This chapter will be a continuation after the bonus chapter "Hurt"
Please enjoy!
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You were laying flat on the ground, staring up at the pitch black sky, the wound on your stomach, gushing out blood as you laid there helpless.
Petra's body was up against the tree, right next to yours. You looked to your left and saw Eld's body. To your right was Oluo.
Their deceased corpses just lay there, unresponsive, helpless. It was quiet. Too quiet for even you to bare.
You slowly managed to get up, holding onto the tree for support as you stumbled forward, wanting nothing more than to leave the horrible scene that stood before you.
You were limping around the dark forest, only a small lantern to help you see. It was cold and so very quiet.
You couldn't see anything for miles besides the large trees around you, guarding what was beyond them.
You felt as if you had been walking forever. You didn't even know if you were going the right way. That was until you saw them again.
You looked around and saw your dead comrades once more. Still in the same positions as you had seen them before. You had gone in a circle and ended up where you were trying to get away from.
You panted heavily, deciding to take a different route. You walked and walked, the blood from your wound seeping into your shirt as you came to a stop to look around.
You see Petra's body once more, laying helpless against the tree. Just as it had been before. Everywhere you turned, you just ended up back where you didn't want to be.
The guilt was eating you from the inside out, how you couldn't do anything but stand helpless and watch your comrades get killed.
You fell to your knees and broke down in tears. It felt as if the world was closing in on you. That was until you heard someone calling out to you in the distance.
"Y/n!!"
You recognized the voice almost immediately. It was Hange.
You looked up from the ground, your head turning from left to right in search of the voice. You were met with nothing but the pitch black forest in view.
You wiped your tears away and let out an exhausted huff, forcing yourself up and onto your feet.
You started to make your way towards where Hange's voice was coming from.
As you tried to walk faster, it only got louder.
"Y/N?!"
No matter how many times you looked around, there was no sign of them anywhere.
"Hange!!"
You cried back out to them, hoping that they would hear you. You started to pick up your pace as fast as you could, still in a desperate attempt to find them, the only person who made you feel safe.
As blood continued to seep through your clothing, your legs began to give out on you. You fell to the ground, your energy and strength gone.
You lay there in the middle of the dirt covered path, unable to move. Your body wouldn't allow it.
"Y/n! Wake up..!"
The voice was right in your ear now. You felt your body being moved. Someone was trying to shake you awake.
You finally opened your eyes as your body jolted awake. You quickly sat up and looked around at your surroundings in a panic.
You were in your room.
You had been safe and sound in your bed the entire time.
You looked down at your hands. They were shaking, and your body was trembling as sweat beaded down your forehead.
You panted heavily as you lightly gripped onto the comforter that was previously covering your sleeping body.
You moved your hand up to your face, feeling the wettness of the tears that had stained it.
You looked to your left and saw Hange sitting up with their hand on your back, clearly concerned about what had just happened. "H-Hange.. I.." you trailed off as your eyes filled up with tears once more.
Hange immediately pulled you into a tight embrace. You let your head rest on their shoulder as they held you.
"Shhh.." they said softly as they gently rubbed your back, their other hand resting on the back of your head.
"I'm sorry.." you say through choked up sobs as you weakly hold onto their shirt. "Oh, Y/n.. Don't be sorry.. It's ok.. Everything will be ok.." Hange said soothingly as they held you against them.
The room was silent. Your soft cries and sniffles were the only thing that could be heard as you tried to calm yourself down.
After a few minutes of silence, Hange spoke softly against your ear.
"Nightmare.. right?" they asked as you pulled away slightly to wipe your tears. You nodded your head as you sniffled.
"It's always the same dream.. I just want to sleep peacefully without this burden of having nightmares every night.." you said as your voice trembled.
Hange continued to rub your back as you spoke, their heart sinking with how much your voice was trembling.
"I'm sorry you have to deal with this, my love.. I can't imagine how badly what happened affected you.. I wish I could take it all away, I really do.." Hange said as they stroked your cheek gently with their other hand.
"I just wanna sleep.. I'm so tired, Hange.." you said as a few more tears escaped your eyes. You felt so alone. Carrying this burden of unwanted nightmares with you. The worst part was that nobody could do much about it.
"Then.. Then I'll stay with you. Every night if I have to. Until you can sleep right again, I'll be right by your side. I'll be here when you wake up from another nightmare. And when you need to cry, I'll be here. I'll be here to hold and comfort you. You don't need to deal with this alone. Y/n.. Please let me be here for you.." Hange said, nothing but sincerity in their voice.
You stayed silent, thinking over their offer for a second. "Don't even think about saying no because I won't let you." Hange said as they gently ruffled your hair and kissed your forehead.
They then scooted their way off of the bed and made their way to the bathroom. You watched them curiously, waiting for them to come back.
Hange came out with a glass of water in their hand. They walked back over to the bed and carefully handed you the glass. "Here.. drink up."
A small smile came across your face at their kind gesture as you gently took the glass from their hands. You lifted the glass to your lips and took a few sips, the water cooling your insides as you drank it.
After you finished most of the water, you handed the glass back to Hange and wiped your mouth.
They took the glass from you and gently placed it on the nightstand next to their glasses, climbing back into bed next to you.
"Come on, come here.." they whispered softly as they held their arms out for you.
Without hesitation, you scooted your way back down on the bed, moving into Hange's arms as they had asked.
You let your face hide against Hange's chest, their fingers gently running through your hair.
"I love you." you whispered softly as you wrapped your arm around their torso.
Hange smiled. "And I love you more, sweetheart.." they whispered back, letting their hand drop from your head and onto your back, pulling you closer against them.
"Now get some sleep.." they added, whispering the last bit into your ear as their chin went back to resting on your head.
This was the first time in weeks that you had felt at ease. You were so grateful to have such a sweet and caring person next to you like this.
Your worries slowly started to wash away as your eyes began to close, your body fitting perfectly against Hange's as they held you tightly.
You truly were one lucky girl.
★★★★
Finally, another chapter!! I apologize if these chapters have been a little bit all over the place and not where they should be after certain chapters. But besides that, I want to thank everyone who has been patient with me and continued reading this book. Even with my absence, it has been doing amazing, and I've never been prouder. I plan to get back on my schedule of posting once a week, so I hope that works well with everyone who has been keeping up with this story from the start. I've also been considering revising or "fixing up" some of the older chapters to make them better. So, if you'd like to go back and read those chapters again when that does happen, please feel free to do so! Until next week, thank you so much for reading and for your support. It means the world :)