The Necronomicon

Chapter Twenty Two

They were leaving tomorrow — Frederick was working; Meredith instead opted to visit Olivia. The girl was the closest thing she had to a friend, and she needed the company to steer her thoughts from Anastasia and Ben. As Meredith was on her way, Audrey stumbled upon her. She smiled as she laid her eyes on the girl, and walked a little closer. "Meredith," She began, and Meredith nodded, shaking herself out of her stupor.

"Yes?"

"We need some people to pull their weight, like I said last night: I'm hunting, right now, for people to pull the crops just down there." She pointed vaguely over her right shoulder. "Will you do it?"

Meredith, rubbing her eyes, stood straighter. "Uh — sure, of course." She hadn't really been listening.

"Perfect." Audrey grinned. "Come with me, then."

I guess I'll visit Olivia later.

Meredith stood up, and followed her, trying to push the thoughts of Ben Halbert from her mind. They had not affected her much, but they still lingered, like a bad penny. "What will I need to do?"

"Reap the crops," Audrey said, passing her a scythe. Meredith looked down at it, as if she had never believed her delicate hands could hold something so menacing, gleaming in the light. A shining silver blade, sharp and vicious. Meredith clutched it tightly, her knuckles paling with the effort.

She followed Audrey timidly, the scythe at her side. Meredith walked slowly, holding it ever closer to her side, scared she would hurt the rebels filing past, walking so close to the polished point of death.

"Just here," Audrey said, halting. Meredith stepped forward, until she was standing right beside her leader. Audrey gestured to the fields before them, laden with crops, just ready to be reaped. "I have two other people on the same shift."

Meredith turned to the right, where two men were walking towards her, with smiles painted on their faces. Alfred Floodwhistle reached her first, and she felt her stomach plummet. She turned away, her cheeks reddening slightly, as up walked the other man, sweeping his hair out of his eyes, pulling the hat on his head further down.

Ben Halbert met Meredith's eyes, and turned away, sighing. She kept her eyes straight ahead, her fingers tightening around the scythe.

So much for not thinking about him.

Audrey gestured forwards. "We'll meet as a group of three every two weeks — Meredith, I understand you may not be here next time, and that's okay. Just, try to work hard this time, okay? I know you're not used to manual labour."

Meredith smiled wanly.

Sweat dripping down her back, she began to reap the crops. To the left of her Alfred silently harvested, and to her right Ben worked. He kept throwing glances at her — she ignored them — bending further down to continue the back-breaking work. Her hair kept drifting into her face, obscuring her vision; she should have tied it up.

Audrey had walked away. Meredith kept going as the minutes wore on, Ben's sickle moving dangerously close to her own at one point. "Meredith," He said, but she did not answer. Evidently he took this lack of response as a means to go on, and continued. "I'm sorry. You just... looked so beautiful. And you always do. Look stunning, I mean."

She stood up, an idea coming to her. Her eyes blazed, fire burning brightly within them, and spoke. "So you only want me for my beauty?"

"Want you? No, no: need you," He said earnestly. "I didn't say for your beauty, no: you're — you're — you're, um, smart, as well, and kind, and —"

"Then why did you only mention my beauty before?"

Ben did not answer; Meredith continued, ignoring him. When the man threw his sickle down and stalked away, Alfred leaned across her.

"What is it now?" She asked irritably, and he smiled politely.

"I'm just collecting his blade; so no-one accidentally comes across it and gets hurt."

"Oh." Said Meredith gruffly. "Oh, that's alright then."

Alfred did not attempt to speak to her for the rest of the session, and when Audrey came back to collect their blades Meredith found Frederick waiting for her, standing just beside the woman.

He looked at her with a smile creasing his face, and pulled her close to his chest. Her fingers traced his arms, grazing his skin, and she buried her head into his shoulder. "You okay?" He whispered, his breath tickling her neck, and she nodded, her chin gently pressing against him.

"I've never been better," Meredith lied, and she felt him smile into her hair.

In the distance she could see Alfred walking off; she did not watch him go, but squeezed her eyes shut against Frederick's shoulder.

Frederick released her from his embrace, and she put her hand on his abdomen, as if pushing him away — but really, she just needed some space to consider. "I might get some more sleep — I didn't sleep well." She told him, and he nodded.

"Neither did I."

"Were you thinking of me too much?" Meredith asked, and he shook his head.

"Of course not." He said it with a smirk on his face. She knew he didn't mean to smite her, but it hit her like a truck — it felt like rejection. And until she'd visited this camp, she'd never felt that sort of pain before.