Starry Night

Now that Flynn knew the Brothers and Gothel were after them, he wasn't sure a fabled City of Lights would be enough to save them. Before, Corona was an idea and a place to drive towards; something that gave their little endeavor purpose. But now with their lives in danger more so than before, it was their only chance of survival. If they could get to the city before the other Riders, would it be enough? Would they be safe there? Rapunzel had spent the last few minutes telling Pascal all about the city. She talked of a crude, but functioning form of government, a high cement wall that bordered the city, electricity and running water and enough food rations to go around. She talked about soil that actually grew produce and people that wanted to befriend their neighbors instead of kill them. Flynn wondered how much, if any, was true and how much Rapunzel had formulated in her mind in order to give herself hope. A few days ago he would have told her to shut up about the city, but he couldn't bear to squander the one dream she held so close to her heart.

Flynn wanted to believe in Corona. He wanted to desperately to believe in a place where he no longer had to be afraid, but it just seemed too good to be true. He listened to her stories regardless, allowing himself to get lost in the thought of a better life.

Rapunzel pulled the folded piece of paper out from the pocket of her overalls and handed it to Pascal to look at. He opened the paper carefully, eyes wide.

"What will you do when we get to the city?" the boy asked Rapunzel.

She shrugged. "First I'll buy myself some new paint. Then see if they have a library and if they do, I'll read every book I can get my hands on."

"You won't be a mechanic?" Flynn asked, surprised. When he imagined Rapunzel, she was never far from a car engine. He couldn't see her doing much else with the talent she had for cars.

Rapunzel shook her head. "I know I'm good with cars, but that's all Gothel made me do back at the garage. I was the best mechanic in a hundred mile radius, easy. The only thing that kept us in business was my ability to take apart and engine, and being made to do that day in and day out, well…it just looses its appeal. A few years ago I would have jumped at the chance to work in a real mechanic shop, on something other than a rusty junker. But now, I don't ever want to dirty my hands with motor oil again. I want to do something else. Become an artist, or a geologist, or a musician. Even a candle stick maker. Just something that doesn't involve cars," she rambled, then chuckled nervously. She twisted around to look at Pascal in the back seat, who, after a few hours, had finally made his way back to the cabin from the turret. "What about you?" she asked.

Flynn glanced at Pascal in the rear view mirror, realizing he knew very little about the boy.

"I like making things," Pascal replied. "You know those gas grenades we bombarded you with? My invention. I created the pulley system in the storage units that we strung you up with. I like inventing things and taking things apart then putting them back together…so I don't know. Maybe apprentice somewhere? Then start a bug collection, because I think they're cool but my mom would never let me have one in the house. What about you Flynn?"

"I don't know," Flynn replied honestly. He spent his whole life doing what the Riders told him to do, so he had no idea what he wanted to do. Perhaps in another life he would have liked to have a family and a home since he never had that as a child. Maybe he wanted to be a welder or a politician or a farmer. He couldn't imagine himself in any of those positions of course, since the only thing he seemed to know how to do was terrify the helpless and bully supplies from the defenseless.

"There must be something," Pascal urged.

Flynn's grip on the steering wheel tightened, annoyed. Maybe he could work with the city's guard, since he was good with a gun, but like Rapunzel, the idea of aiming a gun at another person had become something of a nuisance for him. He wanted a job doing something helpful, not destructive.

Sensing his uneasiness, Rapunzel spoke up.

"Well it's a city," she said with a smile, "We will find somewhere for you to fit."

The words somehow did not make him feel any better. Rapunzel folded up her advertisement and tucked it away, the conversation forgotten. She turned to stare out her window and Flynn did the same.

They had been driving for days since they met back at the garage and Flynn was ready to see sign of this city. Margot said something about the salt flats. How long would they have to drive before they found the flats? And once they did, how far until they reached the city? Rapunzel's instructions on driving west until they reached the coast, hopefully finding the city along the way, was from a drunk mans mouth. It wasn't reliable. If they get to the coast and never found the city, then what? Would they keep driving, endlessly searching for a place that didn't exist? There were too many variables connected with the City of Lights that made Flynn uneasy. Yes, it was a common goal for them to strive towards, but at what cost and when did it end?

He sighed out loud, watching the sun slip low on the horizon. He glanced at the compass mounted in the dashboard, making sure they were still headed west.

"Let's pull over for the night," Flynn said. All this talk of Corona made him unsettled and he couldn't sit in the tanker for much longer.

Rapunzel nodded and Flynn slowed the tanker and parked it. Rapunzel, Maximus and Pascal climbed out, hauling the gear with them to set up camp. As soon as he was out of the cab, Maximus barked happily, thumping and rolling around in the sand. Rapunzel stretched her limbs, glancing at Flynn, still buckled in the drivers seat.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"In a minute."

