BORN A BELIEVER, Freja had always been one to rely fully on faith — not necessarily so strongly from a religious viewpoint, but when it came to humanity and things beyond it, her family and friends, even herself and her wildest dreams, she considered herself unyielding. Sometimes it was difficult to tiptoe the line between open-minded and naive, and while the past few weeks had done nothing but take swings at her faith in everything around her, she was regaining hope and courage. And, after all, those wildest dreams had gone from an impossible distance to right at her fingertips, even if she had found a lot more than she had bargained for in the process.
One thing she certainly hadn't expected, was standing in the back of a butcher shop owned by a bunch of murderous zombies, a shotgun in her hands and the bloodstains on her face suggesting that she had already pulled the trigger on someone. In reality, she was the one who had taken a hit, one that she had barely had time to climb back up from when Major had shoved a weapon in her hands and told her to hide while he went around the shop with deadset intentions clearly in mind. Even when she knew that she had never held a gun, making it all the more unlikely to use it properly, she felt a rush of bravery course through her veins, mixed with reasonable fear as she waited for either Major or one of her kidnappers to come through the door.
Once Freja simply got out of her own head, the abundance of noise raging inside Meat Cute pushed her to the very edge of her attention, her stare roaming from the relentlessly whirring meat saw next to her to the freezer where the fire was slowly dying out with Blaine's unlucky goon still recovering from Major's sucker punch. While pure violence was utterly uncharacteristic for Freja, apart from affectionate slaps on arms, she didn't hesitate to rest her finger on the heavy trigger — she was done being a victim and a prisoner when all she had wanted from the night was a date with the man she cared so much about.
Major was nowhere to be seen, but soon enough, gunshots were ringing through the shop, reaching above the music someone had turned on. Flinching with deep-rooted hope of Major being the one delivering the bullets, Freja gulped and grasped the gun tighter in her hands, but the terror really surged in her chest when the head chef and another brawny zombie snuck to the back with knives and guns in hand, no doubt meant for the Lilywhite.
When neither of the two spotted Freja, she swallowed thickly and considered following Major's lead and taking the shot, but she didn't have time when the man himself was showing up from behind her. "You're not getting bored, are you?" he whispered over the Barrett's shoulder, effectively startling her but she didn't have time to yelp or argue when he had shot the man, leaving the lady chef to defend herself with the butcher knife Freja supposed she was more than talented with.
"Please, Blaine—he did this to me, I'm just an artisanal butcher, a—a chef. Please", she was quick to beg for her life, the clasped hands and the cowering in front of the two guns earning extra sympathy points — not only from Major but Freja who almost lowered her weapon with a frown already forming on her lips.
Major had hardly had time to direct her to the exit with mercy when the stained mirror on the opposite wall reflected the knife sheathed in the back of her pants, ready to be pulled out and swiped at the two. Freja was rushing to hoist her shotgun once more, but the chef was already charging for her with a roar, only for Major to shove her with his entire body weight, causing her to stumble head-first into the fully-functioning meat saw. Freja managed to look away before the gnarly sight was ingrained in her mind, but she didn't get to step away in time, leaving her covered in splatters of blood as she exhaled at the disgusting sounds overcoming the 80s songs playing in the background.
Gagging, Freja met her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes squeezing shut as she tried to ignore the red droplets scattered all over her face. "I have never been so grossed out", she whispered weakly, not fazed by human brains but drawing the line at this.
"You're doing good", Major commented, nonetheless, a pat left on Freja's shoulder before he spun around and shot the zombie in the freezer through the window, the loud ring coaxing a jump from Freja. "Are you okay?" he continued so casually, his eyebrows knitted together as he faced Freja, just in time for the woman to open her eyes and heave out a burdened breath.
"My head feels like it's about to explode but I'm still standing", she assured, a hint of a smile given to Major as she shrugged, "I still don't think all zombies are bad, though."
Uttering a chuckle, Major was already parting his lips to make a remark about how he hadn't found the worst of them all yet, but the sound of the backdoor opening shut him up, and without asking for permission, he was grabbing Freja's arm and tugging her into the shadows. She found herself holding her breath in, panic breaking the floodgates again as she stood as close to Major as possible, her back against his chest while they watched someone step into the room with wary steps.
The sight of the Candyman earned a quivering breath from Freja, and sensing the tension, Major reached past her, his arm shielding her as he pointed the gun towards the murderer yet to see them — instead, he was making a slow, gradual approach to the freezer and the door Major had left open on purpose, predicting that the dead body and the dying fire would spark his attention.
Accordingly, the Candyman stepped inside the freezer, and without wasting a second, Freja was sliding the creaking door shut, her heart almost beating in her throat as she shoved the latch down and watched realization dawn onto the criminal's face. While she knew that Major wouldn't leave his fate at that, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, something terrible and suffocating lifting from her chest once the zombie was imprisoned — temporarily, anyway.
