Gods and Monsters ~ Mad Maggie x reader

2

"What the hell (y/n)?" Liz yelled as I carefully wrapped bandages around her wounded arm "Why did you tell her!"

"I don't know!" I yelled back, tightening the white cloth too much. Liz winced and I gave her an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry... She was just so..., scary." She gave a lobsided smile.

"That is the worst excuse I have ever heard." She coughed before putting on an obnoxious baby voice and saying "Oh im sowwy, but she was just so scaway I had to rwat you out." She blinked several times before sighing.

"I'm sorry Liz, you should've told me it was secret!"

"Don't blame this on me!" She shouted, pulling her bandaged arm away from me. "I can do the rest... now go apologise to Benzo! Hes also pissed at you." I groaned, my back hitting the sofa. We were sat on the floor, scarce medical supplies surrounding us. A roll of bandages, a bowl of lukewarm water with diluted dish soap in it, an old rag and some bloodied tissues. Liz wasn't hurt bad, a few cuts and bruises but that's all... shes survived worse. "I get you didn't know but still, he expected more from you."

"Ouch." I said, dipping my hands in the water before standing up. "Wish me luck." I mumbled before walking out of my room. The hallway was quiet, the only sound was my bare feet against the wood. I tiptoed down the stairs before gripping the archway and stepping into the store. I didn't fully enter, I just leaned against the wall, folding my arms across my chest and looking down. I heard him sigh.

"Look at me (y/n)." He instructed. My head shot up and I gasped. He had a large black eye, a thick piece of cloth taped to his nose bridge and a cut running down his lip. Benzo was a big guy, muscular, he was a freedom fighter in his early days. A good one at that. His white tank top had spots of blood on it and mud splotches. His apron was still secured around his waist and his pants had big holes in the knees like he had been dragged around on them.

"Benzo.. Im so sorry." I started; I felt my face drop as I took a step towards him.

"Did she hurt you?" He asked, not moving from the side of the desk. I gave him a confused look "To get the information out of you, did she hurt you?" Oh no...

I could answer this question in two ways... say she didn't hurt me or say she did. If I said she didn't hurt me, my pay might be docked lower then it already did, my children probably wouldn't get food for a few weeks and Johnny won't be able to get his medicine. If I say she did then I would be let off the hook, Maggie might be hunted by Benzo and his crew... Worst come to worst, she finds out I lied to save my own ass and she comes after me. I have to flee Salvo, marry a solider to get out and- What am I on about? Tell him the truth!

"She didn't hurt me... just... intimidated me." Liar, oh my god. "Yeah, she threatened me. Asked me where you and your crew were. She had... a knife, yeah, I was really scared Benzo." He sighed; his brows furrowed together.

"Alright then." He rubbed his face with his large hands. "Will you be able to man the shop tomorrow when I go to sort this out." I held my breath as I nodded.

"But Liz isn't in any shape to fight- "

"Shes fine. Besides who said I would fight her? It would start a bloody civil war! No, im just gonna have a chat with her. Like adults." We both laughed lightly. He gave me the warmest smile he could muster given the circumstances. "You can go back upstairs now, thank you (y/n)." I nodded, running upstairs so fast I tripped over my feet multiple times.

"Im in deep shit now Liz." I said, shutting my door quickly behind me.

"Oh god what did you do."

"I said she threatened me... with a knife! A KNIFE! How stupid could I be, I mean oh my." Liz was sat on the bed, her bag beside her. "He said he was gonna have a chat with her tomorrow. How menacing is that!" I said, stomping towards her before plopping myself next to her.

"Ugh, am I involved in this?" I nodded "Great! Just... wow. Well, its done now. Nothing you can do about it, best thing you can do is go home, pack you stuff and prepare your sons for the worst." I pulled a face at her and she grinned. "Im kidding, youll be fine. Maggie will deny it, of course but Benzo trusts you... I promise youll be fine."

"And if im not?"

"Then your not... Sorry but that's the harsh truth. Maybe Walter will spare you, speak some reasoning into her." She flung her arm around my shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "I better go, your boys will be coming home in a minute." She stood from the bed and flung her bag around her shoulder before walking over to my window and shutting it "Doesn't half get cold at night eh?" She smiled before leaving my room.

My living situation with benzo was... complicated. Downstairs was the main shop, the desk and many finished gadgets were on display down there. In the opposite side of the house was a decent sized room. It had pretty big windows, although the curtains were always drawn. The floor was carpeted, and a double bed was pressed up against the wall opposite the door. This was Benzos room. There was a small kitchen attached to the shop, but Benzo kept it locked until he got home or until he got hungry.

Upstairs there were 3 rooms. 1 was a bathroom, box sized with a rusted old shower that didn't have hot water, a half-broken sink and a toilet. The floor was just concrete, and the walls were half tiled. Opposite my room was my son's room. It was just a box room, barely able to fit 2 beds in it. The walls were a bare white and the floor was a grey carpet. There was a small window opposite the flaking door, but it didn't have a curtain and only opened so much. Then we have my room. It wasn't too big but bigger than my sons room. It used to be Benzos room before his legs became bad and he struggled to get up the stairs. It just had the couch, a closet, and a bed in it.

I didn't pay Benzo anything to live here and I've technically been living here since I was 14 and I got pregnant. I only started working for him 6 months ago after he's been training me for 7 years. I say training very loosely, he would work in front of me and say he was teaching me.

Benzos shop was located on a very slim, long shopping street. People sold everything down here, stolen weapons, imported fruit. Hell, I even knew a guy that was trying to sell a decommissioned titan! Salvo was... interesting. It was a dog eat dog world out there and my sons were learning to navigate it, the same way I did.

"We're home!" Carl's voice rang out. I paused, listening for Johnny. I heard the thud of his cutch and felt relieved. "Ma!" Carl yelled as he raced up the stairs, completely leaving his brother in his dust. "Look!" He flung my door open before shoving a box into my hands. It was small, brown with small golden details on it.

"What is it?" I asked. His grin didn't leave his face.

"You like? I got it from a soldiers body!" I felt my face drop. This was the bad part about living on Salvo, your children looting corpses. "I cant open it yet, but im going to ask Benzo for help." I put my hand on his shoulder before he could run off.

"Leave Benzo tonight, Carl. Hes had a rough day." I handed the box back to him "Go shower, you little stinker!" I smiled, fluffing up his hair before he ran out of my room. Johnny didn't enter my room, instead he slinked past with something tucked under his arm. I heard his door close. I sighed, my back bouncing slightly when it hit my bed. What was I going to do?