Lone Survivors

III (Shadows Rise)

Spencer arrived just as we finished setting up the merch tables.

Without Paul's overbearing presence, the six of us worked like a finely oiled machine. He smiled as he approached, Nadine and Kambria were already blushing heavily whispering excitedly to each other. I excused myself strolling right up to Spencer hugging him tightly. He hugged me back placing a small kiss on the top of my head.

"Hey there beautiful, you hungry?" Spencer looked down at me.

"I'm starving." I grinned up at him, glancing back at my crew. "I'll be back soon."

"We'll be here, have fun!" Milo waved.

"Looks like everyone has a pep in their step." Spencer mused. I noticed he purposely kept one of his hands in his jacket pocket. A hunch led me to grab it, he hissed in pain, for one split second I thought I saw his eyes turn black.

"What in the Hell happened?! Did you get into a fight?" I started checking him over. I could hear the worry heavily laced in my voice.

"It's nothing, Kaitie I'm fine." He tried to brush it off, like he always did when we were kids.

"Do not bullshit me Charnas, I can feel the glass fragments still in your knuckles. Do you want to get an infection? Cause this is how you get an infection." I began pulling him in the direction of the SUV.

"Where are we going?"

"I have a first-aide kit in my duffle, before I will even consider having lunch with you, I am going to make sure you're okay." I popped the trunk. "Sit your ass down."

He reluctantly took a seat, unwinding the bandage around his hand while I grabbed my first-aide kit. Opening it I brought out a petri dish and tweezers begging to pick the glass fragments out of his knuckles.

"Did you punch a mirror?" I held up one of the fragments for a closer look. He looked down an embarrassed look on his face.

"I got mad thinking about what happened between you and Paul last night. The thought of him laying another hand on you got me so angry I punched the mirror in my tour bus's bathroom. I guess I didn't notice the fragments."

"I don't think we'll need to worry about Paul anymore." I picked out the last mirror fragment breaking out the peroxide next.

"Why do you say that?" He began hissing as I cleaned out the wound.

"Jenny called me while we were unloading merch. Turns out I wasn't the only merch girl he treated like that. He also got accusations from girls in Rise Records and Fueled by Ramen." I took the antibiotic cream out next. "With so many girls coming forward local police are keeping him detained here."

Spencer's shoulders sagged with relief, I had a sinking feeling the happiness would be short lived, as most things in my life. I finished bandaging up his hand, putting the trash into a small bag, and closing my kit. Spencer got up extending his uninjured hand to me. I took it walking hand and hand with him to a sports bar on the corner. We picked a booth in the back and got ourselves comfortable.

"How have things been?" Spencer ordered our drinks.

"You want me to answer honestly?" I leaned back.

"We've always been honest with each other." He took my hand our fingers laced together.

"I've been constantly working, keeping myself as distracted as possible. I've been living in my van I have a hard time trusting anyone, except for you." I blurted everything out. "I'm afraid of them finding me. I'm afraid of them coming back to finish what they started."

"I have that same fear, you didn't mention you were living in your van." He studied me closely.

"I didn't think it was important." I shrugged it off.