The Rain (Book 1 - The Unprotected)

Chapter 15 - L'eau sale, des vêtements propres et la lumière de bougie

Courtney sat with her legs pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them. She was in a daze staring at the tiled wall ahead of her, the steam filled the room and it was hard for her to see and breathe.

She was only supposed to be in for ten minutes but she'd been in for about twenty now. Her hair was stuck to her neck and her fingers were wrinkled. In the corner of her eye, she could see the water turning a murky colour due to the blood and dirt that was being washed off her body.

The showers in the army base were just cubicles, they only had three walls and an open entrance. Normally Courtney would feel exposed but right now she was in a daze. She didn't care. Her towel hung from the bar opposite her, she watched it, studying the baby blue design on the pure white cloth.

Her senses were coming back to her and suddenly she could feel the water rushing down on her with impeccable force. Her eyes widened and she gasped in fright, pushing herself along the floor with her hands until she realised that she was in the shower with her clothes on. The entire time, she didn't feel the water, she didn't feel anything. Her hand clutched her chest, breathing heavily as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the tile, feeling the light spray of water covering her face.

She hauled herself up and stood under the water fully, wringing her hair under it until it was back to its unnatural black. She rubbed her face violently with her hands and stood back, twisting the lever. It gave a painful squeak and the water jutted to a stop. She stood back and yanked the towel off the bar. She peeled her drenched clothes off and threw them down, making a squelching noise as they hit the ground.

After pulling on her new clean clothes given to her by a woman around the same height as her, she moved over to the mirror that she'd been trying so hard to avoid. A face came into view. Black hair stuck to pale skin and blue-green emotionless, empty eyes. Pink tinged cheeks as a cause of the shower. The condensation covered some of the mirror but allowed her to see the main features of the person staring back at her.

She left the bathroom with her wet clothes bundled in her hands, she looked from side to side as she entered a hall. A middle-aged woman was sitting on a wooden bench diagonal from her. She rose to her feet as Courtney walked out.

"My name is Casey." She said pleasantly, sending Courtney a smile. Her eyes showed she was expecting a reply but Courtney didn't give her one.

Casey's long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders framing her face perfectly. Her coral eyes shone in the torchlight. Her cheekbones were sharp and prominent. Her lips were rosy red and reminded Courtney of cupid's bow. She looked a little lost when Courtney said nothing and just stared blankly at her. She quickly found her place again and continued. "Your friend told me your name is Courtney, it's nice to meet you." Her hand raised a little but lowered back to her side again when she knew Courtney wouldn't shake it.

"What do I do with these?" Courtney asked, her head turning down to the heap of clothes in her arms that were now splashing water to the ground. Her hands lifted the bundle up a little to show Casey what she was talking about.

"Oh." Casey's eyes widened, she didn't see that they were soaked through. Her hands extended. "I'll take them and dry them for you." Courtney gave them to Casey and the woman swallowed when they were dropped into her hands. She fumbled with them for a moment as she almost dropped one of the shoes that sat on top.

"So..." Courtney started, looking left and right hoping that Casey would catch her drift. The candle's were dotted along the benches and floors. They even had some lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The orange glow lit the area but Courtney had to squint to see the end of the hall which was plunged into darkness.