𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐂 | liam stewart [2]

2. memories

Liam's arm wrapped around Pandora's waist as he slept in the hammock for two. He snuggled closer to her, his muscles relaxing as he inhaled her scent. Her eyelashes cascaded long spidery shadows onto her cheeks as she looked down at him. He didn't deserve this life, none of it. "I love you," She whispered, letting the air soak up her confession.

She played with the small scroll she'd found in the bumblebee keyring wrapped around her backpack. You taught me the only one who could help us, was us. Ruby's face echoed in her mind, her tangled curls and big doe eyes. "I miss you. So, so much," She whispered into the air again, resonating with the memories of her friend. Ruby had been with her through everything and then tried to wipe her memory. She understood why Ruby did it, but it still hurt a little. A small crack in her heart only the orange could fill. 

Dora reached up to her neck, the pads of her fingers gently sliding over the edges of her burn from the dreaded night with Ruby. The night they'd killed Clancy Gray haunted her mind in the day when nightmares of her father presented themselves at night. Clancy's bruised face, controlled her mind with the change of his eye colours, as illustrated in her head. She imagined she could kill him in thousands of ways, pitying that he had such an easy death. The boy had deserved to suffer. Her burn had fully healed, leaving juts of scar tissue down her neck, splaying onto her collarbone like a spilt drink. Not that she was a stranger to scars. 

The embers danced in hues of orange and red, lighting up the floor with ancient shadows. Pandora cast her mind back to Zu and Chubs, her heart aching slightly more in her chest. "No," She told herself, pushing the idea of them away. She blinked repetitively, looking up to the sky. Dora ignored how a stray tear rolled down her temple, pooling somewhere in Liam's hair. The sky was beautiful, Pandora had always thought. The way stars swirled around in a plethora of galaxies, twinkling light years away. "I'd like to be a star," She thought to herself. 

...

In the early morning, Pandora and Liam had a basic breakfast, filling themselves with enough energy to spend the day trekking. She changed into some new clothes, a breathable shirt with some shorts as well. She pushed her socks down, tucking them into her worn-down walking boots. A cap kept the sun from freckling her forehead, and Liam also changed. He pecked her on the lips, handing her the clothes as he cleared up camp. Whilst Liam made sure there were no traces of them left behind, Pandora went down to the small river and washed their clothes. She patted the whistle in her back pocket, making sure its securing presence was there. Liam and she had taken two whistles in their last shopping raid to create an alarm system when separated. 

With everything packed, the two romantics worked their way through the forest. Light glimmered in the air as it pierced the canopy of trees. The world was light and magical. Liam spun her around, Pandora singing some old song her roommate at Thurmond used to mumble. They danced, learning inventive choreography as they made their way past the trees. "My words, my mind," She cooed, grinning her crooked smile when she caught Liam staring at her. Her nose was slanted, Liam having fixed it for the 16th time after an incident involving a shopping trolley. 

"You know that hitting your head against a wall loses 150 calories an hour," Pandora asked him, Liam shaking his head and disguising his laughter. "Please do not start hitting your head against walls," He bear-hugged her, his muscular arms barely fitting around her and her massive backpack which she piggybacked. "I don't need to burn calories, I'm on my cut. Have you seen these bad boys?" She flexed her minimum muscular arms, kissing them like she was a world-famous bodybuilder. "Alright Pop-Eye, calm down," Liam laughed, kissing her forehead. 

The two walked in harmonious chuckles and chatter until they reached the highway. A dull rumour of cars slid past them, both army-crawling up the mossy bank. Water squeezed onto her arms as the pair watched the concrete roads for tracers. Across them, due to Pandora's shocking orienteering skills, was a gas station. 

It had a mixture of bars and wooden panels barring up the windows, the owner's attempt at keeping people out. Now the place was deserted, hostile and antique with a door swinging gently in the wind. On Liam's signal, they both darted out from the bank and ran across the road before any tracer cars whipped down the road. Tracers were still about, the army attempting to control even if their leader was dead. Whisper of rebellion was dancing through camps like ghosts, however. 

When they walked into the gas station, Pandora was surprised at the vast amount of things left on the shelves. They missiles to the tin cans section, the only shelf which seemed majorly deserted. Liam packed a few cans, and Pandora wandered the rest of the isles. Shattered glass distorted her view of the unkept fridges which filled the back wall. She wandered to the front counter, picking up packs of chewing gum as well as a well-kept jar of honey to make their toasted bread sweet. 

A high-pitched whistle was short and snappy, making Pandora drop instinctively to the floor, crawling behind the counter. Now she was alert, she felt the thrum of a car engine beneath her knees. She peaked around the corner, making eye contact with Liam. 'Two men, twenty feet away, a big van and thirty seconds' Liam signed to her with their made-up signals. She nodded, crawling back around the counter. She felt around, her heart sinking in cold relief as she found the familiar feeling of a gun. She cocked it as quietly as she could, finding it without ammunition. She tucked it between her palms; they didn't need to know that. 

The bell rang, signalling that the two men had entered. They were in their late thirties and talking about their girlfriends. Late thirties, too old to have escaped from camps even if they were taken at 18. A crash from Liam's end of the store made them go quiet, Pandora holding her palm over her mouth as one reached over the counter to grab a shovel. It was an all-purpose store so she wasn't surprised there was a random rusty spade shoved in the corner of it. As quietly as possible, she reached into her bag and pulled out the ski mask. Easily, she pulled it over her head and tightened her grip on the pistol.

Slowly, she counted down from thirty. Once she reached one, she twirled from her hiding place. She grabbed the man closest to her, turned off the safety and pointed it right at his head. "Woah there, calm down," He reasoned. The man with the spade, who she currently did not have, turned with wide eyes. He took in her messy hair and scarred hands, realising that she was not someone to be messed with. "Let's not cause a scene boys," She put on a Boston accent. She didn't need them reporting back to a camp about their whereabouts. 

"Now, go and stand in the corner," She told them, pushing the man she held into his friend. They quickly ran into the corner, holding their arms out. "Wusses," She sneered coldly before Liam - also dressed with a ski mask - grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of the store. "Did you get it?" He asked, Pandora looking at him like he was stupid. "You need to put more trust in me, Stewart," She dangled the car keys, slipping into the passenger seat of the big van. 

"Finally," She grinned as Liam turned on the ignition. The men came running out of the station, shouting at them, but the two were already reversing and speeding down the highway. "I think we should name this one Wally," She told him, referencing the last van they hand - Wendy. She started sorting through the back, reading through papers and tossing tools beside her. "We, Li, might have found our new temporary home," She offered him a devilish grin.