Beca slept hard--harder than she'd slept in a really long time. She woke disoriented once more, having to remind herself why she lay on a couch and inside of a house that hadn't been abandoned. She didn't move too quickly this time, though the dull ache in her side set in once she was awake enough to process it. She always refused painkillers they had on hand, though. She didn't want to waste supplies, for one. (And there was also the screwed up reason where she was still punishing herself for what happened six months ago, but she wasn't gonna unpack that shit probably... ever, if she had a say.)
She pushed herself to sit up fully, noting how dark and calm and quiet the house sat, save for the predictable rhythm of Amy's snores coming from the other side of the coffee table. Jesse slept on the carpet nearby, his chest rising and falling in peaceful crests. Making sure to stay quiet enough to not wake them, she winced as she pulled her boots back on, lacing them all the way up her calves as per usual. Beca lazily braided her hair to keep it somewhat controlled, tying it off in front and letting it hang over her left shoulder. She picked up her revolver and holster, quickly hooking it so it sat low around her hips, but she left the rest of her weapons on the table. Amy and Jesse clearly did a lot of work to earn these people's trust, the last thing she wanted to do was seem like a threat and screw all of that up, despite her extreme discomfort at being there to begin with.
It was as if her body knew she'd been within four solid walls for too long; maybe she'd developed claustrophobia of sorts over the years, but she needed fresh air. She needed to move. And as soon as she stepped onto the front porch into the cooler night air, she closed her eyes for a moment to appreciate its crispness. She regretted not grabbing her jacket, but the chill in the air also felt good against her bare arms and neck. Refreshing, sort of.
She set off down the street, a slight but still noticeable limp in her step as she wandered down the quiet pathway, walking by other houses for a while and wondering who lived there. If Jesse and Amy met them already. If they were filled with older people, younger people, families, friends... and how much shit they'd been through to get there. Beca shied away from meeting new people often, but she'd met enough to know that everyone had a story to tell. The same story told by thousands of different points of view, it seemed.
Beca finally reached what seemed to be the hub of the settlement, a few people milling about chatting or working. A few cast her confused or wary glances, but some smiled. One greeted her with a warm welcome, which was kind of weird. She continued circling the hub until she found a larger tent-like structure, a few torches lit to illuminate the space. She spotted several barrels lined up along one side, large bags of what must've been something like oats or rice stacked in a small mountain on the other side. Lingering by the entrance, she watched the folks inside for a moment until her eyes fell on Chloe... and then she watched her specifically, taking in the way she moved and her facial expressions when she spoke to others. Maybe it was creepy, but she couldn't really find it in her to look away for some reason. Or... jesus, maybe she was sleepwalking.
*
Chloe once again found herself immensely grateful for the girls who had become her family, because all of the girls in the house were much friendlier and more receptive when Chloe made the rounds of introductions between them and Jesse and Amy. Maybe having the other girls on her side would help sway Aubrey over to relaxing her animosity towards having the three new faces around. She wasn't exactly holding her breath about that, but she could always stay hopeful, right? In the meantime, she warned the girls against disturbing Beca's sleep and gave Jesse and Amy a fairly thorough tour of the settlement. There would still be details to sort out as they got settled, but at least this way they would be more familiar with the layout and how things functioned around here. It became clear why food had been such a priority for them in negotiating a stay here, because while they were gracious, they were also quick to devour the rations they were given for breakfast. Even Beca ate without complaint when they returned to the house, but again, Chloe wondered with a note of amusement if that was because she might still be half-asleep.
YOU ARE READING
In My Blood (Completed)
Fanfiction*ALL CREDIT BELONGS TO THIS AWESOME WRITER CARMA19* I read this story here in wattpad long ago and felt sad because the book was incomplete, until recently, I found this author carma19 at archiveofourown.org (AO3) who owned this book and I felt like...
