𝙵𝙻𝙴𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 𐂃

Chapter 15

"Ngh," as much as she tried to stifle the sound, Luciana couldn't help but groan when she felt the digits press into the healed tissue close to her shoulder. Said woman raised her head to watch the infirmary ceiling and kept back the burn in her sockets. Luciana her stomach reflexively clenched from the push against the sore, but healing trauma. But she welcome the pain given the argument she and Nick had this morning. She wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, even with her boyfriend's hesitation. She wasn't sure if it was because he was afraid to leave his family or because the guilt and obligation he felt towards his mother for going through hell, which got her husband, Travis, killed in the process. At least he promised that he wouldn't make her live here any longer than necessary and join her to Mexicali. He convinced her to at least stay and take advantage of the medical help, food and supplies to get back to full strength.

Luciana hissed out softly and reflexively jerked her shoulder back from the stinging cotton swab of antiseptic to clean it all. In spite of herself she glared at the curly-haired woman who told her to suck it up and Luciana tried to do just that. "I heard people talking about the old couple who died in the fire," she began in Spanish to drive her mind away from the pain and from Nick. "it reminded me of my own grandmother and grandfather. The first passed from old age and the other from loneliness... But I believe they're together... somewhere even with the dead amongst us in physical form."

"You sound like my grandmother," Cristine reminisced with a smile and placed a fresh bandage on the place. "The holiest and strictest woman that ever existed. Had a fit when my cousins and I weren't back home at five. She just had to wave her slipper at us and we'd behaved. She never once used it on us though."

"Ah yes, the fearsome slippers, for my brother and I those were our battle wounds when we got older." Luciana shook her head and joined Cristine in her laughter of the shared of a background not that different from her own. Grasping at the top of her buttoned up blouse back up her shoulders Luciana realized it was the first time she smile this sincerely since coming here. It was silly, but ever since the dead rose she didn't remember the last time she showed other emotions than sadness, hate, anger and usually negative emotions. At least not until her Colonia and Nick decided to search for a new home. All of them were either dead or missing and simply being reminded of that swallowed her smile.

Cristine witnessed how Luciana's bright expression eventually dimmed after she discarded the dirty bandages and disposable gloves into the bin of medical waste. "Sorry, I know it's hard being reminded about before. Knowing it's all-in the past and so normal and that it'll never come back."

The sharpness inside Luciana's eyes returned together with her vigilance, similar to the very first day. Wounded, but still filled with so much fight. She then remembered the gunshot wound her caretaker showed her on the leg and how she still stayed in this place with the very same man that did it to her. From what Nick told her, the relationship between her and that monstrous man was so very bizarre to be even called one. Parting her mouth, Luciana asked directly, "don't you want to kill him? For what he's done to you?" The question started Luciana even at first, the words almost accusatory and scathing to the infirmary that only housed the two of them. But when those dark eyes gawk at her calmly and a practiced indifference emerged Luciana didn't feel that bad for being blunt about it. "The day you said it was safe to uncuff me he did," the crease between her eyebrows deepened, "he began to rambled about this world just part of nature finally responding. That it was probably him who shot me when me and my people crossed the border. All the anger and hate returned and knowing it was his fault, I promised I would kill him. He smiled when I said that."

"..."

A cynical laugh escaped Luciana's mouth while buttoning up her blouse and making sure she wasn't straining her wound. "I am not judging you... your family is here, but I get the feeling they and everyone else knows what he is... what he does and what he can do. I am grateful for what you've done for me Cristine, but I can't stay in this place. It goes against who I am and it doesn't make me feel safe. And I believe that's also a reason why you had your own place for a while, away from here." Luciana tried her best to not judge the woman, but from what she knew, it was hard not to look at her with wariness. Especially when it involved that monster. She had allowed bad things to happen to her and she still could stand his presence? Even look past all he did. That was insane.