She glanced at Pascal, who shrugged, and the two of them walked off to start a fire. Flynn glanced at the sunroof, twisting the handle and pushing it open. He pulled himself onto the hood if the tanker, jumped onto the tank attached, and walked its length to the lookout. He ducked inside, sitting on the cool metal and looking out the Volkswagen windshield, his eyes tracing the tire tracks they had just formed in the sand. He scanned the vast Wasteland, looking for signs of the Riders. When he didn't see billows of sand on the horizon, he sighed contentedly, and sat back in the shaded cover of the lookout turret.

For the longest time he had dreamed of being free from the Compound. He hadn't thought of anything but that, and while they were still on the run, freedom was close enough to be a real possibility. But he had spent so much time thinking about his escape, he never bothered to think about what he was going to do next. His whole life was defined by the Riders. Who was he if he wasn't a Rider?

"Hey!" a voice called from below.

Flynn sighed. He couldn't even get a few seconds of peace to wallow in self-pity.

"Go away Rapunzel," he called.

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of boots on the iron ladder. He listened to her climb the back of the tanker, until her face appeared in the window.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking at Flynn through the dusty windshield. He shifted forward, frowning at her.

"The problem is I can't get a minute of silence to myself," he snapped.

Rapunzel ignored his attitude, coming around the back of the turret and ducking inside after him. She settled on her knees, facing him.

"What's the real problem?" she asked.

Flynn sat back against the wall of the lookout. He scratched at his goatee then sighed. "It's stupid."

Rapunzel inched herself a little closer, expectantly. He watched her, rolling his eyes.

"I just don't know…what's going to happen to me," Flynn said. "I'm just worried that I've spent so much time being a Rider that I don't know how to do anything else. And if we do find this city, I'm not sure they'll welcome a former gang member past their walls. Or if we even find the city. What if it doesn't exist? I've been dreaming about being my own man, but I'm not sure what that even is…"

Flynn pursed his lips, hating how whiney he sounded, but like the night before, he felt good to talk to someone; someone he trusted. She looked at him, brows furrowed slightly as she thought about what he said.

"Everyone is trying to find their place in the Wasteland," she said slowly, "That's all our lives have been about, is survival—"

"I know," Flynn said, "But if we make it to Corona, it won't be about surviving anymore. We'll be living like people were meant to live and I don't think I belong in a society like that. I'm…I'm scared I don't belong anywhere but with the Riders. And that terrifies me."

Rapunzel shifted closer again, scooting on her knees until there was only few inches of space between them.

"Flynn, what you told me last night…you're not a Rider," she said softly, "You were a little boy who went through something terrible. You didn't have a choice. Since I've met you, you've agreed to drive me across the Wasteland, you came back for me the night Margot's sanctuary was in flames, you brought Pascal with us, you rescued me from my mother; those are decisions of a decent man. Someone who deserves better than what life offered him. Someone who doesn't give himself enough credit," she said. "If I hadn't met you, I would still be back at the garage, miserable and looking for every excuse to stay with Gothel. You gave me a reason to leave."

Flynn didn't say anything; he barley made any indication that he heard her. But her words sank deep into his bones, making him feel less uncertain about himself. When he didn't say anything, she continued.

"I'm worried too," Rapunzel said. "Corona is everything I've hoped for but I'm scared its all for nothing. I'm not stupid. I know the odds are stacked against me. The chances of a functioning city in a desolate landscape like this are slim to none and…what if it's not everything I dreamed it would be? What if we get to the coast, and I've put us through all this mess, only to find an ocean?"

Flynn's eyes flickered to her.

"You always seem so sure of Corona," he murmured.

"I know," she said, "Because if I let myself dwell on that sliver of doubt I end up…well, like you. Bitter and hopeless," she said, giving Flynn a half smile to let him know she was teasing. His lips twitched at her slight. "I have to believe it's real. And you have to believe you're a better man than you think you are."

She reached out and took his hand carefully. Flynn tensed under her touch, his gazed narrowed in warning. She didn't seem to notice as she gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. There was a sadness and uncertainty in her eyes though that Flynn couldn't pin point. He looked down at their hands, wanting to pull his away, but deciding to remain still.

"I've never seen the ocean before," he commented.

"Then its settled. No matter what we find heading west, ocean or city, we take it in stride, then find a new dream to chase," Rapunzel said softly.

There was a thump underneath them; Pascal banging on the side of the tanker to get their attention. They both jumped, Rapunzel quickly releasing Flynn's hand and moving back to the other side of the turret.

