The Garden of Heathen

Belly of the Beast

Aussie jumped and screamed as the alarm startled her already fragile nerves. An arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her back from the doors. Gally had her pulled tightly to his side while his other hand gripped Gertie's wrist, the frightened younger girl gladly clinging right back. He looked around for the source of trouble but saw nothing.

"Oh it's the shucking box!" Aussie complained as she held a hand over her racing heart. It was a familiar sound but one that always startled her nonetheless, especially when it went off unscheduled. They weren't expecting the box today.

Gally's grip on her loosened but he was still hesitant to let her go completely. Meanwhile Gertie had yanked her arm free and took steps away from him like she hadn't been scared at all.

Joan and Georgia shared a glance with Aussie before looking in the direction of the box.

"I think we should check that out real quick," Georgia suggested. "Maybe they sent Thena back that way?"

Aussie doubted it, but dang that would be nice. Too nice for the Makers.

"You go," Joan said. "I'll stay here with a few guards in case they're just trying to distract us from the doors."

"Oh god," Aussie mumbled, terrified at the thought but also impressed with Joan for thinking of that. "Good call."

The majority of the girls headed across the field again, toward the box, Gally staying by Aussie's side just in case. He hadn't thought about the box since he arrived in it, but he remembered some brief and unpleasant memories of it. For some reason he felt nervous, like he was expecting something bad to arrive. The relief that washed over him when they all saw the simple, solitary gray case was equally as confusing.

"They sent one thing?" Georgia asked in disbelief, breaking the silence.

Everyone just stared down at it in confusion for a few moments. Things were just getting weirder and weirder. Aussie was startled by someone jumping down into the box with a loud bang, and felt uneasy when she realized it was Hedy. She picked the box up and turned it in her hands, inspecting it before giving it a good shake, the contents making a loud metallic noise.

"Oh! God!" Gertie exclaimed before frantically scrambling down into the box. "I know that sound, stop shaking it you moron!"

Gertie carefully but forcibly grabbed the box from her hands and set it down, crouching over it. She opened it and Gally recognized the metal canisters from when he and Gertie treated Aussie's wounds. Gertie opened one and looked inside, breathing a sigh of relief as her shoulders slumped.

"They're not broken. Well, at least not this one," she glared at Hedy.

"How was I supposed to know what it was?" Hedy asked, hands on her hips.

"Honest to god, Hedy, I don't know how natural selection hasn't come for you yet- one day you're going to shake a bomb or something and -"

"Gertie!" Aussie interrupted, her tone high as if calling out to a child as she bent over and braced her hands on her knees. "Gertie, what's the medicine?"

Gertie looked down at the canister and her face paled.
"Grief serum," she read in a hollow voice.

"The heck is that?" Hedy asked, peering over her shoulder.

Aussie stood up straight, her and Gally exchanging a quick glance.

"Uh, we can explain that later, after we look for Thena. I promise," Aussie assured all the girls around her.

"Or you could explain now," Hedy said crossing her arms.

"I'm gonna hit her," Gertie stated simply.