A Little Bit Of Hell

Savannah And Ash (Trigger Warning)

A/N this isn't a chapter, it's more just a backstory for Savannah and Ash because there isn't much information about them. It's not necessary to read this chapter, it's just a bit of a background.

*TRIGGER WARNING*
(References to rape and Domestic Violence)

I remember that night when Savannah showed up at my door, fresh bruises forming on her face and arms. It was then I decided it was enough, my family wasn't much to speak highly of either, and neither of us had any other friends at school, she was all I had, and I was all she had. She was only 13 years old, and I was 14. We had known each other since second grade. It was my job to look after Savannah, it always was and always will. I took her wrist, leading her up to my room. My parents weren't home, they never were. Always out gambling, getting drunk, and coming home in the early hours of the morning, so intoxicated they could barely walk. They didn't abused me, No, they barely ever acknowledged to me. I hardly think they ever noticed my disappearance. We grabbed a few things, stuffing them into a backpack each. A blanket, a few hoodies, jeans, and the $897 dollars we had been saving up over the years together. We left that night, not knowing where we were going, but we knew we had to leave.
We used the money to catch a night train out of the city. We eventually got to a small town about 500 miles away from Portland. We hitched a ride to Portland in the morning, before staying there for about a month on the streets, before that one night that affected both our lives, left as a permanent stain in her mind forever. It was a clear night, relatively cold, as it normally is in Portland, but despite being cold it was a little warmer then it usually would be for that time of year. We were camping out in an alleyway, a typical homeless teenager place to sleep. I had gone to get us some food from a little cafe that was literally the first shop around the corner. It was one of those little 24/7  places. That was the biggest mistake I've ever made. If I could take back one event from my whole life, it would be leaving Savannah alone in that alleyway at night, with no way to defend herself. I came back from the cafe, a drink for each of us along with a few small things to eat, I couldn't have been gone longer then twenty minutes. I never even heard her scream. I came around the corner, but Savannah wasn't where I last saw her, which is where we had our blankets spread out on the cold, concrete floor. I called out her name, thinking maybe she had just walked around the back, or was sitting somewhere out of sight. I called her name again, this time louder and a little more panicked. I set our food next to our "bed" and started walking down the alleyway, my heart speeding up. I yelled her name, before finding her half conscious behind a bunch of trash and other things you would typically find in an alleyway. She was naked besides her undies and her shirt she was holding against her bare chest. Her face was bruised and beaten, blood smeared from her nose. She told me what the man that did this looked like, and pointed him out to me as he walked out of a public bathroom, smoking a cigarette across the road. He was my first kill. After that night I started training her, teaching her how to fight like my uncle taught me before he died. I taught her how to properly handle a sword, how to shoot a gun without getting injured, how to escape from a headlock, how to hold a bow, how to handle a Morningstar, how to beat someone with a rock without killing them. I made sure that would never happen again. A few months later, Savannah and I had moved somewhere else in the city, closer to the centre. We were sitting out front on the ground out front a coffee shop, eating some food we had stolen from a shop a few blocks down. You'd be surprised how fast $900 can disappear. A woman standing outside the coffee shop kept looking our way. We were used to it, people staring at us as they walked down the street, either with disgust or pity in there eyes, but despite the pity, no one ever gave us a second thought. She started walking our way, which confused me a bit. No one ever came to talk to us. "Are you two okay?" She asked us, sounding a bit concerned. She wore an expensive looking white fur coat, a beige scarf, white jeans, beige knee-high ugg boots, and expensive looking jewlery. Nothing to flashy, just a thin gold chain around her neck, with three diamond pendants, and large dangling diamond earrings, her light blonde hair was cut to her shoulders. The diamonds looked real, adding to the effect that she must have had a lot of money. "Um, yeah. We're fine.." I stuttered, not actually sure what to say. "Do you have somewhere to sleep tonight?" She asked. I hesitate. No one had ever done this before. "Umm.. Well, we sleep here." I replied. I looked up at her again, and noticed a girl with dark brown hair standing behind her, she looked about our age. I assumed she was her daughter. She straightened up, and pulled out her phone, calling someone and turning away from is for a moment. Her daughter stepped forward, and looked at us for a moment. "My names Ruth," she said quietly, sounding like she didn't really know what to say. I hesitated, looking over and Savannah. "I'm Savannah," she replied to Ruth, without even looking at me. "And this is Ash." Ruth smiled a bit, and before we could say anything else her mother came back and smiled at us. "Would you to like to come back to our house with us?" She asked. Usually I would have said flat out no, but something about this woman and her daughter made me feel comfortable. They seemed so kind and caring, which is what won me over in the end. "Really?" I said in disbelief. She smiled kindly and nodded "Of course!" She helped us to our feet, and helped us get our blankets off the ground.

Not only did Carol take us in, but so did Charlie and Rue's parents. They treated us like family. That was three years ago.

Sometimes I'll think about my parents, and wonder what happened to them, I wonder if they're still looking for us, or if they simply just let us go.