Days of Decay

Chapter Eight

Asha closed her eyes for a brief second, thanking a higher power for keeping him safe. She knew he was perfectly capable of protecting himself, but she also liked to think that he needed her; and visa-versa. Seeing him flooded her with an intense sense of safety; it was overwhelming.

Kit turned to the noise from the trees and as soon as he saw her, his face burst into relief and he started to sprint to her.

"Kit," she breathed, running to him at full speed.

She felt completely at war with herself. On the one hand, she felt like a fearless, cold hearted killer who didn't need anyone, and on the other she was a little girl running to any means of comfort.

He stalked his way towards her, his arms outstretched and his eyes stricken with gratefulness. When they collided, he almost crushed her in a deep hug. She lay her temple against his heaving chest.

There was nothing like a meaningful hug at the end of a long day, or in this case, after a horrendous morning.

She thought back to a time when her Dad wasn't trying to kill and eat her, when he used to hug her and bring her elotes to bed when things weren't okay. She felt her eyes well up and she clung to Kit harder. She couldn't stop herself from letting a few tears go. But there were other people there, and she couldn't show her feelings, especially not when they looked to her for a cure. She sniffed away her emotions, bottling them up for another day and lifted her head to properly look at Kit.

"I knew you'd find us," he smiled, though his voice faltered, like he didn't fully believe it. His eyes turned a shade darker as he assessed her face. "You okay? Looks like your nose is broken," he said, poking it lightly with his thumb.

Asha winced away from his touch; it was sore, but it wasn't broken. "I'll live," she said, giving him a small smile to satisfy his worry.

He narrowed his stare before glancing behind her. "Who's the guy?"

"Finn, the Hospital Hermit."

"He looks green," Kit noted.

Asha turned to look, Max and Finn were nearing them. He was right, Finn did have a greenish hue to his skin.

"He's not used to killing, apparently," she shrugged.

"Seriously?"

"Hermit," she reiterated before letting go of him and straightening herself out.

"Daisy?" asked Max as soon as he got to them, his grave stare on Kit for an answer.

"Nice to see you too!... Somehow, she's still alive," he replied. "But getting her here took its toll. She's sort of on the brink."

Asha couldn't imagine how hard it was escaping with her in tow and then having to hoist her up into the high wooden structure. But they'd done it.

"Max?" a lavender-like voice came from above.

Asha looked up to the rustic window of the treehouse to see a flash of fiery hair paired with a pleased, yet harrowed looking Piper. Blood spotted her wrinkled face and coated her hands.

"Pipes, we got everything!" He replied, holding up his backpack and racing to the uneven wooden holds up to the tree house.

Piper retreated back into the darkness and Asha stood still, revelling in the woodland sanctuary.

Finn held his arms around his chest unsure of what to do, his eyes looking from Asha to Kit with an uncomfortable stare.

She broke the awkwardness. "Finn, this is Kit. Kit, this is Finn. He kindly gave us the medicine, and almost killed us in the process," she said, giving them both a joking smile.