Drifter, a Malachi Boardman story

green pinto

"well this isn't to bad"
"no outlander, we could have made you sleep in the barn"

he helped you get the horses to the barn you each rode one back guided by the moonlight alone
it had gotten significantly colder out also
but everything was so beautiful, and him
your eyes lingered on him weary of placing any trust in the near stranger but it was long enough for him to catch you,
you looked away

in the week that you'd been there you felt so different, like everything fit finally in an odd sense, you were close with Rachel now and Amos was pretty nice to

"Malachi, when did Rachel need me over?"
you said breaking the silence
"this Wednesday, i think Rachel likes you pretty well for an outlander"

"you know i have a name right? you can call me diana, it at least sounds better than outlander"
"its what you are"
"you are the only one who calls me that, i hate it Malachi, even Isaac calls me by my name"
the mention of Isaac was more that enough to anger him,
"I WILL call you as I please, Outlander"he said coldly
"ok ginger" you cooly replied
(which angered him more)
he still stayed in the same house as you, your rooms across the hall from one another, it was comforting in a sense to share a house, you were thankful you weren't thrown in with someone obnoxious or creepy,
Malachi kept to his own other than a few passing words and small talk

Time skip

its your second week there and apparently Isaac wants to talk to you,

you woke up at seven, got dressed in your newer dress that rachel helped you make for sermons.
brushed your hair and put it in a half up half down style, you studied yourself in the mirror and then you noticed you resembled Betsy from the Virginian, this discovery made you laugh, you definitely didn't feel as pretty as betsy although the only real difference was you were shorter
a figure appeared in the mirror behind you, it lingered a moment before you seen him standing in the doorway
"oh"
you slightly jumped
"Malachi i didn't see you,do you need anything?"
"no i came to wake you, i thought you slept in"
"oh thank you"
"and what was so funny"
he asked as you passed him in the doorway
"oh i thought i looked like the girl from the Virginian, i know it was silly"
you looked back at him and you seen a smile ever so slightly playing at the corner of his lip „"yea like betsy"
you smiled, for the first time in a long time

you and malichi walked to Isaacs
sermon, talking of the tv programs you used to watch, he watched them with his dad when he was young,

you arrived at the field and took your place beside Rachel,
you listened to their sermon and the longer you were their the more sense it made as to why they believed it,
and then it was over
„you are all dismissed, except you diana"
you looked ar malichi for reassurance, and you were mwt with nervous eyes
„my child how old are you now?"

„i am sixteen Isaac almost seventeen, why do you ask?"
we all go to him our nineteenth year, but until then you will have held a beloved ceromony
„what is that?"
„you are to be married my dear"

"b-but"
"yes my child"
"i was wasn't expecting this Isaac"
" it was come as a shock for now, but i am sure Malachi will east your mind about it, we all will hold the ceremony one day"
you are dismissed, thank you"

yoir PoV
Marriage???? im not old enough to marry, well i guess its not supposed to be here,
and what did he mean by "Malachi will put your mind at ease" did malichi know of this??

„Malachi"
"Malachi?"

„"yes?"

„how the hell could you not tell me?"

„"tell you? how should i have told you?"

„there's nothing to worry of, it must happen"
„NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT?? im not throwing my life away to bear children and be sacrificed?? and you call that NOTHING to worry about??"

„i only meant"
"i don't care Malachi i need to leave"
"where will you go?
„i need to leave for a while, is that ok with you oh great one??"

Malachi looked the other way as i walked out the door

i walked and walked, parting the corn stalks with each step,

i was about yo cross the road when i heard the jumble of an engine, the object was small in the distance, now growing larger, it was a car, not an old one but a new loud pinto,
you made your way across the road quickly, hoping they didn't see you

they did

the car slowed to a stop as a man around thirty or so got out, another man also exited the car, he was probably the same age,

your POV

i don't know what i should do, run and get in the car or tell Isaac,
i didnt know what to do
but i quickly figured it out the moment they looked in my direction,
SNap i glanced down as a corn stalk crunched beneath my feet
fuck
fuck, i need Malachi
they looked right at you, eyes making contact with your own

you ran, and ran, the men followed, you were in the out-lands
there was nobody here to save you,

you stoppped to face them, unchything your saber, and sliced the arm halfway from the man,
he screamed in pain,
you turned to face the other one, but he was nowhere to be seen

until you felt the barrel of a gun pressed against your back

" dont move bitch"

you looked back as a wide smile made its way to his face

your saber was somewhere in the nearby rows, but you didn't have a running chance,

i heard footsteps,
i acted like iwas sobbing to cover up the sound,

Malachi

thoughts raced through your head as you worried about all the outcomes
Malachi wasn't as strong physically as these men, they wouldn't try anything would they?

you were about to find out

the knife made its rare sound as it was drew from the sheath

the man looked back, you took your chance, gripping his arm with the gun
he struggled, but fired off a shot, you didn't know where it went, nor the direction, you punched him and threw him off, as he was up again the familiar blade made its way to his  throat, effectively slicing it,
blood poured as he struggled to breathe, the blood drowning him,
smothering him

Malichi?

you looked back, he was collapsed on his hands ank knees, panting,
"M-Malachi whats wrong"
"sh-shot"

you got him up and as your hand accidentally met the crimson red he yelled in pain, it was bad, and it would kill him without medical attention,

you rushed him to the old man, practically carrying him more than half way,

that was even worse, the fact that malichi would allow an outlander to help him was bad,

you reached the old mans service station, heart racing

„please help him, please" you said without breath

„and Why exactly should i help him?
bastard tried to kill me last week!"
„sir please, hes not got long without you"

„not good enough for me"

„please, i CANT LOSE HIM"
„i need him" you said the last part with tears falling
i-i uh, ill do what i can
„but its bad,

„leave me to it"

as you walked the fields
you located your saber
and slashed the man who was still alive
you drug them back to issac

„very good my child"
"what is of Malachi?"

"he was injured badly, he is at the old mans" you stated with a thousand yard stare at nothing in the distance
"very well"