The Dark Mist

Love and the Aftermath

                                                                                          4

Becca's eyes opened and she took a breath. She turned slowly looking at the ceiling and frowned as she looked at her right and saw there was no other bed there and no Jennifer. In fact, she wasn't at the compound anymore. If that were the case, then where the hell was she. Becca sighed as she let her head rest on the pillow. She couldn't get up yet, she had to figure out what happened. They had a plan, her and Jennifer. They were going to run away together. Becca nodded. And Jennifer betrayed her. It all came swimming back to her. The Squad Leader and Donna by the door. The Squad Leader humiliating her by having her take off nearly all her clothes, then Donna shoving her out of the compound. Becca turned over on her side, then felt underneath the pillow. She sighed with relief. The compass was still there. She smiled. That nice man, Rick. He helped her. He was there last night in the same bed with her. Normally that wouldn't be okay with her, but the body heat had helped. She felt a lot better and actually it did feel nice having his arms around her. She blushed at that thought and wondered how flushed she was getting when she giggled and clamped a mouth over her hand. What if he was in the other room and heard her? Besides he was just suggesting a way for her to get warm and it worked.

She slipped the covers off herself, slid her feet onto the floor when she saw a bag on a chair by the dresser she hadn't noticed before. The bag had a note on it and she read it. It said "Becca, Here is a change of clothes for you, Rick. P.S. Sorry about last night, I forgot to tell you where the bathroom was for a hot shower." Becca smiled to herself. Not only his fault. Come to think of it, that would've been a brilliant idea but she was just too cold at the time to think of it and heat was her only thought. She took the bundle to the bathroom and closed the door. Inside was a long-sleeved grey sweater, blue jeans, socks, and underwear. There was a clean towel by the bathroom sink, so she did the thing she didn't think of last night and stripped off her clothing, turned on the shower and hopped in. To her left was a bar of soap and she noticed there was a bottle. She read it and it said shampoo. It wasn't the one she had used at the compound, but then again, there wasn't a specific brand everyone used. They all used whatever the Squad Leaders brought from outside. Unless, some of the soldiers had medical conditions. She remembered Jennifer used Head & Shoulders. She had her own bottle she carried with her.

There was no sponge to use with the soap. That was okay, she'd just have to improvise. Becca put some shampoo into her hands and lathered her hair, taking a deep relaxing breath from the heat of the water. She wasn't as cold as she was last night, but there were still shivers she felt, though they were mostly psychological and were from the treatment she received before being kicked out. Speaking of which, she needed to keep the compass safe. Although the phone number was etched in her memory already, directions weren't. She was in a car, half out of her mind when she was rescued here. One thing at a time, she thought to herself. She didn't know what her future would bring. Just one step at a time. Right now she had to enjoy this shower, finish it, and get dressed. It was nice of Rick to lend her his shirt but it was big and her legs needed warmth too. Becca finished off her shower with soaping herself then letting the water smooth away the soap, as if warm hands were brushing her skin and she smiled again thinking of Rick's body heat. He really was a nice guy. She turned off the shower, got her towel and dried herself off. Her bra would have to do. He obviously didn't buy her one, which was good, that would've been embarrassing. Even the male Squad Leaders didn't buy female clothing. She did use the new underwear and that felt good, though she left her old panties in the bag. They were hers and one of the few things she had been allowed to bring with her, so they were special. She'd keep them until they wore out. There were at least 5 more panties in the bag. He had gotten a set of six according to the package. She finished off with the sweater, jeans and socks, opened the door and continued to towel dry her hair as she walked into the living room and saw him sitting in the living room with a laptop. He looked up when he saw her.