"Go now. I got this. Find help", Major encouraged while appearing by Freja's side, his taller figure looming over her with protection as he nodded his head to confirm his own words.
Unsure how to thank him for saving her life, Freja pursed her lips together in a heartfelt smile, her eyes losing their fury as she returned the nod gratefully. Before bolting, however, she turned back to the Candyman enough to pump a defiant middle finger in the air with her stare hardening, wondering if anything would ever be as satisfying as the look crossing his face in response.
With that, Freja sprinted towards the front of the shop, the shotgun falling from her hands as she made her way through the rubble and shards of glass, an involuntary smile curling her lips up high. Freedom was so close, and when the shop shook with a muffled explosion rising from the freezer, she could practically see the joy on Ravi's face upon reuniting, encouraging her to run faster as she wiggled past the counters and towards the exit.
But, she had barely crossed the threshold when a deadly grip was halting her waist, yanking her against a firm chest and effectively earning a horrified scream from her — one that would have echoed throughout the quiet streets of Seattle, if only a cold hand hadn't been slapped against her mouth.
"Leaving before dessert? You sure know how to hurt my feelings", Blaine's dismayed voice echoed from right behind her ear, his iron grip reeling her back inside as a frustrated cackle followed his own words. "Someone's been a busy bee", he added bitterly, hauling Freja right back where she had escaped from, his inhuman strength making it effortless for him despite her kicking and screaming.
When it came to the latter, though, she hadn't been even nearly as loud as she could have — she didn't even know it herself, but when Blaine finally yanked her amidst the remains of the freezer where Major still stood and planted her on the floor only to bring his foot down on her leg with as much power as possible, the shop reverberated with the pained cry that launched from her throat. Feeling the bone shatter, she collapsed onto the floor with Blaine's grasp on her loosening, no longer deeming her worth stopping when she had nowhere to run anymore.
The howl of sheer agony was enough to gain Major's attention, and as soon as he was turning from the freezer, Blaine lunged at him with a knife, wasting no time in burying the sharp edges into the Lilywhite's abdomen and earning another choked sob from Freja. Blood instantly began to seep through Major's shirt, his eyes already growing blank as he gasped and reached for the wound Blaine made sure to dig deep into before letting him fall to the floor.
There they were, then, their victory no longer a realistic goal, their wildest dreams turned to ash and twisted by the nightmarish reality they were now stuck in — both laid out in the middle of the chaos, one with a useless leg and the other bleeding to his death.
"Look what you did, man!" Blaine huffed out, his hand gesturing at the freezer before he turned back to the meat saw to finally turn the damn thing off. "Just what we need. A noise complaint", he continued with a complete lack of regard for the thick waves of blood gushing out of Major, as well as the scared tears rolling down Freja's cheeks, even when he faced the two with an unhappy expression. "You got the slow and agonizing death thing under control, right? Great. Hope it hurts."
No longer capable of witty comments, Freja let him finish his monologue in peace before he strode back to the front of the shop, cursing the music still blaring at full volume. As soon as he was out of sight, however, Freja breathed out and began to crawl towards Major, her sniffles mixing in with his aimless grunts as he held onto his stomach and tried to speak out, only for simple gasps and groans to fall from his lips. Right there and then, the faith Freja had spent so much time building started to lose its footing, the foundation crumbling as her trembling hands reached for Major.
"This isn't how you go, alright?" she forced through the stabbing pain pounding in her leg, "you've survived so much. I refuse to let you die, Major", every word struggling to carry in the thick air laced with smoke and blood. With defiance, she clasped her hand against Major's, a commanding stare in her eyes as she looked at him, and although he failed to get any words out, he gave a fearful nod at her, his own gaze officially ripped from any persistence.
Another gunshot split the tip towards silence apart, and Freja recoiled in the knowledge that the sound was going to haunt her nightmares for months, but doubting that Blaine was the one toying with a gun on his own, she clutched onto Major and shouted. "Help! Back here!" she cried out, her eyes burning and her unsteady hands drenched in the blood that showed no signs of stopping, just like the aching in the broken right leg she was uncomfortably lying on top of.
When rapid footfalls reached the room, Freja was turning to the doorway with heavy breaths and hope that it wouldn't be Blaine — for once, her begs were heard, and Liv rushed in with wide eyes and terror sweeping across her face within seconds. "Oh my God, Freja", she whispered, a gun falling from her hands as she scrambled next to her on the floor, careful not to touch her even if she clearly wanted to. "Major—no, oh no", Liv rambled incoherently, but even in her shock, she was a blessing that Freja didn't hesitate to lean into.
