Borderlines

Chapter Thirty-Five

When Fawn woke the next morning, the first thing that hit her was pain. Her ribs hurt in an unbearable manner and Fawn found herself coughing. Travis had stayed beside her all night and now he was awake, looking quite concerned. Travis quickly climbed out of the small bed and went to the pills set on a petite table for her. Fawn sat up slowly, hugging her arms around her aching sides. Travis walked over and handed her a glass of water, along with the medicine. As Fawn took the pill, she could see the anger hidden in his eyes. Clay was lucky he was dead, Garth was not. Travis sat down beside her while Fawn let out a long sigh and closed her eyes.
"I can't convince you not to come?" Travis asked. Fawn shook her head, which made her neck hurt. All of her body was very sore.
"I need to come, it will drive me crazy staying here." Fawn emphasized. Her jaw popped when she talked and she saw Travis cringe.
"How bad does it look today?" She asked him.
"You're face has more bruises than overripe fruit." He told her. Fawn touched her chin, wincing with pain. There was a knock on her door.
"Time to get ready." Someone ordered in the hallway. Fawn stood up slowly, finding her body sore as well. She and Travis traveled down to where the only store of guns in the secret hideout was. There were changing rooms there where Fawn found outfits like the guards except that they were camouflaged. She slipped the clothing on, the fabric came up to her neck. When she was finished changing, Fawn sat down on a bench, noting that Sean was across from her cleaning a gun. Fawn noticed the angry look in his eyes as he cleaned each part meticulously. She hadn't even thought about the impact of Emma's death on him,  Fawn decided to test the waters.
"I was there you know." Sean paused and looked at her.
"I watched her die, right in front of me and there was nothing I could do about it." Sean set his gun down.
"So did I." He said quietly. Fawn saw pain flash in his eyes.
"She said you two were going to elope." A faint smile touched Sean's lips.
"We were going to yes. If I ended up with the throne and she didn't...I couldn't imagine life with anyone else." Sean stood up suddenly and stuck the clip in his gun.
"I know Travis wants to kill Garth, but if I ever come face to face with him I will shoot him regardless of what he says or does." Fawn watched as he quickly exited the room, tucking the gun into his waistband. She ducked her head slightly, figuring out the extent of Sean's pain. Boots appeared in front of her.
"You ready?" Travis asked. He was holding a gun out to her. Fawn stood up shakily and took it.
"Yeah."  They walked down the hallway towards their transport van and with each step Fawn could feel hatred building inside of her. Garth would pay for all of this, with every ounce of his blood.

~

The ride to Section 8 didn't take long, but it felt like hours. Everyone in the van was tense and no one was talking. Well, no one besides Willow and Claus, who were discussing the attack. Fawn found herself dozing off against Travis's shoulder every once in awhile, but when they hit a rut in the road she was jolted awake. After an hour and a half the truck finally slowed. From here everyone boarded a plane that would take them to Alaska. The plane would drop them off a few hours outside the armoury and they would take another transport to the final destination. It was just about sunset when the van dropped them off close to the armoury. Fawn felt her heartbeat pick up. She really had no business being here, she had never done any real fighting before. Travis's arm brushed hers.
"Just stay close to me and be sure your aim is sharp." He whispered. Fawn looked up at him briefly and nodded.
"I'll protect you." Travis promised as he began walking through some brush. Everyone grew silent when the armoury came in view. Fawn could barely breath as she watched five guards pace back and forth in front of the back entrance. She looked up and saw two guards on the roof doing the same. Glancing over, Fawn couldn't see Nathan or the other person assigned to killing the two people on the roof. Fawn watched the roof with an unblinking gaze. The two shots fired couldn't even be heard but both guards dropped at the same time. Nathan was a good shot. Claus signaled the group forward and Fawn took a shaky breath. Shots rang out suddenly when the group fired upon the guards. Half of them were dead in an instant, while the others began to comprehend what was happening.
"Get inside!" Claus shouted as he fired a pistol. Fawn's heart leaped into her throat and she ran across the small clearing as fast as her legs could carry her. She was vaguely aware of Travis behind her, but he was firing at the guards. Hearing a thud, Fawn looked back and saw a camouflaged body drop to the ground, blood spattered across their chest. She managed to suppress a scream, slipping through the open doors of the armoury.
"Get behind something and watch those other doors!" Willow commanded, running by Fawn.
"You shoot anyone that tries to get in here!" Fawn ducked behind some crates, praying they weren't explosives or gunpowder. Everyone knew the importance of a clean shot now. If anything hit even one of the crates in here, the place could be blown to bits in a matter of seconds. She straightened as the first round of guards came toward the doors. Gunshots rang through the room and black bodies fell to the floor. Fawn trained her gun on people, but she didn't pull the trigger. They were dead before she had to. Movement from an unguarded door caught her eye. A guard was sneaking through the hall and eyeing the entryway. If he came through, he would have a clean shot at one or more of the rebel group. Fawn trained her pistol sights on him, her palms grew sweaty. The guard crept closer.
Please stop! Fawn mentally screamed at him, gripping her gun tighter. The man came closer.
Please! He didn't stop his advance and in fact began to pull his gun out. Fawn closed her eyes and pulled the trigger on her gun, her stomach turning. When she had the courage to open her eyes again, she saw the man face down on the floor, blood began to pool at his throat. It was a clean shot. Fawn felt her ears begin to ring and a wave of nausea hit her. She had just killed a man. Bile began to rise in her throat and she closed her eyes. Someone's hand touched her shoulder.
"Hey, you okay?" Travis's voice brought her senses back. Fawn's eyes flashed open. The gunfire had ceased. She looked around and saw numerous bodies lying on the floor black and camouflaged.
"We got most of them, the other ones took off." Travis said, pushing Fawn to her feet. Her legs felt wobbly underneath her.
"I killed him..." She mumbled under her breath. Travis looked at her.
"What?"
"I shot him." Fawn said she began to tremble uncontrollably. Travis figured out what she had meant and pulled her into him.
"Fawn, you didn't have a choice. If you wouldn't have shot him he could have shot us or worse, blew this place up." Travis insisted. Fawn shivered. He was right, but why did it make her gut wrench every time she thought about it?
"How do you deal with it?" She asked Travis, looking up at him. He pulled back.
"It gets easier after the first time." He said quietly. Fawn didn't dare ask him how many people had been killed. Claus came through the carnage.
"Secure the area, this place is ours now, and  someone please start getting these bodies out of here!" He commanded. Fawn saw him glance at her, seeing a flash of pity in his eyes. He thought she was too innocent.
"Why don't you just sit." Travis said, grabbing Fawn around the waist and putting her up on the crates. Fawn didn't object and watched him leave to go help with cleanup. Her stomach felt a little sick as she saw people dragging the limp bodies across the floor. Some blood smeared, forcing her to look away. Someone touched her arm lightly.
"It's hard on me too." Willow gave her a sympathetic smile. Fawn looked at her friend. Willow looked so different from the girl Fawn knew at the palace.
"Sure, but you don't hesitate to the pull the trigger." Willow sighed.
"Well it kind of helps when you have a reason to do it. It's kill or be killed right now, I'm afraid. And I'd rather not be among the dead." Fawn gazed across the room. They were on the right side, but it still felt wrong to kill people. She'd have to learn to harden herself.

