Messy - Abby Anderson x Fem Reader

Chapter 6 - Tense air.

Absent-mindedly, I shove two cans of beans into my backpack and a few ammo cartridges. I don't have much food left so I'm going to have to search this aquarium on my own, but it'll be easy now that the sun's up to give light.

I decide to leave my bag on the table as I head out of the room into the main aquarium, heading towards the round desk in the middle. A small whine grabs my attention though, forcing my gaze to Alice limping towards me ever so slowly.

My brows furrow in concern and I meet her halfway and crouch down to gently pet her, checking on her bandaged hind leg which she's holding above the floor.

"How're you, girl?" I murmur quietly, her soft pants filling the air. I don't know where Abby is, or even Mel, or even Lev. Things are going to be hella awkward as soon as we make our way out of here.

I could stay here in Seattle on my own or I could go back to Ellie but those options feel... wrong. I think I want to stay here with Abby, and try to fix things between us.

God, I feel so fucking sick when I think back to last night.

Alice's muzzle rubs into my knee, snapping me out of my thoughts. I let out a deep sigh and stand back up to walk over to the round desk.

"Come on, let's feed you, eh?" I keep my voice quiet as I don't want to alert anybody else of my presence. Alice's soft footsteps patter on the cold floor as she follows me slowly. I begin to search through the desk, desperate to find anything that would be useful.

Eventually, I find a hidden chocolate bar which still has a few months left before its 'use by' date. I lift it up and Alice looks up at me with her glistening eyes, her head tilting ever so slightly.

"Can't give you this, can I?" I mumble and sigh, tossing it across the desk. The chocolate is rock hard and bangs loudly against the surface as I toss it, and I wince at the noise.

"Y/N?" Mel's voice calls out as she steps through the doors, almost in a small rush. My head snaps up and my palms tingle as I immediately think of her baby. Is she okay?

"What is it?" I straighten myself up and step around the desk towards her, my eyes slightly wider as she approaches. Then, Abby walks in behind her but she doesn't meet my gaze. Ouch. So, I look back at Mel. "Is the baby okay?"

"The baby's okay, we just- we don't have a lot of food and if you want us to get to Idaho, I mean..." Her hand cradles her belly. "We need a lot more supplies."

I inhale sharply and look back at Alice. Okay, so we're scarce on food. No big deal. Right?

"Uh..." I look down at my hands and suddenly I remember when they were stained with blood. Ooh, fuck. Focus, Y/N.

I wipe my hands on my trousers and look back at Mel. "We'll head downtown, keep you and Alice safe, and we'll grab anything we can from there."

Mel nods slowly and her eyes drift to the chocolate bar on the desk. "It's rock hard," I mumble, referring to the chocolate.

She lets out a small "oh" and Abby shifts from her position against the wall behind Mel, letting out a deep sigh that isn't hard to miss. It makes me bite my lip hard in an attempt to distract my thoughts from flooding guilt into my stomach again.

"We should head out as soon as possible," I suggest.

"We're only waiting on you," Abby interjects, her tone cold. Fuck, she is mad. When I look over at her, she's finally looking at me but with an unreadable look in her eyes. At least she's waiting, I suppose. At least she's not willing to argue that we're going to be stuck with each other for a while.

I sigh ever so softly and start to walk out of the room to grab my bag. It lies undisturbed on the table I left it on, and I grab it to zip it up rather roughly. I can't help but feel...conflicted. Is Abby really worth all this? She's...different now.

As expected, duh. She's grieved, and got buffer, and kept a boyfriend.

Come on, Y/N, you're the one who left without a word. You should be the one trying to earn her forgiveness and approval.

When I walk back towards them, Lev is already standing beside Abby. Mel is crouching to Alice as comfortably as she can, petting her. I notice Abby's gaze flick to me for a moment but I ignore her. She can have the space she wants and I won't force her to talk to me.

"I covered Owen's body up," I murmur to Mel quietly, kneeling down beside her and the dog. Our eyes lock and I can see the way she presses her lips together so quickly. "I buried him near the shore. Is that okay?"

Mel looks back down at Alice and her eyes start to tear up. She's holding her breath so she doesn't say anything for a moment. I'm sorry, Mel.

My hand comes up to rub Mel's back and I pull her into my side. I can't bring myself to say any reassuring words so I stay quiet, letting her gather herself.

"Is she okay?" Lev asks quietly and I look up at him. My lips part as I think of what to say.

"You two meet us out in front, okay?"

Reluctantly, Abby makes her way out of the room, disappearing to go. Lev follows behind quietly.

Looking back at Mel, I help her stand. "Come on, we'll finish this stupid two week long trip and you'll have all the support you can imagine."