【2.10】
(n.) the unsettling awareness of your heartbeat
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"Hey...Isa?" The heavy door cracked open to reveal (y/n) clad in her pajamas. She wasn't supposed to be near her friend, but decided to ignore Mother's stern orders. Isabella huffed at her arrival and swiveled her head around to face the wall again.
Isabella was sentenced to the entire night in timeout after injuring another kid. Hayes, an eleven-year-old, was messing with Leslie about how unathletic he was compared to himself. It was just before dinner, when all of the other kids were already eating. Leslie had to take his time down the stairs because he was recovering from a sprained ankle. Apparently, Isabella was looking for him, and heard Hayes teasing him. She shoved him down the stairs and Hayes ended up hurting his wrist.
Mother was extremely upset, announcing to Isabella that Hayes would've been adopted that night, but couldn't after his injury because he needed to recover. It was the first time anybody had heard Mother raise her voice. Still angry, Isabella took the punishment and stormed up the stairs, locking herself in her room.
"I brought you food. Leslie and I wanted you to have some." (y/n) says. She leaves the plate on Isabella's nightstand and backs up, keeping her distance.
"Hayes is a rotten child. He doesn't deserve to be adopted." Isabella spoke bitterly. Anger still laced her tongue.
"That's a little dramatic." And ironic. (y/n) attempted to lighten the mood, but realized she failed when Isabella didn't respond and completely ignored her food. For a while, (y/n) just hung out in Isabella's room, waiting for her to eventually say something. She had tried bribing her with everything: promising Isabella more dinner, sleepovers, desserts. Isabella wouldn't budge. It was times like this when her stubbornness wasn't as endearing.
Bored out of her mind, (y/n) picked up a book off of Isabella's desk and flipped to the page with a folded corner. She fell onto Isabella's bed, and started to read out loud. She read for ten, maybe twenty, minutes before the tension finally left Isabella. She had laid next to (y/n) to hear the story better, and eventually passed out on her shoulder.
(y/n) knew that if she drifted off, she'd receive an earful from Mother in the morning. Despite that, extra chores and some yelling didn't seem that bad as long as she could spend the night with her friend. She drifted off peacefully, resting her head on Isabella's. The only thought crossing her mind was if she'd wake up as happy as she was then.
‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊
I can smell food when I come to, and at first wonder if I was at my parent's place. Think again. I chide myself. The food smells too burnt to be anything of theirs, and I can't hear my mother's pleasant chatter, or my father's subtle responses. My body aches all over, especially in my legs. I don't want to move, and I don't think I can. I wish they were here to coddle me.
I wonder for a second if I was spoiled as a child- to be in my thirties, and wanting to be taken care of- but I realize I have nobody to compare myself to, and brush it off. Every human in this world that could judge me is at least two years my junior. I never thought about how lonely I was. Christ, I miss my parents.
When my eyes finally peel open, they burn from smoke. My vision blurs. I'm still able to see a Ray-shaped blob on the other side of the fire, sitting as still as the trees that surround us. My stomach cramps and screams at me to eat.
Cursing like a sailor, I inch my body towards Ray, taking several pathetic breaks. My body feels like it's on fire. I give up when I'm about halfway towards him. Ray has just stopped staring into space, and starts moving around. He pulls food off the fire and sets it on a semi-clean rag. He hands it to me.
I eat slowly. The meat is shockingly tough. I probably look deranged in Ray's eyes at the moment. Barely able to sit up, tearing into overdone, wild bird. He grabbed a rag for himself to eat off of, but has yet to take a bite.
"They took Emma." He croaks. I cease eating.
"Who?"
"The demons from Goldy Pond." My throat closes up.
"...And how exactly did they find us?" I rasp. Ray shudders. His eyes are puffy from crying, and transparent tear tracks stain his porcelain cheeks.
"The man, he...led them to us. During the first attack." I kiss my teeth, then lean my head on a tree root. Ray tells me that the man is somewhere on his own now. He's close, but not with us.
"He told us to run just seconds before Emma got taken. It was too late." He pauses for a second before continuing.
"They went for you too. We heard you crash, then the man fought them off. He left afterwards, so I dragged you back here and started cooking what you caught." My eyes drift to my legs, which are still aching. The snap I find, wasn't a bone, but one of my stilts. A pain in the ass, sure, but nothing that some good tape couldn't repair temporarily. I stood up, defiant of my body's wishes.
"Hey- where are you going?" I was honestly tired of getting angry. I didn't want to wring the man by his neck, I just wanted Emma back.
"I'm going to drag that man by the ear if necessary to eat with us. He needs to build his strength for when we save the kids at Goldy Pond."
