The First ~10K~ (book 3)

2.) Stranger

Ashlyn POV

I watched the lady as she slept. My dad told me to keep my gun on me at all times and hide the other weapons, just in case the lady felt frightened.

This was the first older woman I had ever been near in my whole life. Since I can remember, it's just been me and my dad. He said that we can survive on our own, but lately, I was wondering how right he was. He couldn't protect me all the time, and he was getting old. I noticed how he grunted when he stood up and how fast he got tired. His hair was starting to grey around the edges, but that's normal.

This woman looked like she was in good condition, other than the fact that she was injured. She didn't look very old and she was really pretty. Her golden hair was shoulder length in pulled back into a low pony tail.

She mumbled something in her sleep and her head turned to me. My grip tightened around my gun. Her eyes were still closed, so I eased up a little bit. She was still passed out.

I was hoping my dad would be back soon.

I heard her move around. Her head turned to me and I couldn't help but stare at her. I wondered where she came from. How did she end up here? Why was she injured? What was her name?

I leaned in closer, trying to see the freckles on her nose when her eyes  popped open, revealing icy blue eyes-clear almost.

She shot up, letting out a small scream as she tried to scoot away. I held my hands up and told her to be quiet.

"It's okay," I spoke softly. "You're okay. We helped you."

Her eyes darted around the tent. She took her eyes off me for a moment to look down at her wound. She pulled her shirt up to look at it, seeing the stitches and how it was clean.

"You-you did this?" She asked in a hoarse whisper. She had a husky kind of voice, but that could've just been her voice being too tired.

"Well, my dad did. We used the rest of our medical supplies on you so he went to get more. He'll be back soon." I explained.

The lady relaxed a bit and put her hand to her wound. She winced a bit as she straightened out her legs.

"You used all your supplies on me? Why?" She asked, her lips dry and parted.

"We're good people, I guess," I replied, shrugging.

"Thank you," She said quietly.

We sat there in silence for a while. I was dying to ask her so many questions, but she was probably tired. I didn't want to overwhelm her with questions, I know I do that to my dad sometimes.

"What's your name?" I finally asked. "I'm Ashlyn."

She looked at me with her intense blue eyes, reading me. Trying to decide if I was trustworthy or not. I was just a kid, what did she have to worry about?

"Zoey," She finally answered.

"I like that name," I said, smiling at her.

She didn't smile back, but just looked back at the tent zipper.

"If you want to run, you can," I said, reading her mind. "But you won't last very long. You'll just hurt yourself more than you already are."

Her eyes snapped to me as I said that. She looked back down at her wound and sighed. She knew I was right.

"You said your dad went out?" She asked.

I nodded. "To get more supplies."

"He was the one who fixed me?" She asked.

I nodded again. "He'll be glad to know you're finally awake."

"How long was I out?"

"About 2 hours. The closest town is an hour away so my dad should be back any minute." I replied.

We both looked at the tent zipper. I had hidden all the weapons while she was out, so she wasn't going to be able to hurt me. I had my gun in my back pocket and my knife in my boot. To her, I probably was some defenseless kid.

"It's just you and your dad?" Zoey ended up asking.

I nodded. "Just us."

"Your mom?" She asked.

"She died when I was born," I replied.

Zoey's eyes widened and she looked away. She probably wasn't expecting that, but she's the one who asked.

It went silent again. Zoey took in a sharp intake of breath and gripped her wound. Her whole body seemed to clench in pain.

"Let me see it," I said, getting to my knees.

Zoey hesitated, watching as I slowly crawled to her. "It's okay. I promise I won't hurt you."

She obliged and moved her shirt up past the wound. I lifted the bandage up gently and took a quick look at the wound. It seemed okay. The stitches were still there and the bleeding had stopped. It was probably just sore and tender.

"It looks okay," I told her, going back to my spot. "It's probably just sore, still. My dad can get a better look at it when he gets back."

Zoey nodded, placing her hand back on her wound. Her eyes started fluttering and closing before she would jump and open them again. She was probably exhausted.

"Get some rest," I told her. "I'll keep watch for my dad."

"I'm fine," She said. "I don't want to fall asleep and then your dad come back."

I shrugged. Her loss.

A twig snapping came from outside. I placed my hand on my gun and put my finger to lips, telling Zoey to be quiet. I got to my feet and slowly made my way to the zipper, keeping my gun held tightly in my hands.

I turned back to Zoey who was silent, watching my every move. I nodded and her and she nodded back before I opened the tent zipper.

I looked to my left then to my right. I heard another twig snap and I turned my head towards the sound. I saw something move in the shadows, quick. I took in a deep breath, remembering all the things my dad taught me about strangers. Don't make a noise. Watch them. Know what they're doing.

I slowly stepped towards the back of the tent, my eyes darting to every part of the woods. Another twig snapped to my left. I turned and saw my dad walking through the brush.

"Dad!" I said, running up to him and throwing my arms around him.

"Hey," He said in a surprised tone. "What're you doing out here?"

"Zoey's awake," I said, ignoring his question.

"Who?" He asked.

"The girl," I replied. "She's awake."

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