The group decided to back track and take another route, unfortunately that means another week stuck in this metal tin. Your four days into that week, food running low and one bottle of water left. The worst was your period was due within the next couple of days and without any sanitary products that could be a whole other issue with a very embarrassing result.
Oh the sunny side though, your swollen eye was calming down, you could kind of see out of it now. Enough to fire an arrow at close range, the bruise had gone from a dark ocean blue and black to now a palm tree green with yellow patches.
You rest your head on Newt's shoulder (Troy was driving, you always allowed you and Newt to get close when he was), he wraps one arm round your waist, he holds your hand with the other and squeezes, he knows you hadn't eaten breakfast in order for the kids to not get hungry. The hunger was bad but the chapped lips and dry tongue was making you want to puke up all your stomach acids and bile.
"I want a big 12oz beef burger with melted cheese, homemade ketchup in a lovely toasted bun, on the side will be rustic chips fresh from the oven." You close your eyes imagining the filling taste of it, you unconsciously lick your lips making Newt chuckle.
"One day, love, one day."
The bus pulls in to a parking lot and parks over four spots. You and Newt uncoil yourselves from each other and both move to the opposite sides of the bus so it would look impossible for you to ever have been sitting together. When Troy whistles you move to the front behind the drivers seat, rubbing Newt's hair on the way. "Hey." You kiss his cheek, something he recently demand of you.
"It's a supermarket." He says tapping his lips, so you abide, rolling your eyes, by kissing his lips, he grabs your hair pulling you in longer. Your eyes fly open wide, you tap his shoulder, desperately running out of air. You look to Newt for help so he walks up coughing. "Excuse me." He coughs.
Troy releases you and gives Newt a smug look. You take a step back fixing your hair, Troy was beginning to feel threatened, his girlfriend sleeping in a bus with four other guys, the competition was up. You loved seeing him get worked up about it but it also meant having to go near his stinky breath ore than usual.
"So what we stopped for?" Newt asks leaning forward so his body blocked you from Troy, he looked out the front window. "Ah Tesco, looks like bloody klunk doesn't it?" He chuckles to himself, you smile and play with the button on his rolled up checked shirt's sleeve, it was about level with his elbow. He turns to face you, his eyes lit with happiness at what you guess is the thought of a decent meal.
"Quit pissing about Newt." Troy growls. "And start getting the weapons." He hops out the driver's door and basks in the sunlight.
Newt stands literally on your toes gazing down at you, you blush and push his nose. "Honk." He does in time.
You giggle and leave, feeling your cheeks burning. Whenever Newt did something like that you felt a twisting sensation inside of you, your head was as light as a cloud.
You grab your bow and quiver, and a small knife. "Come on kids, get your buddy and line up behind us." You count them off the bus, smiling as Emilie passes holding one of the boys hands, she was so caring it made you proud, you had practically raised her.
You all stop before the entrance, the door have been torn off their hinges and lie on the floor, the glass shattered and the metal trampled on. Thomas nods at you and starts clapping two large sheets of metal together, no noise stirs from inside the building.
"Sounds safe." He says.
"Looks safe." Minho sticks his head in. "The windows nicely light it."
"Ok greenies be careful and follow Troy." Thomas tells the kids.
You head in going to grab some stuff. You grab a mars bar and rip the wrapper off devouring it. It's SO good, you moan as the food fills the hungry beast in your belly.
"Good?" Newt asks taking his own.
"The best." You answer.
You pick up some scissors, a hair brush and some dry shampoo, you would probably need a whole bottle. You head to the toilets. The hallway to the toilets was an insane mess, rumble littered it, metal framing scattered everywhere. At the end was a large jagged hole, it looked like the sum of a bomb. The world had completely fallen to waste. You shuffle forwards avoiding the large bricks and head for the ladies. The door hung loosely on its hinge, you push it open. The bathroom was intact, only a mirror had a large crack down the side. This was the first time you were properly seeing yourself in almost three weeks. You were surprised your skin was in an alright condition, your hair on the other hand, had almost doubled in length and was now by your belly button. The ends were knotted and tangled like a fishing net, you could hardly get your fingers in there.