"A-"
"All of them." I stomp away, tripping on a branch a few seconds later. Ray is quiet for a beat.
"I'll go get him." He utters. I don't move from the ground.
"Yeah, you do that." As Ray is looking for the man, I try my best to maneuver closer to the crackling fire. Emma. Gone. It's hard to swallow. Emma was our beacon of light on our wayward journey. She was the leader, the vision. She was the reason I was here in the first place.
"Whatever you're thinking about, forget it." The man trudges over thick tree roots, walking towards me. Ray is in front of him. They both take a seat on either side of me.
"We are going to rescue Emma." I state. Ray nods in affirmation at my side.
"Well, aren't you two just two peas in a damn pod." The man barks. He aggressively tears off a piece of the bird. He chews for a while, then swallows. Ray and I watch him.
"It's impossible to get her back. We'll die trying. The best I can do is return the living kid to the others. (y/n), you can go home and see your parents. I know you miss them." He says. I falter, but don't back down.
"We are going to rescue Emma. I know, and you know, that Goldy Pond will never change if somebody doesn't force it to. We can tear it down- kill the demons- the whole operation. We can save Emma and leave with more kids than we came with." My voice has raspy quality. He continues to eat with knit brows. I sigh.
"There are families there like yours: families that need help. Imagine how different things would have been for your family if people like us swept in to save the day." He relaxes his face and sways his head sadly.
"...You don't think I've considered that? I know those demons, (y/n). They're ruthless. They'll tear us limb from limb if they find us. What good will we be to Ray then? When we're nothing but fertilizer?"
"Let's ask Ray, then. Ray?" Ray tenses his jaw. Eyes darting between the two of our figures: my exhausted frame and steadfast face, and the man's steady hand and tired eyes. He gulps.
"We are going to leave with Emma, or die trying." He states, somewhat steadily. I ease my face. The man suspires heavily.
"Neither of you have any idea what you're getting into."
"No, but you do, and you're a part of this too. So what's the plan?" I remark. He begins to write with a long stick in the drying mud.
‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊
Time without Emma isn't fun, but it's necessary. Ray is exhausted, the man and I are injured, and I still have a broken stilt. As much as I wanted to steal Emma away as soon as I was able to walk again, I relented. We wouldn't be any help in our current states. That didn't make the waiting any easier.
Still, we passed the time.
The first two days were brutal. I was shifting between consciousness and unconsciousness at all times, passing out wherever. We didn't leave our small campsite, so I had pretty much slept everywhere. Ray and the man were the same. We didn't talk much the first day.
The second day was somehow worse. We were all still tired, but too awake to fall asleep. The boredom was almost unbearable. Ray and the man dug through their bags multiple times, reorganizing and throwing things out. I just watched, knowing there wasn't anything of value in my messy bag.
Still. My mind wandered as the two boys traded items with each other. This was the third time they had done this. What harm could it bring? It's always nice to have a neat bag. So, despite my earlier denial, I dump my bag, and as I'm digging through my bag, my hand grips a small, cardboard box. I suddenly remember the kids. The ones small enough to cling onto my legs as I walk, and fall asleep in my arms.
"What does this do?" Yvette shakes a glass vile. I jump. I gently take it from her hands and fit it back into its designated place in a small, wooden box.
"It's a sedative. It puts people to sleep." I hide the box with the viles, as well as the box with the needles in my bag. I trust the kids, but they're curious at heart...and experimental. After all of my "dangerous" items are tucked safely into my bag, I relax, and look around.
If any of the older inhabitants of the shelter were to walk in, they'd probably notice Thoma, Lanni, Alicia, and Chris chasing each other up and down the bunks first, Yvette and Dominic playing and helping me pack my bag second, and Jemima acting as my little shadow last. She was observant and quiet, carefully helping me fold clothes. Hers were a little more sloppy, but I still glowed with pride. Her tongue stuck out as she worked; was very serious about folding neatly.
In the corner of the room, The group that was previously running around quieted, and huddled in the corner instead. They were messing with something, giggling amongst themselves. That's usually not a good sign. I lean over to peek between their shoulders.
"Oh! (y/n), look what we found!" Thoma smiles and holds up his hand of cards. I chuckle.
"Where'd you dig those up from?" I ask. Alicia drops her cards. The boys playing with her sneak a peek.
"We found them under one of the bunks! We're playing go fish!" She chirps.
My hand squeezes the box of cards. The smooth cardboard flexes under my grip. The kids must have snuck the deck into my bag somehow. I smile fondly.
"Hey," I wave the small deck above Ray and the man's heads, "look what I found in my bag." Ray smiles fleetingly. The man mutters something about the cards being with me this whole time. I choose to ignore him, because I'm in a good mood.
