl, about her age with curly brown hair and wide brown eyes. That nose…those lips…she looked so familiar. Perry reached out to grab ahold of the bars to get some leverage and as she did so she noticed that the girl had moved right in front of her and they were now staring at one another. She knew this girl-she had only seen her briefly for a few minutes and even then her face had held a look off sheer terror. Those eyes…she had fallen asleep to eyes like those for three months and she missed those eyes every day of her life.

Meg Frazer was alive.


“Perry! Perry they…they’ve taken everyone! What’s going on?” Meg asked her and Persephone didn’t know what to say in that moment. She knew she was dreaming, but how to get out of this wild and crazy place?

“I know, listen, I’m with the Wild Ones and they’re planning another raid. I’ll find you Meg-I swear!” Persephone yelled out and she knew she was thrashing around because she could feel her legs getting tangled in the blankets.

“Don’t worry about me…just take care of Reese!” Meg called out to her and Perry cried out loudly as she felt herself being shaken awake. Those words would haunt her…they would always haunt her for the rest of her life.

Take care of Reese…it seemed so simple.

“Persephone! Perry! Wake up!” Someone was shaking her and as she thrashed around Persephone could feel her arms being held against her body. It was just a dream, she kept telling herself that but the tears rolling down her cheeks were making her feel terrible all the same.


Finally Persephone opened her eyes and noticed that someone had lit a few of the candles that lined the walls. People were standing over her, circling her in a protective ring and for that she felt grateful. Andy was there, Dess at his side and Jinxx was kneeling in front of her-he had been the one who had held her down and kept her from hurting herself. Maggie was also standing down by her feet, CC beside her with an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Perry sat up, slowly, and wiped her eyes as she tried to get them adjusted to the light in the room.

It had been so real-her knees even hurt slightly from slipping in her dream. Suddenly Perry threw back her sheets and looked down at her knees, a gasp escaping her lips. They were beginning to bruise, the black and blue splotches dotting her slightly tanned skin.


“Persephone what happened?” Maggie was now sitting on her bed, a hand resting just below her right knee as her sister observed her injuries. How was she supposed to explain this? They would think she was crazy-she even thought she was crazy at this point.

“Y-you dream jumped…” Someone said from near her head and Persephone looked up and her blue eyes locked with Andy’s identical ones. She had what?

“Wha-what does that mean? Persephone what does that mean?” Maggie was asking her, her tone scared and all Perry could do was shrug her shoulders. Everyone was looking at Andy now and he only smiled softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It means that Persephone has a gift. What you saw Perry wasn’t really a dream-you were dream jumping…something that I’ve only heard of, but never experienced myself.” Andy explained and Persephone said nothing as she just looked down at her bruised and battered knees.

“Where were you Perry? What did you see?” Jake asked from behind her and Persephone looked around at everyone who was standing before her. They were all looking at her-they were all looking for answers and Perry didn’t really know what to tell them.

“I-I saw a long hallway and…and it was lined with cages filled with people. I-um-I slipped on something and when I fell I looked to my left and finally was able to recognize one of the people. It-it was Meg Frazer Mags…I’m sure of it. Meg Frazer is alive.” Persephone was crying again and soon enough Odessa was holding out a handkerchief for her to blow her nose. Maggie looked frightened and so did Dess, but Perry couldn’t help but notice that Andy looked slightly excited.

“Persephone, I’m not positive, but I think you dream jumped right in to the dungeons of F.E.A.R.” Andy said and everyone gasped. Had anyone seen her? Had she seen anyone else they had been looking for? Would she remember?


Persephone closed her eyes tightly and tried to focus. The images, the faces, they all began to blur together, but she could make out a few faces here and there. What was going on? She had never done something like this before-nothing like this had ever happened to her before and Persephone wasn’t sure what to think about it. Quickly Andy helped her up, but her knees were so badly bruised that she was having a hard time walking. That’s when she was passed to Ashley, who held her to his broad chest tightly and she was then carried off in to their headquarters. There, along one entire wall, was something that Perry hadn’t noticed the last time she had been in here.

The whole wall was lined with pictures-family pictures and portraits-of the people who apparently were still missing. There were holes-either for people who had been rescued or for people who had been confirmed as dead and as Ashley held her close enough so that she could see, Persephone looked at all of the faces. Some pictures had obviously been taken before F.E.A.R took control, as the people in them were smiling, but most were the typical identification photos that were taken of them every year. Guards would come to every home, usually right around the New Year, and take photos of everyone to keep on file. This was a way of tracking who was still alive in towns, who had moved and who had run away.As Perry looked over every photo, she began to pick out familiar faces.


“There’s Meg! She’s still alive!” Perry called out and quickly Andy moved to place a green tack in the upper left corner of Meg’s photo. Persephone realized-she hadn’t seen anyone else from the Frazer family and she could only imagine what had happened to them all.

“Anyone else Perry?” Jinxx asked and they all stood quietly as she looked. A large group had gathered around them and Persephone didn’t know if she would be able to concentrate with so many people looking at her right now.

“Her-she’s injured, but she seemed like she was holding on.” Persephone finally recognized someone-an older woman with bright blue eyes and blonde wavy hair. Her photo was older, before F.E.A.R and Persephone knew by the cries that sounded out from the back of the room that she had just identified someone’s mother.

“Good. Good. Anyone else? Take your time Perry.” Andy encouraged her gently as he placed a green tack in the left corner of the photo and then laid a hand on her shoulder.

“It-it’s so hard…I was running and everything was such a blur.” She said, sadness in her voice and Persephone felt ashamed. She couldn’t help everyone-she couldn’t give hope to everyone and she knew that it was unfair to even try.

“Just try Perry…just focus the best that you can.” It was Maggie speaking to her now and as Persephone opened her eyes-she had closed them to stem off the tears-she noticed that some people were retreating. They were being sent off-told that they could check the wall tomorrow.

“We’re right here with you Persephone…none of us are leaving you.” Someone spoke out to her again, CC maybe? Persephone only smiled as she looked over the photos again and felt sad when she saw that Moira’s was up there, a tiny black pin in the left hand corner of her photo.


There were other’s with black pins, but none seemed as sad as Moira’s…none were as young.

Persephone worked as long as she could and the guys stayed right by her side. Soon Ashley got tired from holding her, so CC took his place. At around hour four she felt like she could stand on her own and so with green pins in her hand, Perry went to work. The guys never left her though, they stayed with her and kept her company-CC made her laugh and Ashley flirted mercilessly with her. Andy just stayed silent though, sitting at the long table with Odessa’s head resting in his lap. After seven hours Perry was finally able to identify as many people as she could-twenty. She knew that while she was exhausted and would probably sleep for a long time after this that people would wake in a few hours and be happy because their foolish hopes had been met.

Some people were surviving F.E.A.R and there was hope for them after all.

Notes