The door opens and Newt walks in holding his own stuff.
"Newt! This is the ladies." You giggle.
"The mens was blocked by that mess, so... Anyway it's only you." He smiles cheekily. Then admires himself in the mirror. "Bloody hell." He curses stroking his chin. "I'm growing some beard."
You laugh, you had hardly noticed the stubble he was growing, it had just merged in with everyone looking their worst 24/7. He sets down some shaving cream and a razor, then gives you a cheek grin and starts apply the cream. You set about cutting your hair, trimming off the unfixable knots and tangles, you keep cutting making your hair shorter and shorter.
"Hey, not too short." Newt says shaving. "I like to play with your hair."
You laugh and stop cutting at shoulder height. "Newt your as bad as the kids." You pull at your hair checking the lengths, it was a bit wonky but then,who was there to judge.
He finishes, wiping off the last of the shaving cream. "Here, let me get the back." He pries the scissors out of your hand and starts trimming the last part of your hair. You smile at him through the mirror, it felt nice to have someone, someone you cared about more than anything else, fiddling with your hair and even just paying you some normal attention. Instead of the whole, save us y/n, or we're starving y/n.
"Whoa, did we not get invited to the party?" Minho says entering, Thomas behind him. They both like Newt are carrying shaving equipment also with deodorants. They put it down at the sink and get started.
"Thomas." You laugh." You know that's a woman's deodorant, right?"
He turns bright red and checks the can. "Ah shuck it."
"Give it here." You laugh, he throws it over and you spray yourself head to toe with it.
Newt finishes your hair and rests his chin on your head, you have an idea that already makes you laugh. You get his shaving cream and squirt a handful onto your hand, you struggle to hide a giggle. You throw it into his face.
He stumbles back from the surprise, spluttering and wiping the cream off. "Oh I'm gonna get ya." He laughs grabbing Minho's cream and spraying it at you. You duck and he hits Thomas. That was all it took to start a massive shaving cream frenzy. The cream was everywhere, all over the walls, in your hair, on the guys' faces, it was the most fun you had since... Well, since you can remember.
The door flew open and it all stopped, in sync you all turned like a bunch of children caught drawing on the walls. You all drop the cans and point at each other. "It was his fault!"
"No it was her's."
Troy, as ever, looks unimpressed, he goes to a mirror and wipes the cream off it. He snaps his fingers at you. "Oy." Your smile fades and you walk to his side, head hanging low. You see Newt shaking his head, he steps forward, you instantly hold up your hand telling him it's alright. "I want you to shave my head." He hands you a battery powered hair shearer.
"We'll go find the kids." Thomas and Minho sly tiptoe out the room, aware of the unsettling atmosphere, you nod to Newt to follow them. He refuses at first desperate to protect you, then gives up and follows.
NEWT'S POV
I stalk out, fuming mad, at Troy for being such a shuckface and at y/n for being so bloody stupid. I swear if she comes out with another black eye, I will kill him, I will... There is no end to what I will do for her. I grab a shopping basket and start loading up with items, cereal bars, chocolate bars, more canned food - them never seemed to end. I walk down an isle hardly noticing it was pet food, I guess something is better than nothing. I take a sharp turn and bump into a short stubby man, this snapped me out of my dreams. I stare at him, and he stares back. His reactions were faster than mine. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pistol, not hesitating to aim it between my eyes. Fear pumped through me, all I could see was down the barrel of that gun, pure blackness that never ended. My breathing quickened and I froze. "Give me the basket." He demands waving the gun around. I can't, I just keep looking at it wide eyed. "Man come on." He says, I drop it, my body not working properly. It clatters on the floor and I flinch at the sound. "Kick it over." He orders. So I do, tensing up as he reaches down and snatches it.
