No Surrender | Eddie Munson

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Calm Before

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR: THE CALM BEFORE

SUNEATER — LEANNA FIRESTONE

But I am just the one who swallowed the moon
The only light that I have's just a reflection of you
You're the sea of tranquility
You're all of my stars
You're Neptune and Saturn
You're Venus and Mars

——————

The Winnebago comes to a stop around the back of the War Zone. I start to make my way down the aisle but Nancy blocks my way. She offers an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I don't think it's a good idea for you to go in there. Any of you."

Following her gaze to where Eddie, Dustin and Lucas sit, I sigh. She's right. Jason and the team will probably be after all of us now, and with his influence we don't know who else is with him. "Okay. Just be quick, yeah? And if there's is anything that could boost my energy, that'd be cool. Good hunting."

She grimaces and sends one last anxious glance at us over her shoulder as she follows the others out the door. It shuts behind her.

A strange silence takes over. Before everything changed, I would have offered the others some kind of reassurance, hoping to comfort their nerves. I'm sick of lying now.

I find a washcloth threaded through the handle of a cupboard under the sink and head into the bathroom. The window is small, situated high above the toilet, but I still draw the gingham curtains. The tap hisses for a moment before a stream of water rushes out. I run the cloth under it and wring it out until it's damp. The trickles over my fingers are soothing, but not nearly as soothing as the feel of it against my face. I drag it along my skin to clear the grime, eyes falling shut as I ease into its warmth.

Every inch of my body aches. My joints creak in complaint with each movement. I'm tired. So, so tired.

The door opens and closes. Eddie meets my gaze in the mirror. My lips pull into a small smile. I didn't realise just how small this room is until he came in. There is barely any space between us.

Without a word, he eases the jacket off of my shoulders and hangs it up, taking the cloth from my clenched hands. A shiver passes through me as he gathers my hair up in a fist to get more access. Each pull against my skin feels strangely warmer than before, almost burning. I don't complain.

Slowly, my body eases under his touch. I turn, perching precariously on the edge of the sink. He stands between my legs. Close. Very close. He has that look of concentration on his face again. The tip of his tongue pokes through his teeth and his forehead creases. There is a cut along my collarbone from walking through the forest. Just a thin, dotted trail of pink. I hadn't even noticed it until now.

I watch his reflection, as if expecting it to make my examination of his features a little less creepy.

He leans in to get a better look at the cut. His hair falls across my neck. The lace of my petal sleeve is gently eased from my shoulder to reveal the last few reaches. With a few careful strokes of the cloth, his rings bump against my skin. The sudden cold shocks through my calmed state and I gasp.

"Sorry. Sorry."

Again, he's apologising like he hurt me. It's more plausible this time but makes no more sense. The day Eddie causes me pain is the day Hell freezes over. I find myself reaching out then, stopping his movements. I think I might just lose my mind if he continues. Although a part of me knows that I wouldn't mind.

His hand slips from my hair. He tries to step back and allow me to get up from the sink but I close my thighs around his hips, a light pinch asking him to stay. And he does without complaint. Pulling the cloth out of his hand, I twist around to rinse it under the tap again. I can feel him watching me as I wring it out again.