Insane - Uncharted 4 AU (Rafe Adler x OC)

Insane - Ch. 1

It's been ten days. Ten days and I've already managed to get myself into trouble.

I stared distastefully at the blood oozing out of the bandage on my shoulder wound. It was a hastily done job, but I was on the run and the first aid kit I stole didn't exactly contain the most high-tech medical equipment.

"Crap," I muttered out loud as I tried to stem the blood flowing from my shoulder. The crunch of my sneakers ceased its echoing throughout the alley as I stopped to press more gauze to my wound. The flickering street lamp allowed me enough light to read my watch. 

The hands pointed to three-fifteen.

A jumble of thoughts flurried around my brain, each idea fighting to convince me what to do next. I had to find a place to hunker down before the sun rises to stay out of sight. The stinging pain in my shoulder reminded me what happened with the last attempt at that. 

Who would've thought that a furniture shop owner lived right above their store, much less carried a fucking gun? Now I had flesh wound-- that's most likely infected-- to pay for my neglect. Luckily, the injury wasn't more serious than that. A flesh wound I could deal with. Going to a hospital to deal with a bullet lodged in my shoulder was out of the question. 

Suddenly, the fatigue of the day caught up with me and snapped me out of my thoughts. My stomach rumbled, calling out for food, and my feet throbbed with soreness. Looks like I had to forfeit a cozy place to sleep tonight in exchange for some secure cover. I slunk through the alleys until I crossed paths with a quiet suburban neighborhood.

Suburban neighborhoods were ideal because they had backyards with low walls that were easy to scale. The clueless residents there also preferred to pay attention to their screens and monitors inside, oblivious to anything that occurred outside of their little digital world. 

I climbed over a white brick wall and landed with a soft thud onto some of the greenest grass I ever did see. Even in the dimness of the light, the grass seemed to be an impossibly unnatural shade of green. I knelt down to feel it, and it was actual grass, not artificial like I expected. 

I stood up and brushed off my hands, and I immediately stumbled backwards at what I saw. The house was huge. Mansion was a more accurate term for it. Its looming pearl white walls matched the flawless paint job of the ivory brick wall that surrounded the entire place. A strip of concrete abruptly cut off the perfectly manicured, yet unnaturally green lawn. The concrete led past the side of the mansion to a large driveway. At the end of the driveway was an iron-wrought fence that connected to the brick wall.

It wasn't often that I robbed a wealthy house. My spirits lifted as I realized what a great opportunity this was. If I could snag some cash or jewelry, I would be set for a while. 

My attention snapped to a bedroom window that was three floors up. A hazy, gold glow slightly obscured by sheer curtains cast a rectangular patch of light on the lawn. "Shit," I cursed, and slid back to the brick wall to remain in its shadow. My eyes darted around and I spotted a shed on the other side of the lawn. It was locked tightly, but the overhanging roof sheltered a small space between the shed and the brick wall. Round, neatly trimmed bushes surrounded each side of the shed. 

It would make a perfect spot to hide for the night. I crept along the brick wall until I reached the spot, and I slipped through the bushes. Feeling safe under the overhanging of the roof and sandwiched between the bushes and the wall, I slid down to the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief as the aching in my feet was immediately subdued. My stomach growled again, demanding I give it something to digest. I dug through my pack and pulled out a pack of beef jerky I lifted from a liquor store.