Throwing the deck onto the ground, we huddle and I shuffle the cards. We start with go fish, then progress to golf, gin rummy, and spades. We even played a few rounds of blackjack. After losing once again at the latter, the man stares blankly at his cards.
"You don't suppose Emma will just give up and come back to us?" He mutters.
"Not a chance." Ray and I deadpan in synch. The man slumps back, throwing his cards onto the ground.
‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊
My own natural curiosity makes me ponder change in people. How is it so sudden, yet so gradual? How can the trauma from one catalyst permanently change someone's character? Are they wrong for changing? Is it healthy? When is it not?
And what catalyst do I have to set in motion to get Ray and the man to shut the fuck up when we're traveling?
For two people that preach traveling vigilantly, they sure throw those values out the window when they're next to each other. I miss when Emma was the chatty one. She wasn't annoying.
The man had moved us far from Goldy Pond to rest, and to hopefully escape the perimeter of the demon's searching. Now, we're on our way back, and I still don't feel better rested. As it turns out, all of our bag emptyings didn't equate to a single roll of tape. Not medical, not paper, nothing. I was off my stilts for the time being, and was a few centimeters short of the man. He was very happy with said situation. I wasn't.
"Goldy Pond is...right here?" Ray's voice trails off. The man scoffs. We were stopped in front of an area that suggested water of some kind. It was an empty basin, though, devoid of any water. Not really what I would call a pond.
"It's a secret hunting park. From the outside, ya can't hear a thing." My eyes widened and took in the area once again. Sharp rocks protruded from the ground like stalagmites in a cave. From the sky-high trees, thick moss hung not unlike streamers. Could it be? The hunting park is underground?
"But then...no way..." Ray reaches a similar conclusion.
"Yes, it's like the shelter. The hunting park lies inside the earth. You can get inside if they catch you but..."
"That's not an option." I interrupt. The man nods solemnly.
"If we're up to save antenna Girl, we can't let them know we're here. There are ways inside. The entrance used by the monsters...and if it's still there, the path I took when I escaped."
"Heads up, half-pints. We're breaking into Goldy Pond." The man quips.
Or so we thought.
It was more so slipping into Goldy Pond. Though covered in greens and filled with wildlife, the tunnel the man had used to escape was still very much functional. There wasn't any resistance on our way in other than a few vines Ray got tangled in.
As we hid in the forest, slowly making our way to the village, I felt myself shiver. Something felt wrong. The man had shushed me, reminding me that the demons only hunted every few days, but that twisting feeling in my stomach didn't ease up. I could tell Ray was nervous too. He tended to reflect off of those around him.
We lurked diligently, leaving no stick broken or leaf crinkled in our tracks. It was easier for the boys to travel with nothing on their backs. I had my stilts wrapped in my coat tied to my back, so I followed behind the boys at a slower pace. I hadn't walked without stilts outside since I was young. I forgot how textured the earth was.
It was dead silent until the scream. The horror-filled, angsty cry from just yards ahead of us. It wasn't far, and it certainly wasn't human. Ray and the man stopped and allowed me to join them once again. Both had hard expressions and sweaty foreheads. I probably looked the same under my mask. I was almost positive my lip was bleeding from how much I had been biting on it.
"Let's go." I mouthed silently. Ray and the man nodded in affirmation. They once again took the lead. My eyes widened at the sight ahead of me. Crawling behind trees and bushes, wetting my gloved hands with the earth's moisture, I got closer and closer to not just a furious demon, but a child trembling behind a thick bush.
With a gun in the girl's tight grip, she began to cry quietly. Anger, resentment, fear. I was familiar with the hot flashes of mixed emotions on the kid's face. I felt myself move beside her. The girl stifled a scream. Her horrified expression didn't disappear even when Ray and the man were in sight. I flipped my mask up after loosening the straps. The kid let out an audible, relieved sigh. I forget sometimes; that people can't really tell the difference between demon and human when a mask is in the way. Even without my stilts, I put on a convincing act.
"Doesn't seem like your average pleasure hunt...or did things change in the last 13 years?" The man uttered. I pursed my lip, laying a hand on both his and the child's shoulder. I nodded at Ray, who I knew had the right words ready.
"What's the situation? Explain, and be quick about it." The girl was still staring blankly at all of us. Eyes darting between us rapidly.
"Snap out of it! What's the situation?" Ray shakes her harshly. She found her voice from Ray's insistence.
"A revolt. Against these grounds. It was his decision. Lucas has been preparing this plan for 13 years." The man jolts. His jaw drops in pure shock.
"We were able to kill one. But in these next two minutes...if we aren't able to defeat him..." Her voice trails off. She meets my eyes.
