Yesterdays Gone: SEASON TWO (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER) (Yesterday's Gone)

way, that was sure as a long sit in the shitter after a longer night pounding shots. Boricio had to figure out which side of The Sanctuary he wanted to be on. War was good when it delivered you up top.  
    Boricio’s choices came in a pair: he could either help Brother Rainbow Brite pull off his little coup, or he could set him up and side with John and The Prophet, looking like Pope Boricio to every Sanctu-Fairy in the place.  
    John, along with Quiet Eyes, was one of the only people here who wasn’t buying Boricio’s bullshit, though. Did that make them threats to remove or potential allies? Boricio didn’t want dumbasses running his empire, but at the same time, he didn’t want anyone smart enough to come after him. He needed someone with just enough ambition to be a great Number Two, but no desire for all the glory. Someone like ole Charlie boy.
    He wondered again where his crew had gone off to.
    Had they been fucking dumb enough to abandon him? Or had the “demons” gotten them? Once he got control of this place, maybe he’d expend some people to go looking for the balance of Team Boricio. He’d either make them pay for their betrayal or welcome them into the new Kingdom of Boricio.
    Boricio considered his options and allegiances a bit more, wondering whom to side with. Either way, he was pretty sure he could make things work and rise to the top of the fucking food chain faster than you could fuck a desperate housewife.

    * * * *

DESMOND ARMSTRONG: PART 2

    The Hole
    early evening...

    Linc came in to check on them after dinner.
    Desmond was surprised that Rei trusted Linc enough to let him down in the hole. Perhaps Linc was in league with Rei, after all. Linc’s eyes widened at their injuries, but he didn’t say anything. Given that the door at the top of the landing was still open, Desmond suspected that another guard was standing by, so he couldn’t take Linc’s lack of reaction to mean too much.
    Linc whispered to Desmond, “It’ll be okay,” and then left. Mercifully, he’d left the light on, either an act of grace or forgetfulness. Either way, it was nice to be out of the darkness.
    After Linc left, Desmond noticed that Luca was squeezing his eyes shut. At first he thought Luca was crying, perhaps in pain from the belt, even though he’d said he’d be okay earlier. But after a few minutes, Desmond realized that Luca was trying to connect with someone, perhaps Will.
    Desmond said nothing as Luca’s face vacillated between serenity and horror. He still couldn't get over the boy’s most recent change. Just when Desmond had finally grown used to his instant evolution from small boy to teenager, he was now trying to get his head around what should’ve been a smaller jump that, shockingly, was not.  
    Desmond would have considered Luca’s first couple of leaps in growth a scientific impossibility if he hadn’t witnessed them with his own two skeptical eyes. Despite having seen Luca’s healing of others three times, the change in Luca physically was so drastic that Desmond could barely believe he was the same person. The starkest change was in Luca’s eyes, though there was a hint in his posture and a clench in his jaw. Other than the slight pause before he answered a question, when the new Luca seemed to search for the perfect way to say something, just like the old one, all traces of the boy had disappeared. The change was so unsettling, Desmond had a difficult time looking at him, which was why he was trying to get more comfortable while Luca was using his mind to find Will.  
    Luca finally opened his eyes to find Desmond staring at him. Desmond looked away, embarrassed. “Hey,” he said. “Any luck?”
    Luca nodded. “I found Will. He’s going to help us tonight, as soon as he can get here.”
    “And you’re sure you’re not imagining any of this?” Desmond felt bad asking.
    “Yes. I’m going to try to reach Linc, now.”
    “Bad idea,” Desmond said. “We don’t know whose side Linc’s on. A lot’s changed since the farmhouse, you know.”  
    “He’s still Linc,” Luca said. “He’s still our friend. He left the light on for us, didn’t he?”  
    “I’m not saying he’s not our friend, or that Linc would ever want to harm us,” Desmond struggled for the right words, unsure of how much of Luca was still eight.  
    “Things are different now,” Desmond said. “The human mind will do anything to protect the body. Right now, I’m guessing Linc’s in