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.・゜-: ✧☾ ☽✧ :-゜・.
The group walked until the day shifted to night and the stars began spreading over the sky. They settled down in an abandoned library where they occupied themselves by moving the bookshelves to secure the area. Glenn and Abraham took it upon themselves to do rounds around the perimeter while Tara and Rosita placed cardboard over the windows. Eugene marked his territory in a corner with his nose buried in a book and Melissa was quick to fall asleep on one of the couches. The night outside seemed still and quiet with no threat in sight.
"There you go," Stella said as she assisted Levi to sit down in one of the beanbags. The two were exhausted after walking without stopping for hours. Levi's foot was still in bad condition but luckily Stella had found some rubbing alcohol and bandages in a broom closet.
The girl sank down on the floor and gently placed his foot in her lap. She tried to carefully unwrap the sleeve of her shirt which she had wrapped poorly earlier in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. The once white sleeve was now both bloody and dirty from the walk and the sight of the wound that hid under it looked alarming. Stella tried to keep a calm expression and damped the kitchen towel with the rubbing alcohol. She swallowed hard and reached out to hold Levi's hand.
"This might sting." She whispered before gently pressing the towel against his wound. The boy reacted to the touch instantly, his head throwing back and his eyes squeezing shut. His grip on Stella's hand tightened and a hushed grunt escaped his lips.
The Grimes girl did her best to clean the wound and wrap it with the bandages. She stared at the boy's foot and sighed, knowing that Ellie would be disappointed. She bit the inside of her lip, praying that her treatment was enough.
"Hey... You okay?" Levi asked, his voice strained.
Stella tore her gaze from his foot and looked up at him. "Yeah. I just hope this is good enough." She exhaled.
"Don't worry. You did well. It'll be fine." He caressed the skin on her hand.
The girl nodded shortly. Levi sat up, scooting Stella over to the bean bags so the two switched positions. "Now it's my turn."
Stella stared at him with a curious smile. "What?"
He gently rolled up Stella's jeans, revealing the cuts and scrapes that covered her knees and the girl immediately understood what he was doing and she couldn't stop herself from giggling. The boy's mouth curved into a grin at the sound. He lifted a fresh and clean towel and damped it with rubbing alcohol before carefully pressing down on her wounds while gently caressing her leg with his thumb. He cleaned the wounds and placed Band-Aids on the deepest cuts.
Stella stared at the creation on her knees and the scattered Hello Kitty Band-aids, another laugh leaving her mouth. "Cute."
Levi smiled at her and rolled down her jeans again before laying down beside her, wrapping her body up against his with his arm around her. Stella curled up next to him, staring into the corner of the room in a desperate attempt to think about anything else than the gnawing pit of guilt in her stomach. She couldn't help but wonder if she would see her family again. They had been gone for a day and so much had already gone wrong. They had no vehicle, Levi was injured and at risk of an infection and they were stranded in the middle of nowhere.
