Mia gazes at herself in the mirror as she ties her hair up in a bun, not worrying about the few strands of brown hair that hang loosely. Brushing a piece behind her ear, she glances to her stump, sighing as she now realizes how much it's going to stand out. Since Ash had so graciously given her a t-shirt, there was no way for her to cover up her injury.
Ripping her eyes from where her hand used to be and staring at the sink basin, she grabs the knob for the water and turns. Setting her hand under the faucet, she gathers a handful of freezing cold liquid and splashes it on her face, gasping at the shock that runs through her from the action. Blinking, she leans her other elbow against the sink, droplets of water dripping from her nose and plummeting to the water gathering in the basin below her. Using her only hand, she turns off the seat and lifts her head, looking deep into her own brown, empty eyes. Suddenly, a flicker of gold flashes in her irises.
Filthy bitch.
The voice, deep and menacing, jerks Mia out of her trace, causing her to spin around completely until her back hits against the sink. Her heartbeat accelerates, blood pumping in her ears as her chest rises and falls at a fast rate. Who was that? It sounded familiar. Just like...the demon that had possessed her. And the yellow she'd seen in her eyes...
"No," she tells herself out loud, turning around and reaching for the towel. Wiping the water and sweat from her face, she adds, "It's just your paranoia. That thing's gone, David exorcised it."
Breathing deeply to calm her nerves, Mia hangs the towel back up, hurriedly exiting the the bathroom and slamming the door behind her. Noticing that the room is bare, Ash nowhere to be seen, she worriedly calls out, "Ash?!"
Ash walks into the hallway to see Mia in her panicked state. "Miss me that much? I was grabbing my keys, waitin' for you to get ready."
As soon as her eyes set on him, Mia's panic seemingly washes away from her, though her heart is still racing. She moves from the bathroom door, glad to be away from that cramped little place.
"Let's go," she breathes, still in the process of slowing her heart rate. "I need better clothes than just a shirt and pants."
Before she can reach the front door, a thought hits her, and she glances over her shoulder at the man. "By the way, do you have a sweatshirt, or at least something with sleeves that I can put on over my t-shirt? Because, I mean..." Mia gestures to her stump, shrugging. "Y'know."
"Oh, so that's what your goin be self conscious about." He rolls his eyes, but walks over the old leather sofa and picks up an old, ratty hoodie, handing it to her. "Here. This'll work."
Mia arches a brow and snatches the hoodie from him, lifting it over herself and slipping her arms and head through it. "Thanks."
Pulling the hood over her head, she stuffs her hand and wrist in the front pocket, staring at the wooden floorboards as she makes her way to the door. Opening it with her elbow, she steps out on the porch, slowly making her way down the creaky steps, stoping a few feet in front of his car. His...rather old car, it seems. She cracks a smirk, shaking her head.
"Geez," Mia raises her voice so Ash can hear, approaching the vehicle and lightly brushing her fingers across the fading paint of its hood. "You really are old school, aren't you?"
"Well she is the 'Oldsmobile,'" he says with a smirk.
The brunette covers her mouth to prevent him from hearing her laugh, leaning her forehead against the window. Strange, that she's able to laugh now. Laugh after she's lost the only person left her family. Laugh after she basically killed all of her friends. Laugh that a tree, a fucking tree, assaulted her. Laugh that a demon possessed her, left her, created a bod of its own in her image, then caused her to lose her hand.
Odd that this all crashes onto her, now of all times.
Mia's smile fades, a slight gasp emitting from her. She bites her lip and closes her eyes tightly, reaching for the door handle to the passenger's seat and pulling it open.
Why is it all coming back to me now?
Jumping in the seat and slamming the door shut, she attempts to distract herself, turning on the radio and flipping through channels until she finds a station playing Fallout Boy's "Less than Sixteen Candles". Mia's eyelids slip shut, her head leaning back against the cushion of the seat, her body sinking into the old material.
Stop it, brain. Stop thinking about this. It's all over now. You're putting this whole fucked up experience behind you. It's. Over.
Ash rolls his eyes and hops in to the driver's seat, recognizing the song. "Really? Fallout Boy?"
He then moves his eyes up and down, using a voice that Mia supposes is an impression of a girl. "So, do you, like, totally have a crush on, like, Patrick Stump?"
Mia's eyes snap open at his words, a frown now plastered on her face. Reaching for the seatbelt beside her, she buckles herself in, afterwards reaching for the volume control knob and turning the music down.
"I do not act like that," she insists, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "And besides, if you hate them so much, how do you know the name of the main vocalist?"
