A month had passed since the arrival of Father Gabriel and the neighborhood was better off for it. Well, most of us anyway, Zavier thought as he looked to the solid wall of Bouchard Keep, as it was being called now. The neighborhood was gathered in the cul-de-sac, rows of mismatched tables and chairs sitting in the middle of the street. Food and supplies were stacked on tables in the middle of the gathering for people to add to or take as needed. The other tables were set in small groups, positioned so that no matter where one sat they were able to look past the other people at the table and get a clear line of sight to the woods.
These daily gatherings had had a slow start. People had become more reclusive since The System and everyone hunkered down to survive in the best ways they knew how. There was no malice in it, most people in the neighborhood just weren't close enough to consider how everyone else was doing. Everyone found their own niche on how to survive.
Father Gabriel changed all of that. His evening visits and nightly stays had been a balm to the frayed nerves of everyone he visited, and his parting left them feeling scared that he might not return. As he sat with each family he didn't preach, he didn't talk of religion, he didn't try to sell them anything - he just listened to their woes, their hardships, their pain, and their fears. He would hold their hands or their gazes and just listen, asking the occasional question. His long fingers would sometimes click through a rosary or he'd absently open up the mysterious book he carried, flipping through the pages without looking at them, but no one could rightly remember if he ever preached a single word about any religion at all. If pressed they'd be hard-fought to remember anything from their nights with him other than an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort, followed by an increasingly mounting dread after he left.
After weeks of entreaties to stay the night, to move in with them, to share their food and clothing, to do anything except leave, Gabriel suggested the solution that could serve the community the most: gathering together. He still visited houses at night, bringing peace and comfort to the scared and lonely, but in the day he brought everyone together and showed them the power of leaning on one another.
The very first thing they did was build him a small stage with a lectern, surrounded by chairs. An interruption by a pack of Scamperers sensing a group of easy prey on that first day was quickly put down by Cass, and with that he had become the group's protector. They made a rule that someone must be watching every part of the surrounding area at all times, and any surprises were quickly and efficiently dealt with by Gabriel's right-hand man.
Cassian stood behind Gabriel at the corner of the stage, slowly turning his head to watch for incoming threats. Every day started and ended like this, with Father Gabriel addressing the gathered community, easing their fears from the night before or reassuring them that they would make it through the night without him. His speeches flowed off the memory like water off a duck's back - impactful and felt in the moment, but completely gone the second it passed by, merged again into a stream of consciousness that said nothing but delivered everything. Gabriel would then nap through the day with Cass standing guard outside his room, then return that evening to fortify them against the coming night and decide which of the families he would stay with that evening. He had an uncanny ability to always know who needed him the most, who was the most scared, or who had the most doubts. And beside him through it all was Cass.
And thus the weeks passed. Cass had never felt so fulfilled, so needed, so valued in his life. He had stopped staying in his house, much to the chagrin of his parents. They'd talked, fought, argued, and talked some more, but in the end Father Gabriel had helped them all to understand.
"Your family is the highest leveled here by far," he'd said. "You can handle any threats from the woods and none of your neighbors can hold a candle to what you can do. Cassian is in no danger and you obviously don't need him."
Cass's heart thumped at that, the self-doubt inside him rearing its ugly head. It had become worse since Father Gabriel arrived and had shown him his true worth. He could see now that he only felt useless and defenseless when he was around his family. He only felt worthless when they treated him like he was a fragile thing, too weak to do anything. Luna, with her need to step in and defend him. Mom, with her looks of pity. And dad… He shuddered. Dad with his constant lessons and 'you need to get stronger Cass', then his facade of comfort every time he pushed Cass too far and made him feel even weaker.
Cass gave his thoughts a mental shake and ripped himself back to the present. He knew too well how his thoughts would spiral, and only Father Gabriel could pull him out of it. He didn't want to be a burden on him too. No, not 'too', I am not a burden on anyone. Father Gabriel had been teaching him that - giving him responsibilities, trusting him to defend him against creatures and even the occasional human that decided they were too good to give Gabriel any of their time. Those men who puffed up their chests and thought they were so fucking tough because they had an extra couple points of strength and a few years on Cass. The ones who spurned Gabriel and his good deeds, who refused to pitch in to the community, who refused to just LISTEN and DO WHAT THEY WERE TOLD.
Father Gabriel trusted Cass to take care of those situations too. He never questioned his methods, never chastised him for his decisions, and never tried to teach him any lessons after the fact. He just let Cass do what he felt was best and was always there to support him, no matter what. Even if rage clouded his mind and he went too far - even when it had happened, there were no lessons, no lectures, no reproach. Just a comforting hand on his arm before Cass dragged the body into the woods to be forgotten by everyone the next day.
Cass felt like more of a man than he ever had before, and Father Gabriel treated him as such - which meant that the community around him treated him that way too. Gabriel had even given him the honor of staying the highest leveled person in the community, outside of his family. No one was allowed to level past Cass - in fact, all leveling had been halted.
"There's no need for it!" Gabriel had said with a reassuring smile. "We have each other, we are safe in our homes, and we have Cass to protect us all." He squeezed Cass's arm and Cass straightened his back, trying to convey as much authority and power as he could. He couldn't see himself but Gabriel assured him that he looked every bit the dangerous enforcer.
And thus, the community thrived. People shared resources, shared time and stories, and basked in the glow that was Father Gabriel's presence.
Today's gathering had taken a more serious turn, but the buildup had felt natural to everyone sitting in the shadow of that huge wall.
