The Ruins

Chapter 7

Hands on her shoulders, shoving her down. The icy cold of hard concrete floor against her bare skin. The clink of metal, breath on the back of her neck, too hot and too close as she was bent over, and then-

Mal jolted upright from her place on the floor, drenched in cold sweat. There was a lump in her throat that was making it hard to swallow and her stomach twisted and turned over on itself like she was going to be sick. She managed to push herself to her feet, hands shaking and legs weak underneath her.

Water. She needed something to drink, to wash the lump back down her throat. She made her way to one of the empty rooms in the back of the bedrooms and searched through supplies until she came up with a bottle of water, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. Her fingers kept fumbling on the cap.

"Mal?"

The bottle dropped from her hands and onto the floor, her whole body suddenly paralyzed with the sudden unrealistic fear that he had followed her back here.

Except the voice belonged to Lugh. The teen stooped down to pick up the water bottle, cracking it open before handing it to Mal again. Mal took it carefully, avoiding brushing the other man's fingers. After the dream, she wasn't sure how even a small touch like that would set her off. She put the bottle to her lips and downed half of it in one go.

"Are you..." Lugh furrowed his brow, looking unsure, "What's wrong?"

Mal considered saying 'nothing', but that seemed to be a little too obviously untrue. So she settled for aggression.

"I'm just tired." The words came out weak and shaky and unconvincing. She could feel Lugh's eyes on her, still searching. It felt invasive, made Mal want to crawl out of her skin.

"Why?"

Mal's patience wore out. "I just can't. It's not important why, but since I can't, I may as well do something useful and let other people get up."

Lugh stared at her for a long second and then nodded and turned her gaze away from Mal, seeming to sense that he wasn't going to get anything more out of her. "Alright."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Mal pled a silent prayer for Lugh to take the damn hint and just go grab a corner and leave her the hell alone. But he finally did. He stayed silently beside Mal, looking out into the couch over the rest of their group, watchful and calm. Mal approach the kids, careful on not to step on anyone as they get up, rubbing their eyes, stretching limbs. Mal scooped AJ up out of his makeshift bed and joined the group in the kitchen, the kids ate quickly as she eats and helps on AJ eat his food. She pulled AJ a little closer to her chest, trying to focus on the situation of today.

She gave him a few Cheerios as she explains. "We go to the entrance of the North Tunnel and wait there."

To surprise, the kids rushed through their breakfast of leftover soup, anticipating on their adventure, Max took his time as he grabs everyone's bags, he's so responsible, it made Mal have a hell of emotion in his touch.

"Alright, people," Vix claps her hands, grinning brightly, "here's an invention I made called Nail Bomb." She holds a tin can filled with needles. "It contains nails and explosives. It can be a full-fledged grenade or a somewhat crude landmine. It can easily be used to dispatch multiple enemies, as its radius is big. Be very careful of it OK?" Johan was hesitating until Rin full on grabbed one, waiting to use these.

She comes over to Max, giving a soft squeeze to the shoulder and sighed. "Don't be doing anything rash."

"I won't."

"I know you have a bit more experience but let us teach you first, be more smart than ever."

"I know, just don't try to help me OK?"

Mal sighed. "Don't take too long when doing it."

They collect their stuff, Vix took AJ into her back sling, curling up against her back and tugging her hair, picking up a few things with them and as they are about to head out. Lalon turned to the kids and pointed an formative finger at him small, pale and innocent face. "You, stay close to us. You're our shadows, got that?" They nodded; Max's face was nearly a parodic mask of sincerity. Mal groaned in anticipation of the trial that lays ahead.

"Ready, guys?"

"Ready!"