"Never said I didn't like them," he says matter-of-factly, pulling out of the driveway and speeding down the road. Mia grumbles, keeping her arms crossed and rolling on her side in her seat. She exhales, watching lazily as the scenery outside the window passes by her quickly. Leaning her head against the door, she allows her mind to wander, forcing herself to daydream about anything but the events of the cabin.
Somehow, the first image that pops into her head is that of Ash.
Twenty minutes later, they arrive outside the infamous S-Mart. Ash finds a space in the lot to park, taking out his keys, unbuckling himself and turning to Mia. Noticing her unfocused expression, he taps the shoulder of the daydreaming girl.
"Yo, kid!" He waves his hand in front of her face. "Earth to kid!"
As an involuntary response, Mia groans and whips her handless arm out, punching Ash in the chest with her stump. Hearing a grunt in pain, surprise hits her immediately and she swivels around in her seat to observe the damage she's done. Her eyes immediately widen when she spots Ash doubled over, clutching his chest in pain.
"Oh shit...!" she exclaims, unbuckling herself and hesitantly touching his shoulder. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking, and-"
"Shut up!" Ash wheezes. He stands up straight again and clears his throat. "Holy shit, kid, you knocked the fuckin' wind out of me!"
Confirming that she's harmed him minimally, Mia gives a curt nod, sighing through a tight mouth, her cheeks expanding. Smiling crookedly, she glances back at Ash and shrugs, opening the door beside her. "Well, now you know that I have the full ability to kick your ass if I have to."
"Pfft, you wish princess you just got me off guard! I'll kick your ass any days of the week!" Ash says with cocky smile. "Now get the fuck out of the car so we can get goin!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," she scoffs, kicking her legs out of the side of the car, slipping out of the vehicle. Grabbing the door and slamming it shut, Mia strolls around to the other side of the car where Ash stands, observing the store before her. Her lips pull back into a wide grin, her teeth showing. "Wow. This place is...actually legit."
"Of course it is! What did you think it was? A whore house?" he asks, stepping out of the car and setting his hands on his hips.
"More like a bad joke," Mia answers, truthfully, starting her walk towards the store. She glances down at the sleeve with her stump arm, starting to tie a knot around the obviously seen open space. "You really work here?"
"I used to. Now I work at a club as a bouncer," he answers with importance as he starts walking into the store.
Tightening the knot, Mia follows him through the automatic doors, taking in her surrounding as she enters. Honestly, it's exactly what she was expecting: a sort of retake on Walmart, nothing special.
"Okay, then, just as I expected. Another Walmart-slash-K-Mart kinda deal." Mia shrugs, crossing her arms and heading for the clothing section. Behind her, she hears one of the workers speaking to a customer, before saying what nearly has her dying of laughter:
"Shop smart, shop S-Mart!"
She clasps her hand over her mouth, muffling her laughs as she doubles over.
Really?! Ash had to say that for the years he worked here?
Almost as if he can read her thoughts, Ash rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I did have to say that. Every. Single. Time. Or else I'd get fired."
Mia controls her laughter after a few minutes, straightening her posture and clearing her throat. She looks to Ash, a smirk on her lips. "That must've been pretty embarrassing."
"Not really." He clears his throat and cups his hands around his mouth. "SHOP SMART, SHOP S-MART!"
Playfully, she bumps her shoulder into his, covering her mouth to hide her smile. God, he was so stupid. Funny, but stupid. Of course, he still found a way to make her laugh this way. She supposes, in a way, she's grateful for that.
To have him.
Mia shakes her head, suddenly realizing how long she'd been staring at him. To distract herself from these sudden, odd thoughts, she speaks up, rather awkwardly, "So...clothes."
He points to the section full of clothing. "Over there."
A sigh escapes her as she walks over to the rack of clothes, flipping through the different styles and colors of dresses - most of them long-sleeved. She'd need something from now on to cover up this permanent, embarrassing injury.
Picking up various dresses by the hanger, all of them shades of red and black, she turns to Ash. "I'm gonna try these on. Just wait out here, I guess."
With that, she spins on her heel towards one of the dressing room doors, heading inside and leaning against the door to shut it. She gazes at herself in the mirror, exhaling as she starts to undress, thankful that she's not around that man anymore.
...am I thankful?
Outside the dressing room, Ash rummages through a basket of clothing that's half off, picking up a t-shirt and sighing.
Guess I should get a shirt or something while I'm here, he thinks, and walks in the direction of an unlocked dressing room, not realizing it's the same one Mia's in. The second he opens the door, he grows stiff as he comes to be face-to-face with her.
