𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴 ~ 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty:
Hammer And Sickle

( tw: torture, racism )

"I'll miss you." Ramona admitted, staring sadly at him.

"I'll miss you, too." Will said sadly, a frown etched on his face.

"Don't let any assholes push you around, okay?" Ramona ruffled his hair before her hands fell to his shoulders. "Give me a call, I'll have Steve drive me up there and I'll beat their asses."

"But-"

"I'm still seventeen, it's not child endangerment yet." Ramona joked, her eyes glancing behind him at Jonathan before falling back to Will. "See you around, little man."

"After awhile,  crocodile." Will replied, pulling her into a quick hug. Ramona stepped aside, allowing the party to step in to talk to him.

"Jonathan." Ramona smiled up at him, "Don't let any shitheads say shit to him."

"I won't." Jonathan nodded, pulling Ramona into a hug. She rested her head against his chest, sighing to herself. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." Ramona admitted, "But I'll keep Nancy safe, don't worry."

Jonathan laughed sadly, pulling away to wipe away the tears. "Okay.."

"See you later.." Ramona said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"See you later, Ramona."

~~

Even as Ramona's physical scars faded, she wasn't so sure that her mental scars would ever fade. 

Without fail, night after night, Ramona was plagued with nightmares. Almost so real that for minutes, sometimes extending into painfully long hours, it was impossible to tell that it was just that.

A nightmare.

Blood stained Ramona's clothes, her hair stuck to her forehead and the blinding fluorescent lights flickered above her head.

Her body ached and her eyes burned. In her current state, even breathing felt like a chore. Dark purple and yellow bruises littered her golden skin.

All she wanted was to sleep. For only a moment.. just to be rid of the pain for a little while.

The sound of the metal door creaking open caused Ramona's heart to drop. "No.."

A whimper left her lips as she struggled against the restraints, "God, please.. No. Detente, detente.. por favor."

The general's eyes darkened as he leaned over her, blocking out the lights. Ramona squinted, turning her head away from him.

"Did we not talk about this? Here we speak English. Not your... monkey speak."

Ramona bit her lip, not having enough energy to fight back. "Fu... fuck you."

A bitter laugh, left his lips as he stood, turning to the two soldiers who stood by the door. "Get the... how do you say? Brand."