In the Dark - Shepherd #1

Chapter 5 - The Shadowlands

The truck smelled a little funny. There was an elbow in Shay's rib. The fat girl who the elbow belonged to kept on apologising for the contact.

Moira sat across from Shay, her arms folded tightly across her chest. A lady with short hair and a nose ring looked at her and raised a brow.

"You scared we're gonna bite?" Nose Ring asked.

Moira shook her head.

"Cramped, I know. How long you been here?"

Silence.

"She doesn't talk." Shay piped in. Nose Ring gave her an "obviously" look, and ignored both of them.

Hannah sat in the middle of the truck on the floor bed, shifting this way and that, trying to find a comfortable position.

"How long before we're there!?" She yelled over her shoulder.

"Just give it five minutes Hannah, we're almost there!" The driver yelled back, before muttering curses to himself.

"I heard that!" Hannah shouted.

Nose Ring smiled at Hannah, who shook her head. Nose Ring pulled a face and mouthed the driver's muttered curse words. Hannah took her palm and moved it in front of her face back and forth.

Looks like someone made a new friend, Shay thought.

After a couple of bumps, the truck came to a halt, throwing Hannah backwards. In-between her loud cursing, the driver yelled out "We're here!", obviously stifling his laughter.

Shay stuffed her clothes into the locker, shutting it and locking it. Hannah smirked at her, as her new friend Jay, (Nose Ring from earlier), talked about the bike she used to have before everything went to hell.

Moira slowly unpacked her clothes into the locker, neatly arranging them. She kept her glasses on her head since the truck; she told Shay that she was scared of breaking them in the bag.

Jay offered Shay a cigarette, which she refused.

"You want some beer? Hannah and I are heading to the bar tonight."

"Isn't it closed?"

Jay rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so? You coming?"

"No thanks." Shay said, and took a seat on her bed. She smoothed out the duvet and put her legs up. She took out a book from her bag, and stuffed it underneath.

"Don't let Alice see that. She'll make you scrub the floors again." Hannah said. Shay smiled and pretended to hide her book. Hannah took out four cigarettes from her packet and stuffed it under the pillow. She jabbed Jay in the ribs and took off with her out the window.

The main light had already been dimmed, so all that was left was a couple of desk lights that the women could use until it was time to sleep.

Moira had a bed assigned across and to the right from Shay. Mishayla saw her little head underneath the covers, bobbing up and down as she tried to sleep.

They were going to get word of their assigned stations in the morning. Shay didn't know what Moira would do, but she worried about her. A lot. She didn't finish weapons training. Matter of fact, as quickly as Hannah mastered the basics of guns, she wasn't fit for combat either. 

None of them were.

She snapped out of her daydream, and tried to get her mind to a more peaceful place before bed. Shay opened her book and went to Chapter 3. 

"Fire safety."

 The training manuals were getting more boring by the minute.