APHRODITE ( frypan. )

CHAPTER FIVE

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

          Eventually, they escaped.

The group stayed huddled together under a bunch of rubble. Aphie sat between Winston and Aris, the loud shrieks of the creatures still echoing throughout the area. With each loud snarl, Aphie felt herself hold her breath as she prayed they didn't get found. Everyone moved in closer, using each other for any ounce of warmth they could get while they made sure they couldn't be seen from behind the cement.

Before she could forget, Aphie turned towards Winston, who was whimpering in pain and looking at his wounded stomach in terror. As silently as she could, she rummaged through her backpack and pulled out three things; a water bottle, cloth, and bandages. The girl looked towards the boy, gesturing to the items in her hands. He nodded gratefully, shifting to give her a better angle of the wound.

With the little space she had, Aphie cleaned the bloody skin around the gashes with her water and cloth, using the least amount of pressure she could considering the way Winston's face was scrunching up in immense pain. Once she finished, she wrapped the large bandage around his injury.

"Thank you."

Aphie could hear the scared tone hesitancy in Winston's voice. "You're gonna be fine. Once we get out of here we'll find The Right Arm and they can help you."

The boy nodded, a sad smile lingering on his face.

Later that night, Aphie had still lied awake, head lying on her backpack while thoughts scrambled through her head. She couldn't believe the events they had gone through in a matter of a few hours. It was only earlier that day when her and Aris were sitting in the cafeteria wondering what they were going to do, and now they escaped, only to be chased by Cranks and nearly die.

She thought about Rachel. How she should have been there with them. How she deserved to be alive and not captured by those monsters. The girl sat up, pulling her knees into her chest and setting her head between them, attempting to get rid of her pounding headache.

"Can't sleep?" The voice of Frypan asked, causing Aphie to turn her head towards the sound. The boy sat with his back against the concrete, next to Winston as if he were watching over him to make sure nothing happened to him.

"Yeah." The girl shyly replied, scooting back to her own back rested against the wall she was near. "You?"

The boy nodded, looking the girl in the eyes. "I'm scared the Cranks will come back."

Frypan dropped his head, looking between his friends wounds and face. As Aphie inspected his facial expressions, she could tell that he was scared something would happen to Winston.

"He'll be okay. He just needs time to heal." Aphie reassured, keeping her voice as soft as she could to make sure the boy would stop worrying and get some sleep.

"Yeah, I know. It's just... scary. He's my best friend." Frypan admitted. "Good thing we're immune, right?"

Aphie nodded, not providing a verbal response. She didn't know how Frypan felt in that exact moment, but what she did know is that if it were Aris instead of Winston, Aphie would be just as worried.

After that, the two sat in a comfortable silence, not exactly having anything else to say. Eventually, at some point throughout the night, Aphie fell asleep despite her attempts at trying to stay awake.

          The next morning, not even remembering falling asleep in the first place, Aphie woke up to a frantic Thomas shaking her awake. She sat up quickly, confused as to what was going on. She looked around, seeing that everyone else was still sleeping. After a few moments, her brain finally processed what had happened.