Save each other // Joel Miller

Revenge

The room was fuzzy and moving in slow motion. Sophie watched with wide eyes as the fighting continued, the cries rung out, and the light around them danced with chaotic shadows. Her chest rose and fell with determination as she waited. For what? She wasn't sure yet. The inevitable.

Joel was punching a young man, vaguely familiar to Sophie. She shook her head and turned to her right. There was Ellie, crying in grief, her hands crimson red with her friends blood. She turned more to find a stone faced Tommy, kneeling above a body with a round belly. He was pushing on a gushing wound on her side, and the body didn't move.

Sophie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her mind tried to take her away. Wishing that reality wasn't real and that she could be home, laying in her bed, listening to the soft snores of a man with his strong arms wrapped around her. Home. And safe.

Just as she caught her breath, she heard sounds of clumsy foot steps along her side. She looked up just in time to see the young man had gotten out of Joel's grasp and was lunging at her. Everything moved faster than normal at this moment. The slow motion of the past giving her no time to react to the actual events unfolding.

Sophie yelled loudly as he came crashing down on top of her, his feet catching themselves and pulling his momentum off. She couldn't see Joel at this point but she could hear his aggravated grunts, telling her that he was in pain. She fought at the boy as he scrambled to grab her neck, pinning her to the floor.

He managed to wrap his hands around her throat and she clawed at his wrists, sputtering under the pressure. She thrashed her legs and tried to buck him off with no luck. His body was bigger, stronger, more ready and capable. She yelled out as she looked up at his face. His eyes sparked a reaction in Sophie that caused her to go still.

At one moment, she was fighting against this man, the next Abby. She was strangling Sophie as Joel lay almost lifeless next to them. The memories of everything came rushing back, filling the cabin room with Sophie's screams of agony. Her eyes darted around wildly as she watched the scenes play like movies above her.

She was caring for strangers with her brother in the woods.

She was being locked in a cage, forced to watch her brother be butchered like a slaughtered pig.

She was running for her life as she survived the winter on her own.

She was stealing a horse from a man she'd never met.

She was fighting for the life of a girl and her father, unwilling to let go of her trauma.

She was recovering, laughing, healing at Jackson.

She was going on a suicide mission to protect her newfound family.

She was falling in love with Joel.

Sophie let out another agonizing scream as her head felt like it was splitting in two. Tommy rushed over and pulled Owen off of her, and the relief of getting a full breath in was short lived. Her head pulsated and she curled into a ball, squeezing her temples like she could put her exploding brain back together.

She felt a strong set of hands grab her shoulders and she could do nothing to protect herself. She squeezed her eyes shut just as she felt arms wrap around her impossibly small, curled up body. Maybe if she shelled up, nothing could break her more than her own mind was doing. But instead of the impending pain she thought was coming, she felt a warm embrace.

She opened her eyes just enough to see Joel kneeling beside her. He had his arms protectively around her body but gentle enough to hold her. His eyes were different from a few moments ago. They were thick with concern. Just past Joel, Sophie could see Tommy had the man on his chest, pinning his hands behind his back and a gun pressed to his head.