STRANGERS ♱ yellowjackets

32. bad omens and wastelands

THE WALK BACK TO THE CABIN WAS SILENT and filled with the unspoken doubt they both carried. They couldn't run away, they both knew that. But they also loved each other too much to ever admit, that they wouldn't be willing to risk it all. As Bunny opens the door with a small huff, to her surprise the mood in the cabin seems quite gleeful. She and Natalie exchange looks before heading to the attic to sleep.

Bunny and Natalie lie close together on a makeshift bed of old blankets and quilts, their breath mingling in the frigid air. Despite the biting cold, there's a warmth that permeates between them.

Their hands are entwined, fingers laced together, each touch a silent reassurance.

Bunny can feel Natalie's heartbeat, a steady rhythm that anchors her amidst the oppressive chill. She snuggles closer, pulling the blankets tighter around them. The cold tries to seep through, but Natalie's presence is a barrier, an unyielding force that keeps the worst of the winter at bay. Bunny's toes, numb moments ago, start to tingle with a returning warmth, a reminder that she's not alone in this cold attic. Natalie shifts slightly, her arm wrapping more securely around Bunny.

Her breath tickles Bunny's ear as she murmurs, "Are you warm enough?" Bunny nods, "With you, I am."

The sounds of the forest outside are muted by the thick walls of the cabin, but occasionally, the howl of the wind breaks through, a stark reminder of the harsh world beyond their sanctuary.

"I'm sorry, Nat", Bunny sighs as she snuggles her face deeper into the crook of Natalie's neck, feeling the skin and flesh that it carries underneath it. Natalie hums, her eyes already closed, "For what?" Their voices are hushed since Taissa and Van fell asleep moments ago. Bunny breathes in, taking in the familiar scent the girl carries.

"For realizing I liked you so late", Bunny mutters, her voice sad as she speaks. Natalie's eyes flutter open as she confusedly stares at the ceiling, her chest weighted with exhaustion. "You don't need to apologize for that", Natalie answers, pulling the girl slightly closer, if that even is possible. "I mean what I said the other night, I wanna be with you forever", Bunny murmurs against Natalie's skin. Natalie feels how warm she suddenly feels, how loved. She can count the times she has felt like that with two fingers, but she can't even bring herself to feel bad about it, not when Bunny lies next to her.

"I love you", Natalie says, her throat tightening as she whispers the age-old-promise into the air. "I love you more", Bunny whispers into Natalie's skin, her eyes already closed as she softly starts to snore. Even though nightmares of Jackie and the antler monster plague Bunny's dreams, she sleeps for the whole night in Natalie's arms.

Bunny tilts her head as she stares at the gift in Shauna's hands. "I don't get it", Bunny confesses, as she tries to make sense of what the piece of wood is supposed to do. "Yeah, what is it?", Shauna asks, just as confusedly as she turns the piece of wood in her hands.

Natalie shifts beside Bunny, her hand resting on the girl's thigh as they lean into the wall. They made a plan to leave the next day, that way they have a full day to prepare for the flee and to see Shauna's baby shower.

"It's a changing teepee, to catch the pee. If it's a boy", Van explains, "I saw one at a Party Emporium once."

Natalie and Bunny exchange a humorous look as Shauna looks at Van in utter confusion, "Uh- Yeah, good thinking..." The brunette's eyes fall on Natalie and Bunny who are the next in the small circle they have formed. Bunny gives Natalie a look, before she crawls closer to the center of the circle, digging her hand into her pocket.

"Well, I don't really have anything to give, but", Bunny says, and pulls out a deck of cards, "I forgot I brought my tarot cards with me. And I thought it'd be like—fun, I guess to do a reading."