A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

22. Good Soup

"Oh God, you...you scared the shit out of me," he breathed out. He pushed aside a strand of his dark hair from his face, seeming to calm down and his once raised shoulders relaxing as well. Mara remained speechless, hiding herself behind the blanket only for her eyes to peek from above. He made note of this and took a step back, raising his hands to appease her. He softly frowned and then placed a hand on his chest.

"I'm not here to hurt you, I promise," he reassured, words softly spoken as if being too loud would cause the girl to shrink back under the blanket. She was still on edge, gripping the blanket tightly as if it would protect her from imminent danger.

Mara felt a drastically different aura from the male before her. His eyes were a dark brown but his gaze held no ill intentions—from what she could see—nor did he come off as extremely invasive. He attempted to give the girl space, something Mara realized and appreciated. The male was quite tall and yet he didn't loom over her oppressively. Until that moment, he didn't portray himself as a menace, but the girl retained paranoia in her jittery limbs and foggy memory.

"This morning you were still unconscious so I was just coming in to check how you were doing," he softly stated, lowering his hands and offering a gentle smile paired with glowing rosy cheeks. Mara deeply sighed at the gesture. He remained in place, motioning to her as he continued, "But now you're awake, and we're really glad you are."

We?

Oh no, is he one of them too?

Oh God.

His friendly expression faltered and his brows furrowed, "We found you just outside our walls, and it looked like you were being chased by some pretty bad people."

Mara felt her heart drop with relief, her body instantly losing its stiffness as she fell backwards towards the bed with a sigh. It explained the change in setting and the ease that Mara felt when introduced to someone new. She couldn't quite fathom what she had been saved from, nor that she had been saved altogether. She'd been at the brink of death as those savages attempted to corner her into submission. She was in shambles and easy to take advantage of.

Mara shivered when recalling the numbness that nearly drove her to end her own life. If that gun had been loaded, she wouldn't have been laying comfortably in a warm bed.

I'm trying to decide if that's a good thing.

"You were also severely malnourished, and that's probably why you were in a coma for a week," he spoke sympathetically, worried eyes staring at Mara.

The girl froze, sitting back up out of shock, croaking voice gasping out, "A week?"

The male seemed relieved to hear her talk as he sighed, his smile returning.

"Yes, a week. I thought you wouldn't wake up at all, you seemed so peaceful sleeping," the male wondered, distracted momentarily by his own thoughts before suddenly speaking again.

"We'll, is it okay if I...come close and check a few things? I'll be as quick as possibly so you don't feel uncomfortable," he reassured, testing her comfort as he inspected her. Mara paused to think for a second, feeling no sense of urgency or dread when he stared at her, waiting patiently for an answer. He seemed to be a very patient person.

Mara nodded slowly, removing the blanket from herself as the male approached slowly. He waited for Mara to settle into herself, watching as she sat back against the wall and gave him the go ahead with a glance of her eyes. He approached and with gentle, surprisingly soft hands, he lifted her arm and positioned it in order for her palm to face the ceiling. His slender fingers checked the placement of the IV in her arm, and Mara anxiously looked away when noticing the needle protrude out of her skin. She wasn't scared of needles, but they made her a bit nervous.