abstractborders | A Quiet Place Meme

Ganglier--lithe is the word you're looking for, asshole.

Loki can't help but look amused at the way his brother looks in the shirt, shrugging at the raised brow. Sorry, Thor. It's not his fault you wear clothing fit for an elephant.

His gaze follows Thor as the other moves out of the room before Loki moves to follow him just as silently, curious to see what his brother was after. The map immediately draws his attention and he's kneeling down beside the other man to look it over as it's smoothed out, immediately pointing to where they were--Current.

Thankfully he knew the area well enough to be able to find it without having to search much. Now, their parent's house..

Loki frowned and started to trace a path only to pause and lift the hand to sign. Going to take several weeks.

Thor meant every thought he had. Gangly.

He pushes the shirt sleeves up to choke his forearms but also so he could have an easier extension of his arms. He nods when Loki points out where they are and his eyes follow as his brother draws a pathway along the map. He might have been frowning by the time Loki pulls his hand back to sign how long he predicted it would take.

Thor nods in agreement. It was going to take far longer than what people normally walked in this day and age. It would mean a lot of time out in the open if they couldn't find shelter. Supplies would be thin.

Will need path changes. For supplies.

With two of them it may end up taking longer.

Asshole.

May need to alter path for shelter. Though it may be quieter to sleep outdoors in some cases.

The house they were currently in had been carefully set up so that it would make as little noise as possible. Loki had taken all the care that he could to figure out what floor boards creaked, which stairs squeaked, made sure to prop doors up well enough that no breeze would force them closed. It had taken some time to get everything just right but he'd managed it.

While on the road they wouldn't have that luxury.

Loki frowned thoughtfully as his eyes roamed the map before he spotted something and pointed to it. Railways.

Could follow the railroad. Guaranteed towns that way.

Loki had done well with getting the house in safe order. Thor knew it would be difficult to leave it behind. But Loki's skill in silencing areas would be valuable in setting up shelters along the way. Especially if they needed to stop for an extended period for any reason. They could leave this home marked as a safe place as well for anyone else that might need shelter.

And stops.

Thor was nodding. This was a good option. They could stay on the grass to avoid kicking up the stones and have something solid to follow. They wouldn't need to stop and refer to the map as often either.

This. He nods again, agreeing and finalizing the plan. It might add a bit of time but it would be over all safer in the long run.

Loki was relieved that Thor agreed, a part of him expecting the other to disagree just because. (Residual tension from their childhood, even their teen years. They always tried to best one another as they grew.) He nods, giving his brother a faint smile.

We have our plan. We can pack supplies and set out within the next couple of days. Want to leave the house for others.

His train of thought was the same as Thor's apparently. There was no reason not to let someone else make use of it. It was a shame that young mother and her child weren't still in the area somewhere because Loki would set them up with a safe house.

Rocking back on his heels, Loki sighs silently, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck for a moment.

This is dangerous. Traveling. Lots of potential noise.

He can't help but worry.

Now wasn't the time for sibling rivalries. Perhaps when they found a nice, soundproof area they could truly get back to how they were. But right now they needed to rely on one another to stay safe. The railroad was the best way to get where they needed to go. It was a good plan.

A nod of agreement, as it seemed Loki was reading his mind. Yes, the house could find good use made of it by travelers. Leaving supplies behind was inevitable but it would help whoever came up on it next.

Did it to get here. You shelter, me outside.

See, they each had their strengths. Together they would make it.

Honestly if they could just avoid the rivalries all together Loki won't object. He's just so use to that being the way things are between them he's not use to anything else. Then again, it has been some time since they were around one another hasn't it?

Loki gives Thor a thoughtful look. He did have a point. He had made it here and the combination of their skills would make it easy for them to get by...

Together. He signed it and nodded, still worried, still a bit on edge about the entire thing but it was probably safer that he was. Less room for error that way. Should eat then rest. You traveled far.

Thor hadn't really thought about how little he'd eaten. The sandwich, which had been devoured rather quickly, did little to satisfy. He could tolerate it well enough for now though. He knew that supplies should be held until they could actually start moving.

Rest.

Rest was more needed than anything else. Now that he was still and in a place that was safe Thor felt the building exhaustion. He pinches the bridge of his nose, squinting his eyes together before looking at Loki.

So where was a good spot?

