This was going to be my first fic that wasn't Paulkins or Dadgens but I failed I just love them okay :)
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
-Injury
-Blood
-Guns
-Alcohol (but not being drunk)
-Mentioned character deaths
-Implied child neglect
This story contains MILD spoilers for Witch In The Web (nothing plot related just a mentioned character)
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Emma flinched as she heard footsteps approach the wreckage. She couldn't fight. There was no chance she'd win from one of those aliens, let alone multiple. The wound in her thigh was still losing way more blood than was safe, and there was no way she could defend herself.
"Babe, someone is here!" a boy shouted. He didn't seem much older than seventeen, and he kneeled next to Emma. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Emma... Emma Perkins," she mumbled, her voice shaking. "I- I need you to sing something."
The boy nodded, humming a tune, before singing a few lyrics. Emma nodded, before looking at the two girls that came walking towards them.
"It's okay," the boy said, noticing her scared expression. "They're with me. That's my girlfriend, Lex." He pointed at the older girl, who was holding another girl close to her. "And that's her sister. Her name is Hannah."
"Okay..." Emma mumbled, hissing in pain as she sat up and shifted her leg.
"We can take you with us. Those things are-"
"Ethan, we can't just take her with us! You saw what they did to mister Houston. This could be a trap."
"Lex, she's injured."
"Woah, hold on," Emma interrupted. "Mister Houston? As in Tom Houston."
"Yeah, he is -or was- our shop teacher. Those blue bastards got into our school and attacked him. We've been on the run ever since. How do you know him? You seem a few years too old to be in high school. How old are you? Twenty?"
"I'm thirty-one. And he's my brother-in-law."
Hannah tugged on Lex's sleeve. "We have to go. They're coming. Blue. Theater. Explosion."
"Okay, Hannah." Lex looked at Emma. "We can take you to our trailer? Our mom got killed a few hours ago, so she should be gone by now." She let go of her sister and gestured for Ethan to help her get Emma up.
"Fuck, that hurts!" Emma shouted as they pulled her into a standing position.
"No cursing around the kid," Ethan warned. "But yeah, I can imagine it hurts. That thing stabbed through your leg completely. How did that even happen?"
"Helicopter crash," Emma panted. "Can we just go?"
Hannah followed as Lex and Ethan guided Emma to Hatchetfield's trailer park. Every step was agonizing and it took at least twice as long as it should have, but soon they stopped in front of one of the beat-up trailers and Lex told Hannah to unlock the door.
Once Emma was sitting on the couch in the small living room, she looked around. "You live here?"
"Yeah," Lex said, shrugging. "Listen, if you're gonna make fun of our trailer, blame my mom, okay? She refuses to pay the bills, and you can't get much more than this when you work in a fucking toy store and have to take care of your sister and mom while also going to high school. I might have to drop out soon."
"No! It's... cozy?"
Lex laughed. "Who are you kidding... So, how can we help you with your leg? I mean, you're the adult here."
"Well... I think- Do- Do you have something to clean it? Disinfectant? Rubbing alcohol?"
Ethan walked towards the kitchen, opening one of the cabinets. "We've got vodka?"
"Yeah, I guess that'll work! I mean, alcohol is alcohol, right?" Emma took the bottle from him.
"That's what I'm saying!"
"I guess... I guess we'll have to get the pipe out first." Emma's hands trembled as she grabbed the metal, which sent a jolt of pain up her leg. Without thinking too much about it, she pulled the rebar out in a swift motion, not able to stop the screams from escaping her throat.
Ethan was rubbing her back, not sure what to do. Lex screwed the cap from the bottle of vodka and poured it over Emma's leg without warning. Her face scrunched up in pain as she gasped for breath.
Hannah watched them from the door to the bedroom of her and Lex. She walked into a room, and came back a minute later, when Emma's breathing had evened out again, and the worst pain had faded. She handed her an old legging. "Gotta stop the bleeding."
Emma smiled at her. "Thank you... Hannah was it, right?" Hannah smiled as she nodded. "Thanks, Hannah." She wrapped the fabric around her leg, just above the injury. She bit the lip as she used the bloody pipe to tighten the tourniquet in an attempt to slow down the flow of blood.
"How did you guys survive this long?" she asked once she was done. "I didn't think there would be more survivors."
"We just hid in my dad's garage," Ethan started. "When they eventually broke the door down, my dad told us to run. So we did. I don't know if he made it."
Lex nodded. "He protected us. I'd do the same for Hannah." She squeezed her sister's hand.
Emma nodded, taking a sip from the half-full bottle of vodka. "My story is a bit more complicated. I hid at my professor's house for a while, but apparently, he really likes musicals. So we ran away. Me, and-"
"And Paul?" Hannah asked.
Emma raised an eyebrow. "Yeah... How did you know?"
"Webby told me. Don't worry, he'll survive."
Emma looked at Lex in confusion, before turning back to Hannah. "Who's Webby?"
"She's a spider. She tells me things. Her brother did this. He made the world into a musical."
Emma nodded slowly. "Okay..."
"Just go along with it," Lex whispered into her ear.
Emma smiled sadly. "You said Paul will make it out?"
"Yeah! He won't be able to stop it, but help will arrive."
"What do you mean he won-"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Open the door!" someone shouted.
Lex and Ethan shared a glance, and Lex stood up, grabbing a gun from a drawer as the knocking continued. She opened the door, the gun ready in case anyone attacked them.
"I'm Colonel Schaffer, I work for P-E-I-P. I'm here to get you kids outta here."
Lex nodded, telling Ethan to help Emma while she guided Hannah outside.
How Ethan managed to get her to the helicopter a few blocks away was a mystery, but eventually, a few soldiers helped her climb inside.
Her lips curled up into a smile as she saw who was waiting for her. He was dirty and bloody, but he was there, awkwardly waving at her.
Ethan sat her down next to him, and Ethan, lex, and Hannah sat behind them.
Emma rested her head on Paul's shoulder. "We actually made it, Paul!" she laughed, despite the pain and exhaustion.
And they did.
Ethan enjoyed working on the old truck they got with their farm, all the way in Colorado.
Paul and Emma got to share their first kiss, and many more.
And Lex and Hannah... they got the parental figures they never had.