~

Fawn didn't know how long she had sat up on the crates, but apparently it was long enough to doze off. Someone shaking her shoulder woke her up. She opened her eyes to see Travis smirking at her.
"Hey, you feeling better?" Fawn rubbed her eyes, clearing her bleary vision and nodded.
"Yes." The whole room was now clean and people milled around slowly. Fawn could see guards posted at the doors. It was dark outside. That was why Fawn still felt tired. Travis pulled her off the crated gingerly and set her feet on the solid floor.
"We're going to be staying here the majority of the time." Travis told her. Fawn took a deep breath. An arsenal wasn't her cup of tea, but did they really have much of a choice?
"Want to go for a walk?"" Travis asked her. The question struck Fawn as odd, but she did want some fresh air. Travis grabbed her hand lightly and they walked out into the dark together. Fawn looked at the stars that lit the sky. Crickets serenaded them and an owl was around somewhere.
"I wish I had a chance to start all of this over." Travis commented. Fawn looked at him.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Maybe I could've figured something out, maybe I wouldn't have lost you." Travis sighed. Fawn put her head on his shoulder.
"I'm not broken you know." She smiled at him. Travis looked down at her.
"I know you aren't, but it just feels like I've lost part of you." Fawn saw sadness glimmer in his eyes. Fawn swung around in front of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tip toes. Fawn kissed him roughly and could tell that Travis was clearly surprised. Fawn pulled back.
"I may have been hurt, but now I know who I should have chosen." Fawn kissed Travis's cheek.
"I never hated you. I couldn't stand you." Fawn leaned forward and kissed Travis again. He encircled his fingers around hers and kissed her back. Travis wrapped his other arm around her and drew her close.
"I'm never going to lose you again." He whispered in her ear. Fawn closed her eyes, hoping that his promise could be kept.

~

Garth slapped Fawn across the face.
"You think someone like you and your sad little group can stop me?" He snarled at her. Fawn couldn't move, she was tied in place. Garth paced around her.
"You will all die." He whispered in her ear. Fawn tried to move against her bonds, but they held her tight. Garth looked across the room and Fawn's gazed followed him. There they stood, everyone she had ever cared about. They were all lined up, guns to their heads.
"You will watch them suffer." Gunshots echoed in the room.
"No!"
Fawn surged awake, sitting straight up. It didn't take her long realize it was a dream, but the reality of it still frightened her. She was completely covered in sweat and had to take a few breaths to calm down. Fawn rubbed her arms and climbed out of bed. She tiptoed across the hallway, just knowing that seeing Travis's face would comfort her. His door was almost completely closed and she pushed it open carefully. Travis was laying on his back, eyes closed in a peaceful sleep. Fawn smiled from the doorway and turned to leave, knowing that he was fine.
"Come back." Travis's quiet voice drifted across the room. Fawn turned and saw that he had partially sat up. She walked over to him slowly.
"I didn't want to wake you up." Travis scooted over, making room for her.
"You didn't. Nightmares?" He asked. Fawn climbed onto his mattress, settling herself by his side.
"Yeah." She whispered. Travis wrapped his arms around her, resting his head partially on her back.
"Go to sleep. I'll protect you from the nightmares." And he did.