Loki is much slower to finish off his sandwich, paying more attention to his brother and noting just how famished the other clearly was. He frowned slightly and had half a mind to try and get him to finish the rest of Loki's as well but he was already asking about rest.

Taking another bite of his sandwich, he motioned for his brother to follow and quietly moved through the house back towards the room he had turned into his main living area. One particular corner of the room had a mattress with several quilts piled on it and some pillows.

Rest there. Won't make noise. Floorboards solid.

Thor could eat more later he would argue. He was used to rationing at this point. It wouldn't be fair to consume all of the food. Loki would die much faster in a food shortage situation. Just look at him. He was probably 100 pounds soaking wet. It would be at least be a quick death with so little reserves to pull from.

Of course, Thor soon saw, Loki still enjoyed his bed nests. He smiles to himself, bumping his shoulder against his brother. Fond memories of their father refusing to turn up the heat in the winter. Well, fond for Thor at least.

Your bed. Where sleep you?

He was going to need to practice, definitely.

Swaying slightly with the bump, Loki glanced up at his brother with an arched brow, unaware of what was going through his head.

I got a late start. I don't need to sleep yet.

Plus he had plenty of spare blankets and could just as easily set himself up with another bed elsewhere in the room. He wasn't all that concerned about it. What he was concerned about was his brother. His hands free now that his sandwich was completely gone, Loki reached out to touch his upper arm.

Please rest.

Thor nods. He felt like he hadn't slept properly in so long that he knew the following day he may end up sleeping in himself. But he had no desire to rob Loki of his bed.

Big for both

He reaches to gently ruffle Loki's hair but it ended up more of a scritch at the back of his brother's head than a real ruffle. The hair was too long to put it into too much disarray safely now. On top of that, he was exhausted.

He moves to the bed, shifting the nest around until he made a good pocket for himself. He strips the shirt off because there was just no way he would sleep comfortably in it before flopping down onto the mattress. This felt far better than grassy patches.

Well he did have a point.

Loki nearly scoffs, catching himself before he can let the sound out, as Thor ruffles his hair. He ducks his head and reaches up to smooth his hair out even if no real damage had been done at all, watching the other get settled--and of course strip himself down a bit of course--before he slowly rises.

I'll be back.

He slips out of the room to go clean things up in the kitchen, not wanting to attract any animals that may make noise and draw unwanted attention, before making his way back once he's sure everything is secure. The jacket he'd been wearing is shed and he rests it gently on one of the chairs in the room, leaving him in an over-sized sweater as he makes his way back over to the bed to get settled.

Look at him, Loki. One wrong turn in bed and he'd probably split the shirt right up the arms. Just accept it.

Thor felt the exhaustion creep up on him rapidly now that he was laying down. He was in a doze when Loki returned, startling awake in a shot of adrenaline at the sudden presence of a warm form next to him. His head snaps around, almost shooting out off the mattress before his mind caught up and he realized it was Loki.

He breathes a sigh of relief through his nose, the adrenaline fading quickly to make room for that exhaustion again. Thor rolled to his side, his hand resting on Loki's chest, over his brother's heart. There was no thought behind it except wanting to feel that there was a living, breathing person beside him and to know it was his brother.

Loki freezes as Thor startles, holding his hands up quickly in a calming gesture, prepared just in case the other lashes out on instinct. (And really he should have been more careful and should have alerted Thor that he was coming back over somehow.)

Thankfully his brother relaxes and Loki sinks down to settle on the bed, not all that surprised that Thor rolls over like he does. Nor is he all that surprised by the hand that comes to rest over his heart. In fact, he welcomes it, lifting one of his own to rest it over Thor's and grip his brother's hand just the slightest. It felt like ages since he'd shared space with another living being and while he was normally a much more closed off person, not overly tactile...right now he welcomed it. Needed it to remind himself that he wasn't alone anymore.

Sleep came easier than it had in sometime that night, Loki drifting off still gripping Thor's hand, breathing softly as the night passed without incident.

This time.

It was a good thing nothing exciting happened that night or a few days. Thor appreciated the opportunities to rest, always ending up in the same spot with his hand over Loki's chest to feel his brother's heartbeat and breathing as he fell asleep. It made rest far easier to achieve, knowing that his brother was alive and well.

He felt comfortable enough to venture on his own in the small town. It was eerie, how silent the little suburb was. Thor had been in suburbs, in cities before the fall. The noise and bustle of the world had seemed so natural after living it for so long. Now it was just empty.