"I don't know what to do", the Barrett wailed, her heart breaking as she looked between Liv and Major, the latter of which was starting to turn pale and drained of any will to keep on fighting.
Swallowing down her desire to break down with Freja, Liv grabbed her shoulder as gently as she could and gave her a determined stare. "Elliot is looking for you. Ravi, too. Go, find them. Blaine won't chase you, I guarantee", she advised, loyalty strong in her tone even if her lips twitched with worry and sympathy.
Despite the reluctance to leave Major, Freja trusted that he was in good hands with Liv, so even with her bashed leg, she reached for the wall to drag herself up from the ground. Any more time in the shop would undeniably drive her to insanity, and knowing that her loved ones were on their way gave her the spike of adrenaline she needed to climb up to the one foot she could support herself on, the other one hanging behind her. Even the tiniest bit of pressure made her either hiss or moan at the pain shooting up her body, so with a difficult limp, she struggled to head for the front door — but only after giving Major a silent look mixed with gratitude and appreciation that said more than words ever could have.
Once she had made her way to the counter where Blaine was doing the same thing as her, a pained crawl to the other side of the shop, her sad eyes gained a shade of anger. Balancing herself on one foot, she leaped towards the man to shove him with both hands, successfully destroying whatever he progress he had made with a bullet lodged in his own abdomen as he toppled down onto the floor with a wheeze.
"Hope it hurts", she spat at him, venom in both her eyes and tongue as she hopped towards the exit, no interest in watching him squirm any longer.
The fresh air felt cool on her skin, sneaking through the cracks of her torn, once magnificent dress, bruises and blood dotting every inch of her as she staggered in the middle of the road, one hand grasping her injured thigh and the other hugging her own waist. She had never wanted to close her eyes and fall more than she did then, but she forced herself to keep going, forced herself to believe that sooner or later, someone would see her and stop to help.
She wasn't all too wrong, because soon enough, the blinding headlights of a car struck at her, leaving her with no choice but to shield her face with her beaten arm, causing the tips of her fingers to drip blood onto the side of her face. Unsure if getting hit by the car would make the situation worse or better, she stopped walking, her other arm flailing around to alert the driver, and accordingly, the car screeched to a halt right in front of her.
A weak chuckle escaped her lips, but only when two people emerged from the car and she heard her name being called, she broke into something between a laugh and a sob. Once the lights of the car melted into the view and she could drop her arm, she could easily recognize Elliot running towards her, and ready to give up, she closed her eyes and cried, her body dwindling forward just in time for both Elliot and Jules to show up by her sides with supporting arms. Her brother closed her in a protective embrace, his shaky breaths mixing in with her as she rested her head against his chest and felt the grip around her body tighten.
"I was so scared, Freja", Elliot spoke breathlessly, holding her up by herself as Julian strode towards Meat Cute with his fists burning with a vengeance — not that Freja could tell, though.
"Where's Ravi?" she mustered the one question that had been, one way or another, tossing itself around in her head the whole day, grateful to be in Elliot's arms but still desperate to see the person she was supposed to be with, happily and without worry, sitting in a fancy restaurant with the truth of their feelings comfortably nestled in the space between them.
Elliot didn't get the chance to say something when the slam of a car door broke the peace on the street, and looking up from his suit jacket, Freja narrowed her eyes at the second car she hadn't noticed showing up. But now that he was there, her name falling from his lips in frantic repeats, his steps a mere blur as he rushed towards her, Freja didn't wait to part from her brother and stumble towards Ravi. He certainly didn't miss the uneasy limp, nor the bloodied hands, but rather than stopping to ask what had happened, he simply met her in the middle.
Physically, crashing into Ravi was one of the most painful things Freja had ever experienced, right there with Blaine stomping onto her leg, but in every other way, it was pure bliss. In an instant, whatever dam she had been trying to hold together, fell apart and heartwrenching sobs crushed the silence, the weight of everything she had suffered through shattering her as she clung onto Ravi for dear life.
"I got you", he mumbled into her hair, his own eyes welling with tears of both relief and heartbreak and one of his hands balancing her head while his other arm supported her and the smashed leg she couldn't bear to stand on. "I got you now. I won't let go again", he carried on, dripping devotion as he slowly gathered Freja further into his arms.
And at that moment, the faith and hope that had been torn out of her flickered back to life.
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Author's note
REUNITED and it 👏🏻 feels 👏🏻 so 👏🏻 good 👏🏻
My poor baby Freja though, WILL SHE EVER CATCH A BREAK? Honestly same goes for Major, the show really put him through a lot omg.
Next chapter is the last one, then there's the epilogue and we're done, you guys! Prepare for lots of Fravi goodness (:
Thank you for reading ❤️