Completely bare.
At the sound of the door opening, Mia swivels on the ball of her foot to face the door. Her eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets as she comes face-to-face with a shocked (and flustered) Ash. Realizing she's completely bare, her clothing strewn on the floor, she quickly covers herself to the best of her abilities, a deep crimson rising in her cheeks.
Oh god, he's seeing me naked...my ugly body...
"Get out!" she screams, pushing him back with her hand.
Holy crap, she's not wearing any clothes.
Ash gasps and walks back out the door, yelling with a cracked voice, "M'KAY!"
Mia scowls, slamming the door as hard as she can. Her eyes bore dangerously into the area where Ash was, anger surging through her. How stupid was he that he walked in on her naked? Is she really blushing?
I can't believe this, she thinks, running a hand through her hair, lifting up one of the dresses she picked out from the hook on the wall. Why did this happen? Why, out of all of the people in the world, did I end up with him to help me?
Using only one hand, Mia's somehow able to slip the red dress over her, tying a knot around the area where her hand should be. Smoothing put the creases in the skirt, she takes a brief glance at herself in the mirror before turning around, her dress swiveling around with her. Holding her breath, Mia opens the door to see Ash on the bench, a hand through his hair.
He's kind of cute when he's embarassed...
She blinks. What's she thinking? Where are all of these thoughts coming from?
"Ash?" she speaks up.
God, why does she have to be hot?
He shakes his head again.
Hot? What the hell are you thinking? You know you can't be in a relationship ass hat! You're a fucking demon magnet!
Exhaling, he then thinks, But then again she's been though the same thing basically. Maybe not as much, but still deadites are deadites.
But she's too young!
Noticing his troubled, zoned expression, Mia approaches him and waves a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to the 'adult'?"
He snaps out of his thoughts, looking over to her. "Oh, uh...sorry."
Really? "Oh, uh, sorry"? Smooth there, killer!
Mia rolls her eyes, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She looks to her injured arm, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Glaring at Ash, she tells him, "Look, I'm just gonna try on a few dresses right now. Make sure that if you're gonna try on any clothes, get your own room."
With a scowl, she turns and heads back into the room, burying her face into her palm.
Damn it, I'm falling for him.
After she leaves, Ash runs his hand though his hair again, chucking the stupid t-shirt next to the trash can. Oh, fuck, she hates me!
~
"You really didn't know I was in that dressing room?" asks an astonished Mia as she opens the back door of the Oldsmobile, throwing in the bag full of three dresses and combat boots. Closing the door, she moves to the passenger's side and opens that one, hopping in the seat. She waits until Ash jumps in the driver's seat to say, "I mean, I know you're stupid, but that was...a huge screwup."
"Hey, I'm not stupid!" He hops in the front seat and frowns. "Look, it was a mistake, okay? And anyway...I gotta ask you somethin' important."
Mia turns to him after buckling herself in, staring at the old, dirty sneakers Ash let her borrow. She takes a deep breath. "Yeah? What is it?"
"Well," he sighs, "I wanted to know, since you have nothing else to do with your life...you wanna be my deadite-hunting partner?"
The question hits Mia like a ton of bricks, surprise etched in her features. He asked her to be his hunting partner. As in hunting deadites. Those things that possessed her friends, causing them to kill each other. The deadites that possessed her, causing her to nearly kill her own brother. The thought of going back to them again frightens her, her spin shivering just at the thought of it.
Yet at the same time, she knows she's capable of fighting them. She easily killed the deadite who took her over, so she should be able to kill more than one just as easy. They'd get what they deserve. They'd be sent back to hell, which is where they belong for what they did to her and her friends. And it won't just be her - she'll have an experienced deadite hunter along with her.
Mia smiles at the thought, gazing at Ash. This could work.
"Teach me how to slay a demon properly, get me a prosthetic hand and you've got yourself a deal," she says with a grin.
"Done," Ash smiles, still concentrating on the road. "But you know, I think I can do better then buy you a prosthetic hand. I can make you one!"
Mia frowns, he eyebrows furrowed as she's now thoroughly confused.
"...you serious?"
"Psh. Hell yeah, I can!" His grin widens as he holds up his own metal hand. "Who do you think made this?"
"I thought a professional did it, but..." Mia shrugs, not really believing him. Sure, she obviously believes in demons now, but time travel? "You learn somethin' new every day."
"Well," he says cockily, "I am a professional!"
Mia rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "Suuuuure you are."