The Monster fell for the Rebel

Chapter 13

The fog of the Entity spat Nea out with a harsh thud and a shudder of displeasure on the cold ground of the campfire, she let out a grunt as pain shot through her spine and ribs as she laid there. She stared up at the endless void of sky above her and let out an angry shriek of defience.

"God fucking damnit!" She cried out to no one. She was so sick of being trapped in the Realm, and so tired of the pain in her body already.

"Are you okay?" Claudette's voice said above her as she approached Nea.

"Okay enough i guess. Im just tired." She sighed, the heaviness in her body feeling like lead in her blood. Claudette took Nea by the hand and helped her stand as gently as she could and put her arm around Nea's body.

"Come on, you earned some well-deserved rest." Claudette guided Nea to the fire where David, Dwight, Quentin, Kate and Ada sat around. They all looked up at Nea and Claudette, each with a mixture of expressions of worry, pity, and concern, except for Ada. She stared blankly at Nea and watched her movements with a careful calculation. Claudette helped set Nea on the log by the fire, and went to her tent to retrieve a blanket. The uncomfortable silence surrounded the survivors as Dwight, David and Kate exhanged glances. Dwight and David looked to eachother as Dwight shook his head and laughed to himself.

"I can't believe you punched Micheal." He said, still shaking his head and laughing softly to himself at David's boldness.

"He was about to go find Nea, i had to do something." David said, smirking. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but even though he lost, he was filled with a sense of empowerment for being able to even take Michael down to the ground. He felt like he did in his boxing days again.

"It was quite a sight to see." Kate giggled to herself, looking at David. "Wish i could've been there."

"Mike on Haddonfield? No one wants to be there." Quentin joked, laughing. Nea let out a small chuckle as Claudette returned with a bedroll unzipped for her.

"I'm not gonna lie, when he grabbed my foot, i thought i was dead meat." Nea said, taking the blanket gratefully and draping it over her body. The air still pierced the thin fabric of the bedroll, but it was better than nothing. Nea snuggled herself into it as she made a small pillow for her head with a corner of the bedroll against the log, and closed her eyes.

Quentin watched Nea with a careful gaze, mulling over several thoughts and feelings. Worry, disdain, jealousy, concern, heartbreak. He sighed and stood up off the log he was sitting on and closed the distance between him and Nea, and sat next to her on the ground. She opened her eyes and looked up at him as he scooched under the bedroll, there was just enough room for him and her. He put an arm around Nea and pulled her to lean on his shoulder. She whined when she flipped around but nestled into his extra warmth gratefully. She shivered where the cold still caressed her skin, and all she could think about was Pyramidhead's warmth. That broad chest that served as the Realm's best heating pad. She desperately missed him. She hoped that her wounds would heal enough soon, and she could go see him again.

She closed her eyes again and leaned her head onto Quentin's shoulder, pretending it was her great monster to make herself feel better as she drifted off to sleep.

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Pyramidhead paced along the length of the wall separating the two camps, anxious and restless. He tried glancing around the top of the wall to look in the survivor's camp, he saw a group of them sitting around the fire huddling for warmth and comfort. His vision shifted around the group of people till they landed on David, and he let out an annoyed huff. He hated himself for feeling such a strong mix of compassion and anger. He should be grateful to David for saving her, but he was still bothered by him. He watched carefully as Nea approached the campfire, weak and unstable on her feet as Claudette guided her to the fire and retreated into her tent. He watched as Claudette returned with a blanket in hands. She draped it over Nea, and Pyramidhead sighed in relief. She was being cared for by her friends. He was glad to see she was healing and safe. He wanted to talk to the other killers and ensure she wouldn't be further harmed in trials, but he was hesitant to speak to them. Most of the killers had no idea he had the capability to speak, let alone the mental capacity. He knew they believed him to be a great, stupid monster. He turned to walk away to his camp when he saw Quentin tuck himself into Nea's blanket and his arm around her. He seethed with rage, disgust, possessiveness. Nea was his and he did not care for that scrawny beanie-wearing insomniac to touch her, let alone cuddle with her. His skin burned hot with fury, steam rolled off his shoulders as he tried to think of what to do, but he couldn't through the haze of anger and frustration that stewed in his chest. He turned to the crack in the wall and stared at it for a moment before he took his great knife and stuck it into the crack, trying to pull the stones apart. He reached an arm into the stone and pushed with all his strength, the stone crumbled and cracked in protest as he shoved harder, the gap was still too small to fit through and he grumbled in annoyance at the durable wall, but he resorted to swinging his knife into it again and again, chipping away at the rocks and cobble. The survivors on the other side began screaming in a mix of confusion and fear as the crack grew into a gap wide enough for Pyramidhead to walk through. He looked at the campfire to see the shocked expressions and slack-jawed looks from the survivors. Some of the newer ones ran away to the woods circling the camp while the veterans stayed seating and watched, Quentin looked over his shoulder and stared wide-eyed at Pyramidhead. He shifted his gaze to Nea for a moment and registered what he could be so angry about, then jumped up and off Nea. She jolted awake from the sudden shift and looked around in alarm. As she turned to the direction the other survivors were staring towards, her eyes lit up. 

"PH!" She said, smiling and scrambling to her feet. She wobbled and strained to stand up straight, but she took purposeful steps in his direction. His heart and anger softened seeing her so excited to see him. He watched carefully as she crossed the field to meet him but stumbled along the way. He took quick and heavy footsteps to meet her in the middle and wrapped his arms around her. He stared hatefully at Quentin, who gulped down his fear and walked towards them.

"Pyramidhead, it's not what you might be thinking. She's cold, and she's hurt. I was just trying to help." He said softly enough to appear to be  cautious. Pyramidhead remained silent and stroked the back of Nea's head, she clung to him like he was life support, and he calmed down quickly with her touch. Quentin approached the two slowly, hands up and palms out. Pyramidhead watched carefully with distrust and annoyance.

"PH, i'm so glad to see you." Nea said, squeezing her arms around his waist tighter. Pyamidhead stroked her hair through his fingertips while continuing to stare at Quentin. 

"Look man, i'm not trying to steal her if that's what you're mad about. I just want her to get better. She's my friend too, and we've been in countless trials together, i don't want to see her suffer." Quentin said, stopping a few feet from Pyramidhead, still steaming. 

"Nea is mine." He said, his voice strong and echoing across the camp.

"I know. We know. We're just trying to help." Quentin tried to please the killer with a soft expression.

"No. Nea comes with me. Dont trust you." Pyramidhead said firmly, scooping her up in his arms. She yelped when he cradled her back, and he noticed the thin bandaging across her back splotched with red seeping under the fabric. She wasn't healing with them. She'll get better at Sally's, he decided. He held Nea in his arm and dragged his great knife behind him, the dull metallic scraping rung out through the survivor camp as he left the surviors dumbfounded and terrified.

Quentin just seethed with irritation.