(Don't) Panic

XXXII - The Breeding II

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*trigger warning:

the full warning and list of triggers to be found in part 2

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Without Louise the group would have fallen apart at that point, Nathalie reminisced. Larissa had been very blunt that morning. Before even their matinal ration of pellets had been poured on the table she had let the bomb drop.

"They impregnated us."

During the first immeasurably short moment they all froze. It had felt like an eternity to Nathalie but it could only have been half a second until Amanda started to scream. Knowing what the monsters would do to a screamer they had collectively tried to calm her down which had stopped them from falling apart directly. On the other "end" of their group Mary had tried to console a teary eyed Emma by repeating to her what she herself had said earlier – that she never had had her period beforehand and that she was far too young to be able to get pregnant, all the while just barely keeping it together herself.

Only Louise had kept a cool head about their situation and rallied them once more. She had reminded them that everything was the same as yesterday. That, even though they couldn't do anything about their situation or what the monsters did to them right now, they were biding their time and would get out of here – but only if they continued being strong and being there for one-another. Only if they didn't let go of their last strands of sanity. Only if they didn't wallow in self-pity. She reminded them that they had to keep being strong and to keep their heads up. To keep their wits about. That they had to keep it together or they could just as well have been crushed directly after awakening in the first big white sphere. That they had all made it here, to this point, had all gone through so much already and that all their suffering had not been in vain but to bring them here. That there would undoubtedly be more suffering but that they had to persevere. Together. They had made it here. They were still alive. They would get out of this. They would break the chains, they would leave the boxes, they would kill the monsters and they would get back home. They had all worked so much before, all that work would not be lost just because some stupid monsters were doing stupid things! They would get back home – but they had to hang in. Together. Or they'd hang separately.