Ally, Imagined *hiatus

Captain, My Captain

"Wow." I breathed. "Where did you find all this stuff?" I whipped around to face Royal, then realized how close he was to me. A blush crept up my cheeks. "Sorry!" I shouted.

Royal was blushing, too, and Court couldn't care less so he continued to not pay attention. "It's fine, Em. I was standing in your bubble, anyways." He pretended to pop the previously mentioned bubble. "Unless I can keep standing here, I'm totally okay with that." Royal smirked.

I bit my lip, looking down. "I don't really care." Court coughed in the background, walking up to us.

Royal turned around, quirking an eyebrow. "What's up?"

Court sighed. "Are you serious? We've ought to get her some new gear. I'm sure the only reason the got past Blindside is because of that skimpy outfit. Are you a prostitute, possibly?" He asked without shame.

Royal, however, was really not okay with this. He took my arm, guiding me behind his back, quirking an eyebrow. "The only reason you got past Blindside was because you sold your knowledge off to them. That's the same as selling your body, Evercourt." He spat.

I shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. Who was Blindside? "Who's Blindside?" I whispered. When the two kept bickering, I tried again, a little louder this time. "Who's Blindside? What do they want from you?"

The two of them scoffed in surprise. "You don't know who Blindside is?" They said in unison.

"How would I? For pizza's sake, I just got here!" I flailed my arms for emphasis. Instead, I looked like an octopus trying to swim through air.

Court sighed, rubbing his temple. "Blindside is a sort of loose-cannon group. Former government employees for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. They spend most of their time pillaging and killing, not really standing for the whole revolution, just the rebelling part." Court scrunched up his nose. "They're below scum. They make that possible." Royal nodded in agreement to this statement.

I pursed my lips. "What about the government? Who are they?"

Royal answered this time, through tight jaw and gritted teeth. Court looked down at his feet, a certain sadness in his features. "They would sell us off to the rich or the government, working for nothing until our hands bled." He scoffed.

Right before I was about to comment on what idiots they were, loud hoots and hollers sounded like blaring alarms.

"Come out, little piggies!" One crazed voice shouted.

"We know you got S.T.A.L.K.E.R.S.' little princess in there!" Another yelled.

Royal and Court looked at me with not betrayal, but like they were asking if they could beat up the idiots outside.

Royal acted without permission, grabbing a strange looking pistol and a rifle from a cabinet. A raging fire and fury was in his eyes. Court grabbed my wrist, pulling me off towards a room I hadn't noticed yet. He pulled me around a corner, stopped in the middle of the hall, and yanked at a chain on the floor.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, trying to force the door in the floor open. The chained door flew open, banging against the wall. "Let's go!" Court shouted at me, ushering me down the steps that descended into a large room with desert sand and dirt walls.

When his feet landed on the dirt, Court still held the door open. "Hide in here until we come get you. Whatever you do, do not open this door. Okay?"

I nodded, and with that he was off towards the sounds of loud gunshots and men hollering. I stalked towards the bed in the corner.