"Not just Lucas and Emma, but all of us will be in danger." My throat tightens. My heart aches for Emma. Logically, she's a very resourceful girl, and would be fine against many opponents. What if this one's different? What if she's already gone?
"Change of plan, you two. We need to kill that demon." I assert. The girl looks appalled.
"Wait a minute...it's not going to be that easy!" Fair, I guess, but I'm not going home without Emma.
"We know. But there was no meaningful information in your explanation. You were able to carefully explain...you know Emma. She probably told you about us. Emma joined the revolt, and as far as I know, she's alive." Ray says. The man pulls me aside somewhat roughly.
"Listen, ya ain't going out there." He states. I scoff.
"I'm the best and most experienced fighter here."
"Which is why we can't risk you getting injured. You heard what the kid said. There are more demons, and I can assure you from experience that they're the real deal."
"You have a friend waiting for you."
"You have a family."
"And so do you." The man let's go of my shoulder. His face isn't as harsh as before.
"Then let's both make it out alive. I'll handle this one...you can cover me later, got it?" I smile. It quickly disappears when I hear another enraged roar from the demon. The man makes a shooing motion. I wave, and bound quietly through the clearing, hiding behind plants and such. I slip my mask on as I'm running, and sheath my blades. I trust that the gunshot I hear behind me is the man's, and hope that the loud thump is the body of the demon.
If this next opponent is anywhere near as large as the man described him, it would be incredibly helpful to not be on my feet. I groan. There's got to be a hidden camp around here somewhere. I nearly fall into a giant pit as I'm running. Looking down, I can that within the pit, the large body of a demon is sprawled out. It's unmistakably dead. Beyond the body, two tunnels diverge into mysterious, dark nothingness. Maybe not so hidden...
I leap down, trying my best to avoid getting too close to the demon's extremities, and listen closely for anything. There's talking, and I move fast.
Having a room go silent when you walk isn't always flattering. Maybe the people inside the room respect you, but it's also pretty likely they were shit-talking you. It's arguably worse when they freeze in fear. Regardless, it's always a little awkward.
The room I've intruded on is an infirmity. More than half of the kids occupying it are unconscious, injured, or both. The rest are caring for them.
"DEMON!" A teenager raises his gun. I panic and throw my mask to the ground, albeit with a struggle.
"HUMAN!" I shout, raising my hands. The gun lowers. In the back of the room, a tall figure steps forward. Spikey dark hair frames a scarred face. Lucas.
"Who are you?" He questions. I resist the urge to get too carried away with questions. Focus. We can talk after everyone has left this place.
"An ally, I promise. I can't explain now. Do you have tape? Preferably something strong?" He doesn't look quite trusting, still, he tosses me a roll of duct tape.
"Steller. Thanks, man." I waste no time wrapping my broken stilt as tightly as I can with a generous amount of tape. I can feel cautious eyes on me, which really isn't helping my nerves. As soon as I'm finished, I toss the finished tape roll aside. Don't look back. I leave as quickly as possible, still dead set on finding the missing ginger-haired girl.
I, unfortunately, forgot that I don't know the lay of the land.
I don't know where I'm headed as I'm racing through the village alleyways. It's harder now that my stilts are back on, but the familiar height and black cloak were definitely positives. All I can think about is how one second could be the difference between life and death, and I'm several minutes later than I intended to be. Hang in there, Emma...wherever you are.
There! I do my best to skid to a near quiet stop. Just behind the wall on a roof, Ray and the man are observing something happening in the open space below. I crawl up to join them. The man's sniper follows the face of a masked demon. The masked demon himself is tagging a head of pumpkin-colored hair. My hands ball into tight fists and I clench my teeth.
I'm starting to wish I had a gun.
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【Vault】
✘ (y/n) tried her best to suppress her stress in this chapter so she wouldn't have another murderous outrage.
✘ (y/n)'s stilts are made from a fibrous tree that grows near her parent's place. Sonju made them for her. She's gone through only two pairs in her youth as she values them greatly.
✘ Once (y/n) left home, she wasn't able to leave her shelter without her stilts on, and most of the time at her parent's place during her visits was spent inside, so she honestly hasn't walked around outside without them for more than a minute or two in years.
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WC: 3792
Ok, so...hey y'all...hey...
sorryaboutdisappearingfortwomonthswithoutwarning
I've been mad busy with school, sports, and work, and I haven't been able to overcome the burden that is writing block. I couldn't figure out what to do with this chapter, and I'm already stressing about the next one. That being said, I really enjoyed writing again (though I'm probably a little rusty) and will hopefully have that one out sooner rather than later.
Thank you for your patience,
rem
» 3.5.22