He looks at me. "Man, I'm sorry but you know how things are now." He aims the guns t my chest and loads a bullet into the chamber. I squeeze my eyes shut and brace for the impact, my hands in a weak position of surrender. Suddenly I wished I had done more with my life, I should have tried to get a family at the orphanage not scared them all away so I could stay with my mates. I should have learnt to skateboard and most of all I should have confessed my feelings to y/n. I hear a small whoosh past my ears. Oh shit this was it, this was it. The a there a thud, like skin and bone being hit and another thud louder than the last one. The basket clatters on the floor again, I peel open an eye still paralysed with fear. The man lies on his back, his gun near my feet. I blink again hoping it was a mistake, an arrow stands vertical out of his chest, the point of contact surrounded by a pool of thick, warm red. I twist round, uncontrollably shaking but no one is there. I stumble out, that mars bar threatening to make a reappearance. I make my way out of the supermarket fast, knocking over shelves as I keep tripping over my shaking knees. Hoping it was fake, it kept replaying in my mind, him there going to kill me and then him on the floor dead. The sun beamed down burning my skin like acid, the ringing of the gun hitting the floor, the whoosh of the arrow made my head explode in agony.
Y/n grips her bow tightly turning her knuckles white.
I see the man's face.
She's bent over a pile of sick, trembling and pale.
I see the rich red of his blood.
I can't keep it down any more and wrench next to her.
"It was you or him, you or him." She cries. I place a hand on her back. She vomits up a runny black mixture of stomach acid and bile.
"I know, I know." I whisper, my lips trembling as I talk.
She wipes it on her sleeve and stands up straight, she's paler than a ghost. She walks back into the shop. My hands shake violently that it hurts my eyes to watch them. I follow y/n, she was no longer human, her humanity was gone with one arrow.
She's bent over the body reading a passport. "Arthur." She shakes her head, and pulls a wallet out of his pocket. "He had two sons and three daughters." Her bottom lips trembles as she grabs the arrow shaft. She tugs it out his chest, sweat forming on her brow. The red. I feel dizzy again and nauseous.
Y/n, looked lifeless as she gathered up the food and pocketed his gun and ammo. I watch her rip off her jacket and start shredding it rubbing her hands clean of something. I take her hands in mine casting the clothing aside, she won't meet my eyes, tears roll down her face in heavy streams. "Let's get a new jacket." I say walking her over to the clothing section. I gather up a vest and a shirt in her size, turning my back for her to change.
I give her a couple of minutes, seeing the red blood dripping off the arrow tip over and over again.
When I look back a round she's sat on the floor rocking back and forth. "It was you or him." She repeats over and over again. I sit opposite unable to form words. I know I should say thanks for saving me but, she was now a killer, for me. Tommy and Minho run round the corner. "Oh my god are you guys alright? We saw the body..." They get the sight of us. "Let's leave." Tommy says. "Minho get y/n."
Tommy grabs my arm pulling me to my feet, he looks me in the eyes. "Your alright shank." He drags me out supporting me, I wasn't even injured, just mentally scarred. He loads me up into the bus and sits me in a seat by the window, I look out at the supermarket. Y/n is in Minho's arms throwing up again. The kids make so much noise as they board on, I lean forwards my head in my hands and breath deeply. I want to scream at them, but my head, oh, my head it's burning me alive. Y/n sits at the far end of the bus, staring out the window. Her bow and arrows in the seat next to her, she looks half dead. I rest my head on the window and stare out half asleep.
I didn't notice that we had been on the road for two hours, time wasn't even a thing I could contemplate. Tommy sits by my side. "You want to talk?"
I look back to y/n, she still looks the same, at the back all on her own. I slowly explain word by word, my mouth dry and chapped. He hands me a packet of reese's pieces and a fruit shoot. I take it. "Do we even bother with her?" Tommy asks, watching y/n with me.
"I'll do it." I say, taking her food and moving slowly like a biter.
I move her bow and arrows to the seat in front and sit. She doesn't seem to notice me, I lift her chin and tilt her head towards me, she stares at me but not at me. She's looking right through me into a blank nothingness. I lay her down like she has been every night before this, her head on my lap. I don't stroke her hair, I don't talk to her, I sit there sipping my fruit shoot whilst she trembles on my lap.