EIGHT LETTERS || Liam Dunbar [2]

THIRTY TWO

A/N: ya girl finally started taking meds for her anxiety and I'm not exactly thriving but we're working on it

Also I just got a weighted blanket so love that for me

I still feel like my writing is shit but idk I'm still updating because I write when I'm sad apparently??? I guess??? idk enjoy this shit

Katherine's eyes fluttered open at the feeling of someone shaking her shoulder, and she allowed herself to let out a soft groan as pain radiated through literally every part of her body. She was confused for a moment, and couldn't figure out why the hell she'd ended up unconscious on an uncomfortably, slightly squishy blob, but as her eyes met Hayden's frantic ones, it all came back to her.

The wind whistled in her ears as Katherine's grip around Liam's neck slipped, and she scrambled to fins something else to grab. She wound up grabbing the front of his shirt as he twisted slightly, still holding Hayden's arm. "Liam, if we don't die I'm going to kill you!" She yelled at him cringing as he did his best to turn so he'd take the majority of the fall's impact.

"You've told me that before!" He yelled back, glancing between her and Hayden.

"Then I get to kill you twice!" was her answer. She hid her face in the front of his throat, entire body coiled taut as it braced for the inevitably painful impact.

Haphazardly, she flailed an arm out and latched her arm onto Hayden's to make sure no one would end up too far away and be made a possible target for...whatever that thing was.

She blacked out the moment they hit the ground.

"Are you okay?"

Katherine blinked twice, looking around her for a moment before allowing her eyes to land on Hayden again, and wildly surprised to find her eyes on her. "I...yeah, are you?" She asked, shakily rising to her feet.

She nodded twice, clearly trying to hide the fact that she was actually terrified. "I'm fine, but you've got a bit of a..."

Katherine pursed her lips and rolled out her neck carefully, testing for any soreness, then brought her fingertips up to the spot on her forehead Hayden had been gesturing to. Sure enough, there was a decent amount of blood coming from a cut the length of her ring finger going through her brow, and she groaned. "Oh, what the fuck."

"Yeah," she grimaced.

Not knowing what else to do, she dabbed at it with the sleeves of her sweater until she felt like she's wiped away the majority of the blood, then turned to Hayden hopefully. "It's a little better," she agreed. "Might need stitches, though."

"I don't think I broke anything so I'm not complaining."

"Um, Katherine?" She turned to look at her curiously. "Thank you...for, um, for staying...with me...I didn't want to die alone."

...Not what I thought you were going to say.

"I don't want to either," she admitted softly, and the two shared a brief smile. "Now come on, we should wake Liam up." Without any hesitation, Hayden leaned around her and smacked Liam frantically across the face. When he didn't move, she did it again, and he coughed out a groan. "I mean...that's one way to do it, I guess."

"What're you doing?" He groaned, looking at his own hand as if, for a brief moment, he thought he'd slapped himself.

"Making sure you're still alive," Hayden huffed as if it were the most reasonable answer in the world.