The sound of birds over his head caught his attention. One of the few nature sounds that were left really. He smiles slightly, eyes following them before they notice a movement out of the corner of his eye. A shape on a roof. His expression fell and he starts to back up slowly.

The creature was moving across the rooves, face plates lifting and moving as it listened to every sound on the wind, its head raised as it followed the sounds of the birds.

Loki had been out and about as well, securing supplies that they'd need while they were traveling and even going as far as to seek out some of the others that he knew were in the area to give them some of the perishable goods that he had. Some he and his brother would take on the road but the others? There was no reason to let them go to waste.

He was on his way back from trading with an older woman that had been in the area as long as he had when he spots the creature first then his brother. Almost immediately he goes still and slowly sinks into a crouch, fingertips brushing the ground as he tries not to let himself panic.

This wasn't the first time he'd encountered one of them. Hopefully it wasn't Thor's first time either.

The hand not touching the ground is held against his chest as he stares across the stretch of street at Thor, willing him to meet his gaze so he can sign at him.

Don't move. Stay there.

Thor had gone still. His brow had furrowed hard and his hands were in tight fists. His head turned slowly, slightly to look towards the small movement at the corner of his eye. It was Loki. He makes a barely perceptible nod to acknowledge he saw the sign.

He startles at the sound of the creature slipping on the tile as it makes a leap to the next house, closer to where they were on the street. It clicks in irritation, searching the air for the sound of the birds again.

A clicking sound from the side draws Thor's attention and he sees it. A second creature, lurking from between the houses behind Loki. His lips part, looking ready to shout in alarm to Loki but he catches himself.

Behind

A wave of fear goes through Loki at what his brother signs but he manages to keep himself still, moving the hand he had signed with slowly--oh so slowly to pull one of his knives from where it was tucked into a one of the inside pockets of his jacket. His movements were slow and he paused as he listened for the creature behind him, finally getting the knife free.

The fingers he had against the ground curled and a few rocks were carefully picked up as he looked across at his brother again.

'Run' he mouthed before dropping a knee to the ground to steady himself and swinging his arm to throw the rocks, hitting a nearby sign with them and causing an echoing ring to fill the air.

A sound that was quickly echoed by the shrill cries of the creatures.

The twang of stone against metal was a death knell at any other time. It may be their salvation this time though. Thor turns to break into a run, deviating into the grass to silence any sound of his feet on the pavement. He needed to get to the house.

He needed to hope Loki was behind him or at least finding his own way. If he looked back he could miss a step.

The sight of the house and more importantly the sledge was a relief. The sounds of the creatures screaming behind him left his heart pounding in his chest.

His hand closes around the handle of the sledgehammer. He grasps it in both hands before deviating his path back towards the sidewalk. He swings it down hard onto the fire hydrant there. It only took two hard, desperate swings to smash the side off, the sound drawing the monsters towards him but the blast of water would be what met them first.

Thor abandons the hammer where it was, darting away from the new, much louder source of sound to the porch of the home. One firm kick knocked the side of the slats out and he slides himself beneath the porch floor. The space was tight and he felt a nail dig against his shoulder but he could see what was going on from here.

He could look out for Loki.

Being as close to the initial source of the noise as he was Loki couldn't bolt towards his brother and follow him like he wanted to. Instead he had to take off behind some of the houses as the creatures attacked the sign, ducking around one of them before bolting through backyards as swiftly and silently as he could towards his house.

He was almost there when he heard the hard ring of metal against metal and then the sound of rushing water--the screams of the monsters as they were blasted.

Good thinking, Thor.

Loki pressed his back to the side of a house across the street from his safe house, scanning the area quickly for any sign of his brother as the monsters thrashed and attacked the broken hydrant wildly. Thor wasn't visible to him but the fact that the monsters didn't have him was a good sign. A hopeful one that he was more than willing to cling to.

Knife still clutched in his hand, Loki took a breath and steeled himself, securing his bag tighter to his back before he made a break across the street.

Silent. Stay silent. Get to the backyard. Get into the--

A piece of the now destroyed hydrant hits him as one of the creatures flings it wildly and Loki chokes back a sound as pain shoots through his head, blood blurring his vision as thee knife he was holding clatters to the ground. He staggers, barely keeping upright as the world spins around him and one of the creatures turns its head towards him, the plate-like skin on its head shifting as it listens for the new sound it just heard.