"There better be a good reason you two are up there and I'm down here setting up camp by myself!" he yelled, annoyed.

Flynn and Rapunzel looked at each other, Flynn smirking and Rapunzel grinning sheepishly. She climbed out of the crawl space and Flynn followed her down the ladder. Pascal waited at the bottom with Maximus by his side, both looking put off. He crossed his arms.

"If you two lovebirds are finished…" Pascal said.

Rapunzel's cheeks flushed and she breezed past him, Maximus trotting after her towards the fire.

Pascal looked up at Flynn, who reached over and flicked his ear sharply.

"Ow!" Pascal said, clamping a hand to the side of his head. With his free hand, he swung a wild hit at Flynn. He sidestepped the cheap shot and laughed as Pascal stumbled over his feet.

"Gotta be quicker than that, kid," Flynn said, walking back towards the fire. "And a wider stance will do you good," he called over his shoulder.

Pascal huffed and marched after them, settling himself down by the fire, right between Rapunzel and Flynn. The sun had set and the temperature of the desert night dropped significantly. There wasn't much left to eat so they ate in silence, everyone wondering how long the three of them could survive off dried fruit and a can of beans, but no one willing to mention it. Flynn knew they had to find more food soon. They couldn't rely on his hunting skills.

Flynn bunched up his leather jacket to cushion his head as he laid down. Rapunzel spread out a blanket next to him and she, Pascal and Maximus curled up on it.

"See those cluster of stars?" Rapunzel asked, pointing up at the night sky.

"Yes," said Pascal.

"That's Cetus the Sea Monster and the bright star over there is Mira," she said, her finger tracing invisible lines across the sky. Flynn draped an arm over his eyes as he listened. "Once, my mother brought me a book about the stars and what they represent. I spent months charting constellations. Look, there's Orion the Hunter. And the Gemini twins, Castor and Pollux."

Flynn sat up, hearing the Bothers names. The hairs on his arm stood on end, and unfortunate side effect of spending his childhood tortured by those two, and his adult years running from them.

"What?" he growled.

"The Brothers named themselves after a constellation," Rapunzel said, "I assumed you knew that."

"I didn't. What's their story?"

"Pollux was immortal but his brother wasn't. When Castor died, Pollux asked the gods if he could share his immortality so the two were turned into stars so they would always be together."

"Gross."

"It's just a story Flynn," Rapunzel said with a sigh. Pascal sniggered.

Flynn laid back down as Pascal asked for more stories about the stars. He listened to Rapunzel talk, her words lulling him to sleep.

He wasn't sure how long he slept, but at some point in the night, he startled awake. He laid there for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, figuring that it must have been another nightmare that woke him. He briefly wondered if they would ever stop.

He felt something warm on his back. He slowly rolled his head to look over his shoulder. During the night, Rapunzel had curled herself against him, her nose nuzzled between his shoulder blades and her arms tucked against his lower back. Pascal slept on the other side of her, the two of them sleeping back to back. Pascal's arm was resting over an empty space where Maximus should have been. Flynn sat up slowly, trying not to disturb the two. He reached for the knapsack, rummaging through their diminished supplies to find the flashlight.

In the distance somewhere, Maximus barked. Flynn sighed, guessing that that was what had woken him up in the middle of the night. He retrieved the flashlight and flicked it on, the beam of light illuminating the sand. The barking grew louder. Maximus must have found something to chase.

Flynn started in the direction of the barking, but before he made it more than a couple of feet, the sound turned hysterical. Maximus's frantic barking was suddenly lost in a barrage of howling, whimpering and growling. Flynn's clutched the torch, stopping in his tracks.

"What's going on?" said a sleepy voice behind him. He turned to see Rapunzel sitting up, watching him with tired, bloodshot eyes. Pascal rolled over, yawning. He opened his eyes but quickly shut them when the beam from the flashlight flared in his face.

The excited whining of wild dogs became louder and Rapunzel's eyes grew wide with worry.

"Max?" she called. "Maximus!" She scrambled to her feet, taking off in the direction of the noise, flipping up sand as she ran barefoot across the desert.

"Rapunzel, wait!" Flynn called after her. He turned to Pascal hurriedly, "Stay here," he commanded then took off after Rapunzel, stumbling over the sand. He could hear Pascal's muffled cry of, "Where are you going!" behind him, but didn't stop to answer. He called Rapunzel's name. The light from the flashlight waved haphazardly across the sand, illuminating things a few seconds at a time as Flynn ran. A flash of sagebrush. Sand. Rapunzel's golden hair. Sand. A streak of brown fur. Sand. The sounds coming from the dogs were hellish, high pitched screeches that Flynn never knew could come out of an animal.

