Barren Crossroads

Bleed Em Dry, Make Em Like It

Kaelie's eyebrows shot into her hair, even though he couldn't see her, and she winced at the action. She cleared her throat, and ignored what ever unknown and unwanted feeling pinched in her stomach at the familiarity that à nickname afforded her.

"Yeah," she called in à loud voice. "I'm coming." She cringed at her wording, and scoffed at herself. At least she still had à sense of humor. She finished dressing, and gathered her freshly untangled and damp hair into a long, loose braid that she draped over her shoulder. She tried to drape some of her bangs over her ruined eye, but gave up. Vanity didn't much matter anymore. Maybe Rick had something to cover it with.

She bounced down the stairs, her body alight with nervous, anxious energy. She didn't know what Rick would ask, how much she'd say. Her mind had à habit of betraying her lately. But if she could get his help- maybe she could tell him eventually. About all of it. And if he knew there was à cure- maybe he'd let her have it.

She pulled open the door and nearly crashed into Rick's chest. He was quite à bit taller then her and he chuckled as she stopped herself abruptly, scrubbing his hand over his thick beard and then back through his dark, curly hair. She focused on his heavy boots. "Good morning," he drawled down at her.

"Morning," she said, in the quiet, demure voice she'd been using with him. It made her cringe in on herself.

His smile still focused on her. "Come on, Little Red. Let's get something to eat. I'm taking you back to my house so we can talk," he said.

Kaelie felt sick. With guilt, with infection, with self hatred, she couldn't tell anymore, it all swirled into à nasty nausea that burned in her stomach and felt like à stone. She nodded. He led her away, to the same house that Clancey had given them the food and medicine before. He left her outside on the porch while he went in. Anyone else, anyone that really knew what she was, who she was, they'd never have done that. It was à good opening for her to kill everyone in the compound and run.

Kaelie didn't move. À couple minutes went by, but they felt like small eternities. For the first bit of her wait, no one dared approach her. But as the minutes kept crawling by, four hulking men did, stopping at the bottom of the short set of steps to the porch. She didn't speak, and tried not to raise her eyebrow in the haughty, asshole way that she usually did. She looked down at the floor instead, trying to shrink herself into something smaller, less of à target.

It was pointless, but Kaelie already knew that. "What are you doing here?" she asked softly.

The men scoffed, and one stepped forward, one foot on the bottom step. He had watery blonde hair and dark eyes that were narrowed into mean slits. "Ask you the same thing, little bitch," he spit.

"I don't understand," she said. "I haven't done anything. I'm not hurting anyone, I'm not hear to hurt anyone, Rick is- he's being kind. He's helping me."

"Why is that? You show up out of nowhere, coming from the wrong end of à knife fight? World like this? I don't trust you for à second. You want something else from him, or from us," said the same man, running his tongue along yellowed teeth. Toothpaste was à luxury now. He leered at her and his eyes hit her chest, her nipples hard from the cold and pushing out the fabric. Bras too, honestly.

She clenched her jaw. "You're disgusting. I'm looking for my people, that's it. Rick said he'd help. Nothing more."

"Oh, darling, I can sure see why he'd want to help you," said one of the others, one with lightish red hair and blue eyes like little chips of ice. His eyes darted all over her body and Kaelie felt her blood start to burn in rage.

"Maybe, maybe," he said, tapping his finger on his chin. "I'll just take à little taste for myself."

Not happening. "I fucking dare you," she hissed, her soft, sweet voice dropping, and her usual sharp tone coming out. The four men smiled like it was à challenge, not à threat and she wished she'd have brought her knife. God knows why she didn't.