𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 | 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴

The Reunion II

- Cass's POV -

My feet crash through the leaves of the forest floor as I tear through the woods as quickly as I can manage to get to my family. Raw panic surges through my body, my limbs tingling with anxiety as I dash through the woods, dodging bushes and pushing off trees for momentum. Judith continues to wail in her halter, slightly muffled by the cloak, making me cringe, knowing I'll need to drug her asleep.

I come to a panting stop, holding onto the rough trunk of a nearby tree for support, my chest heaving, lungs burning with every breath. With my hands trembling, I unsling the diaper bag from my shoulder, rifling through it until I find the baby Benadryl stashed in the bottom.

Heaving off the mud-covered cloak, I pull a crying Judith and her halter off me before sitting her against the tree. With the hilt of my knife, I crush the Benadryl before mixing them with her powdered formula. I roll my shoulders at the relief of having the cloak, Judith, and the heavy diaper bag off my back, leaving me in just my faded tank top that has started to stain with sweat and blood.

In the middle of mixing the formula with the crushed Benadryl, my hands come to a sudden stop, my blood running cold at the male voice speaking up from behind me.

"You gotta keep that baby quiet," The nonchalant voice says, making the hairs on my arms stand up in alarm, my stomach throttling with panic. I slowly rise, turning to face the stranger, my breathing uneven and ragged.

Standing behind me is a man, around his late twenties, with oiled black hair and an unkempt goatee. I stare at him with wide eyes, my chest heaving, my heart pounding aggressively against my ribcage.

"Woah. Despite all that shit on your face... you're sorta pretty," He comments thoughtfully with a slight smirk, making me gulp, fearing the worst, becoming highly aware of the weight of the knife strapped on my belt. Instantly picturing how quickly I could reach around to my right hip to grab it if needed.

"What, no thank you? That's mighty rude when someone compliments you. You know she really needs to quiet down-" He begins, taking a step closer to Judith making me utter one word, my voice low and hard.

"Stop." I order harshly and loudly, cutting him off and making him falter, raising his eyebrows. His light eyes dart from her to meet mine, his smirk only growing.

"I just wanted to help calm her down, that's all," He explains with faux innocence, making raw anger flare through me, this act he's playing making my blood boil.

"You don't fucking touch her." I inform him sharply, my voice rough and harsh, having no patience for this bullshit, knowing what my family could be going through at this very moment.

"There's a bunch a' cold bodies headed to the explosion, you really want them hearin' her on their way over?" He questions me with squinted eyes, tilting his head, my body filling with disgust at the way he's looking at me, Judith's continuous screaming in the background aching my eardrums.

My mouth pulled down at the corners in revulsion, I shake my head, my glare cold and hard. "I'm handling it. You can leave now." I tell him sternly, my gaze moving to Judith who hasn't stopped crying as she stares at me with wide eyes, clearly more afraid than she was before thanks to this new stranger.

My gaze darts back to the man, adrenaline jolting through me at the look on his face. Like a lion about to pounce. My hand flies to my belt as he lurches forward towards Judith.

Before he gets the chance to lay his greasy hands on her, my knife plunges into his shoulder, making him whirl around, crying out in pain. "You bitch!" He shouts, lunging for me next, his hands outstretched.