"My friends. My family," Gabriel's voice reached every ear easily, since not a word was being spoken by anyone else today. "We have come together, have we not?" Heads nodded in enthusiasm and people shared smiles with their neighbors. "We have reached out our hands in love and support, ready to give our brothers and sisters what they need. Hasn't everyone felt the loving hands of their neighbors in these trying times?"
Quiet affirming noises rustled through the crowd.
"Haven't we all given all we can, even if it was a sacrifice?" More noises.
"And haven't I given most of all?" This time the noises turned into a roar of affirmation, voices calling his name and thanking him.
He patted the air with a smile. "I thank you, I thank you, but let's keep it down. Cassian has enough to do without protecting all of us another day." He winked at Cass and the boy straightened even more, putting as much gravitas in his expression as he was able.
Fucking kid can't even shave yet, Gabriel thought before continuing.
"But not all of us have." There was a grumbling at that and everyone could feel the mood shift. "Are all of our neighbors here?"
More grumbling and a few glances at the empty chairs, then at Cass. Gabriel caught the looks and the expression on Cass's face. "It's true, the Torres family should be here as well," he looked pointedly at Cass before turning back to the crowd, "but we can excuse their absence. They are out clearing the woods and helping to keep us safe. I will talk with them."
"No, my friends, I speak of the bigger hole in our community. It is a more dangerous, cancerous loss to our group. We can only be strong together - but we are not all together, are we?"
Some voices called out and there was murmuring. Not enough, so Gabriel pulled out his Tome and set it on the lectern, flipping the pages absently. He pulled the rosary out as well and surreptitiously moved the beads through his fingers. He could feel that now was the time - the tipping point. If he didn't push now he was going to start losing them so he needed to form them up against a common enemy. He wasn't sure if they were strong enough to take the Bouchard compound, but he thought it might be possible if he could get the rest of Cass's family with him. If not, at the very least the Bouchards would kill everyone here. It wouldn't be as much experience as he'd probably get from the Bouchards, but it'd be something. Not bad for a month's work he supposed, but he was getting bored. He'd already had his fun with the wives who were open to his charms, and there weren't any teenage or young girls in the neighborhood besides Cass's sister and the Bouchard one, so it was time to go. If he could get the treasures he knew were inside that compound, great! If not he'd have to settle for a bunch of experience.
He pushed his will into the book and felt the energy flow between the Tome, the Rosary, and his skills. It reached a crescendo and he sent it into the crowd as a wave, smiling with satisfaction as he saw their eyes glaze over then go manic.
"I speak of the cancer behind me!" He waved his hand at the wall behind him and all eyes followed it. "To those whom much has been given, much is expected, isn't that right?" He watched the heads nodding in fervent agreement. "And not only have they been given more, they've TAKEN more." All eyes turned to him then. What had been taken from them?
"Ask yourself why you are all so low level? Look at our young Cassian here, he's almost level 10!" They knew this but their eyes looked as awestruck as if they'd heard it for the first time. "A young man, young enough to be a child to most of you, and yet he towers above you, a giant in power!" He saw Cass straighten in his peripheral and smiled. Awe yeah, a twofer with that one. I'm so fucking good.
"Why do you think you haven't leveled? Is it because you don't hunt monsters?" He saw heads dip in shame at that. "I say no!" The heads flew back up in interest, hanging on the validation they knew was coming. Surely this couldn't be their fault! Could it?
"The easy monsters, the ones that were meant to pave your paths to strength were stolen from you! Those who have bunkered inside those walls use gadgets and magical machines to do all the hard work, stealing kills night after night after night. They haven't done a damned thing to earn it themselves. They sit inside their compound getting fat on power while you struggle with monsters that are too strong for your levels, all because of their selfishness!"
Dusk had set in strongly and street lights were flickering on, their halogen glows had been taking longer to activate lately and had been shaky even after coming lit. The flickering light danced across his face, casting it in strobing shadows with only his eyes gleaming solidly. No one could look away from those eyes that glowed a deep gold, the light from his Tome and his Rosary adding to their shine. They had eyes only for him, and they were enraptured.
"And have they shared a SINGLE thing with us? You have all given everything you have to each other, as paltry as it has been." He cast a judging look at the tables of supplies and all eyes reflected shame, seeing the offerings for what they really were: Trash, leftovers, pointless trinkets that no one truly needed or wanted. Waves of emotion moved out from Gabriel and their shame increased.
"But I say to you now, the poor man who gives his last shirt has given more than a rich man who gives away much but has sacrificed nothing." He pushed Pride into them then and watched them turn from the tables to look at him, hope in their eyes.
Now, he thought and gave a final push. Anger. Not just anger, but righteous, indignant, put-upon, cheated anger, backed by the shame of trying for weeks only to see how paltry it was. Anger at someone to blame. Anger at the world that had made them weak, and their own weaknesses for not doing what they needed to do to match even a teenage boy. Anger at feeling defenseless and weak, and having it shown to them in that moment. Gabriel stripped them of all pride, positivity, and feelings of accomplishment. He took from them everything that they could be proud of, as paltry as it was, and filled the void with shame, despair, and anger.
Then he gave it a target. "But there is something much worse than that. SomeONE much worse." He paused then, letting their emotions build to a fever pitch. He looked back at the wall behind him, turned to the table with their belongings, then met each of their eyes.
"The worst of all are those that have stolen everything and given back nothing."
It was at that moment every light in the neighborhood winked out. All heads turned to the Bouchard Keep and not one of them missed the light from inside, shining up into the night sky like a spotlight. This was one more thing that had been taken from them and hoarded by the Bouchards, and it was the last snowflake that started the avalanche.