IN WHICH - The last thing that Hope Mikaelson expected when she came out of Malivore was to still be alive, the second last thing she expected was to be disowned by most of her living family, and the final last thing she expected was some ancient be...
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THIRD PERSON POV
CHAPTER 14
The air was thick with tension as Andrea perched atop the RV, her eyes scanning the edge of the woods with sharp focus. The walkie-talkie crackled in her hand, a lifeline to the group, but all she could think about was how she needed to prove herself. Her fingers tightened around the rifle's stock as she zeroed in on the figures emerging from the trees. They were staggering, disheveled, covered in dirt and blood. Andrea's breath hitched, her instincts kicking in before her mind could process.
The air was thick with tension as Andrea perched atop the RV, her eyes scanning the edge of the woods with sharp focus. The walkie-talkie crackled in her hand, a lifeline to the group, but all she could think about was how she needed to prove herself. Her fingers tightened around the rifle's stock as she zeroed in on the figures emerging from the trees. They were staggering, disheveled, covered in dirt and blood. Andrea's breath hitched, her instincts kicking in before her mind could process.
"Walkers," she muttered under her breath. There was no time to hesitate. The threat was clear.
She raised the rifle, her hands steady, and aimed carefully at the figures coming into view. The sight through the scope was enough to set off the alarm bells in her mind: these creatures were clearly moving like walkers. Their movements were erratic, their forms hunched over in a way that screamed danger. And one of them—was that a child?
Her heart pounded. They had to be dealt with.
With a quick glance over her shoulder, she pressed the button on the radio, her voice urgent but controlled. "This is Andrea on the RV. I have walkers, heading your way. Should I take the shot?"
There was a brief pause, the crackle of the static filling the air before the response came through. "Don't shoot yet, Andrea. We're coming down to deal with them. Wait for us."
Andrea's jaw tightened, frustration bubbling up inside her. She couldn't just sit back and wait. They would see. She would prove that she could handle this, that she could protect them. She had to.
With a deep breath, she let her instincts take over. She pulled the trigger.
The shot rang out across the open field.
But the bullet didn't find its mark. It missed the figure it was intended for. Instead, it grazed Hope, sending a shockwave of pain through her as the bullet sliced into her head, leaving a deep, stinging wound. Hope gasped, stumbling, her legs buckling beneath her, as the impact of the shot knocked her off balance. She fell hard to the ground, her body crumpling in a heap.
Not only had she performed multiple medical miracles over the past few days, but she was running on empty after spending the entire day training Sophia in all her new skills, including the best one yet, how to pretend to be a human child. And the shot to the head had been the icing on the cake, as her body just shut down.