He steadied the light, finally catching up to Rapunzel and seizing her arm. The two staggered to a stop, Flynn pointing the light towards a melee of fur, snarling, teeth and claws. And Maximus in the middle of it all.

"Max!" Rapunzel screeched.

A pack of dingoes converged on Maximus, snapping their wide jaws and howling with excitement. Rapunzel's dog was in the sand on his back, growling and kicking. Tuffs of fur and speckles of blood littered the ground around them.

Flynn drew his double barrel, aimed it at the sky and fired two shots. The wild dogs looked up, their muzzles wet and red, ears pointed, and eyes a blank green from the reflected light of Flynn's torch. They scattered, their whooping and howling echoing across the landscape and sending shivers down Flynn's spine. When it fell quiet, Rapunzel ran to the Koolie, dropping on her knees next to him. Flynn followed slowly, eyeing Maximus's bloodied fur and shallow, rapid breathing.

"No," Rapunzel murmured. "No, no, no, no, Maximus."

She ran her hands across his fur, which fell out in tawny clumps. Maximus whined, a high pitched, desperate sound. Flynn went around and kneeled on the other side of the dog, glancing at Rapunzel. Silent tears were rolling down her cheeks. She sniffed. He dropped the flashlight next to them in the sand, yellow highlights etching the sides of their faces.

"Maximus, Max, Max, Max," she chanted, "No, no, no, no."

Her hands shook as she pet Maximus. He shifted in the sand, a half attempt to get to his feet, but he whimpered and laid back down again. Rapunzel shushed him.

"Good boy, good dog Maximus. Good boy."

Flynn's brows pulled together as he frowned. There was too much blood and Maximus's cries were becoming less and less. The dingoes had torn him to pieces.

"Rapunzel…" Flynn said gently.

She shook her head quickly, grabbing a fistful of Maximus's fur and pulling the dog closer to her body. "Wait," she said quietly, sniffling some more. She kept petting Maximus, burying her fingers in his soft fur and nuzzling him close to her body. She kept repeating his name. She looked up at Flynn, one side of her face lit by the torch, the other shrouded in shadow, making her skin look waxy.

"We need to put him down," Flynn said as gently as he could, "He's in pain."

She choked back a sob but nodded.

"I want to do it."

Flynn pursed his lips, considering her for a moment before handing over his shotgun. She took the weapon with shaking hands, placing the double barrel against the side of Maximus's head.

"H-here?"

Flynn reached over and carefully place his hand over hers, moving the barrel up towards the top of Maximus's head, then back a few centimeters. He left his hand over hers. She was shaking too much to aim properly and pull the trigger.

"Ready?" Flynn asked. Rapunzel didn't reply, but he guided her finger to the trigger and she didn't fight him. She took a shuttering breath, her other hand still stroking Maximus's body. Maximus's ears flickered towards the sound of her voice. Flynn could see the whites of his eyes. He looked at Rapunzel and beneath his hand, she yanked the trigger back forcefully, as though if she didn't do it quick enough she wouldn't have been able to go through with it. The crack of the gun was deafening in the dark.

Rapunzel let out a gasp, her hands going limp to her sides. She sat back on her heels, sucking in shallow breaths and letting her tears fall freely. Flynn holstered the gun at his thigh, looking down at Maximus. He reached out and sunk his fingers into the dogs still warm fur. He never cared for animals, and certainly not for Maximus, but he owed Maximus his life. And to watch him go so brutally. It was unfair.

They sat for a few minutes before Rapunzel stood up. Flynn followed her, grabbing up the flashlight and stepping over Maximus to fall in step next to her as they walked back to camp.

"I'll bury him, if you'd like," Flynn asked.

Rapunzel gave a jerk of her head that Flynn guessed was a nod. He would come back later, once Rapunzel settled down and he was sure she would be okay, he would come back and bury Maximus. It wouldn't be like back at Margot's sanctuary, where Bones was left lying in the street and they peeled out of the city before they had a chance to process the aftermath. Maximus would get a proper burial, even for a dog, and Rapunzel could say her goodbyes. Flynn looked down at Rapunzel's hands, which still quivered. He stared at them before reaching out and taking her hand in his. Her fingers were limp for a moment as they walked, before finally curling themselves around Flynn's fist. They walked back to camp in silence.

Authors Note: Sorry if this chapter seems a bit repetitive. Sorry for the long wait, and sorry if the chapter wasn't worth it, but it's been one heck of a year for me. I do plan to finish the story, it just might take some time. It it also under revision right now, nothing major, but hopefully an improvement! Happy holidays to all my wonderful reviewers. Thanks for your support!