Thor had shifted across the expanse of the porch, squeezing out the opposite side to avoid being too close to the creatures. He gets himself out, shifting carefully over the grass to get his line of sight back. He could see Loki now, making the break for the house. Then he saw the piece of metal fly towards his brother.

He has to clamp his hand over his mouth as he sees Loki stagger. Even he could faintly hear the knife hit the ground. Metal against asphalt at that range, even the rushing water--

And it was immediately proven as the creature turns its head towards Loki.

Thor knew he would have once chance, while the water was still loud enough. He puts his fingers into his mouth and a piercing whistle cut through the air. Louder than the water.

He scrambles along the wall of the house towards the backyard. He grasps the edge of the neighboring house's fence, swinging over it which caused it to rattle faintly. He didn't hesitate, making a sharp turn to move across the backyard. The above ground pool still stood, though empty.

The briefest of bends got him the rubber dog toy left behind into his hand. He gives it a mighty heave towards the next house's windows to shatter it. A turn on a dime sent him barreling back towards the pool.

He grasped the ladder, yanking himself up. He was certain he hadn't touched a single ladder rung before he dropped down into the pool. Thor couldn't deny the flash of creature he saw but he couldn't stop. He had to keep moving.

His landing was nearly silent but the walls were a risk. He closes his eyes tightly, pressing his back against the wall of the pool with both hands over his mouth.

He needed to hope Loki could make it to the house. If not to the house then perhaps the injury would cause him to collapse near the hydrant. Thor could find him there and take him to safety. As long as his brother stayed silent.

That sharp whistle makes Loki's head ring but he knows immediately what's going on even as his vision swims more.

Thor.

The knows is enough to get both creatures taking off after the blonde, shrieks and clicks leaving both of them as they bolt after the source of the noise barreling along without any hesitation.

Loki's breathing is frantic and unsteady as panic grips him and he staggers again, a part of him wanting to find his brother but he knows better. What good is he like this?

He's a risk. That's what he is.

Despite his vision still swimming Loki manages to slowly start for the house, hands out to steady himself on whatever he can grasp. He finds the porch railing and slowly guides himself up the steps, several boards creaking this time due to his steps not being as carefully placed. The rushing water behind him, though getting weaker, is still good enough cover and Loki manages to get inside the door, stumbling into the stairs leading to the second floor--

And that's where he crumples, finally blacking out.

Back at the pool, one of the creatures crept to the edge now as it doubled back, the plating around it's head splitting to reveal it's ears as it turned its head and focused. Soft clicks could be heard as it tried to find a sound, any sound--

From somewhere, a few houses down? Something--a garbage can--toppled over and the creature immediately bolted, its companion already taking to the rooftops to go after their new target.

Thor listened as closely as he could with the blood in his ears pounding. He waited. He forced himself to wait even when he was certain the creatures had gone. He couldn't risk assumption. It felt like hours though it was doubtful that it was that long. The sun hadn't even moved much across the sky.

He turns carefully, moving to stand slowly. His muscles ached from holding the position for so long. The ladder was a little unsteady but was against grass. He just needed to get to the top and drop off to avoid any twangs against the metal siding.

Once successful he creeps back towards the fence. His height allows him to get over the fence quietly enough but he crouches beside it for some time, listening carefully for any movements. Only when he was certain did he move back towards the shelter he had with Loki.

Finding his brother lying at the base of the stairs send his heart into his throat. He gathers him quickly, carrying him to the bedroom. The small set of first aid supplies were fetched and he takes a moment to wash his hands before touching the wound.

He gave his brother a shake periodically, trying to get him to wake back up. Sleeping right now wasn't a good idea. He needed to get him conscious again.

Honestly Loki didn't even remember Thor returning. Wasn't aware of his brother picking him up and carrying him into the bedroom. Didn't realize he'd left to get supplies. Everything was just sort of silent static that felt like a sort of strange dream.

The shaking is what actually gets a response from him, a faint, faint noise of protest escaping Loki as he tries to get away from Thor though he really doesn't go all that far. He just wants to sleep. Why can't he sleep?

Blood caked the right side of his face, the cut on the side of his head narrowly missing his temple though his ear had caught most of the blow. Loki's eyes opened as Thor continued to shake him but they were glazed, hardly seeing and he stared up at the ceiling for a long moment before turning his head slightly.

"Th.." When his brain's not firing on all cylinders, mistakes will be made. Sign language? What's that?

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