@thewxywardtitan

She knows she probably shouldn’t be looking at the mangled mess that is her foot. It’s doing nothing but making her sick and making her panic, and yet she can’t tear her eyes away from it. It shouldn’t stun her like it does. She’s been through something equally as worse, the woman attempts to tell herself. She feels a swell of graditude for Ava, sacrificing her jacket to keep her leg propped up, yet she can’t find the words in her throat to thank her. Knox is silent once again, lost in her muddled thoughts as the strangers around her converse on what to do. They could leave her here, she thinks briefly, or she could wake up and this all be a horrible dream. Her dazed mind is hoping for the latter. Losing her foot after losing part of her humanity, hell they might as well-

She goes rigid at Collin’s words, eyes suddenly refocusing as she aims a heated stare at the boy, the muscles in her neck clenching for a moment as she fights back the beginnings of a snarl. But still, Knox stays silent, all heat and anger fading as quickly as it came as her eyes are once again drawn to her leg. She wants to sleep, to just curl up and rest for the remainder of the night. It takes her several minutes to even realize that someone is talking to her, emerald orbs slowly meeting Tommy’s gaze. They want to help her… There’s a flicker of relief somewhere in her eyes, but it’s quickly drowned out. A part of her mind is begging her to ask them to just end it. What good would she be to them if she lost her foot? How would she ever repay these people. She couldn’t. Not without a foot, not with so many people around her–

Forcing herself to focus, she shakes those thoughts away, taking a shallow breath. Not trusting her own voice, Knox just lightly nods in acknowledgement to the older man’s words, dropping her eyes to the ground as if she couldn’t hold her gaze on Tommy for another second.

@xendure

The woman sighed softly, letting her eyes close but she didn’t let herself drift off to sleep. He was warm. A hand rested on his head as she slowly began petting. Trying to ease him back to sleep, trying to wordlessly tell him that he was safe, that it was ok. However, that didn’t seem like it was working all too well. Call it a mother’s intuition.

Riley may not been biologically hers, but in a world like this blood ties didn’t matter. Riley was her son. End of story.

Ellie took a tired glance down before a light smile tugged at her lips. “C’mon, tell me what’s on your mind. Is everything ok?” Whatever was eating him up, she hoped that she could solve. Ellie hoped it was something silly or easily fixed. He was too young to have complicated thoughts like ‘when’s the next time we’re going to eat?’ “Can the Infected get inside?” She never wanted him to know those thoughts so young.

@xendure

The movement was faint on the bed, but the woman jolted awake. Her body flinching back before tired eyes saw the small boy laying next to her. She was fine. She was safe. There was nothing to fear. Ellie let out a small sigh, before draping an arm over the small boy and pulling him close to her. She wondered if he was having nightmares, or had trouble falling asleep. Either way, the company did not go unappreciated.

Rain fell hard against the walls, making the room colder than it should. Maybe he was cold. Her arm moving off of him to tuck him under the blankets before they were once again wrapped around him. A small sigh left her mouth as green eyes glanced down at a mop of curls.

“So…What are you still doin’ up, little man?” The woman asked very tiredly, her voice groggy as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

There is a house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun And its been the ruin of many a poor boy And God I know I’m one

thewxywardtitan

She’s silent, always keeping someone in the corner of her eye until Tommy came closer. Her eyes lock onto him immediately, but she makes no movement to lash out or attack. She let’s herself relax ever so slightly at his smile. It’s reason enough to trust him, at least for now, so long as he was willing to get her leg out of the damn trap. Knox remains as still as she possibly can once Tommy places his hands on the trap. There’s a sickening instance of feeling metal teeth shifting in her leg as the pressure loosens around it.

Her heart picks up, the thought of finally being free giving her–

A familiar whine of metal crushes any hopes she has, the pain ripping up her leg as the metal reclaims its hold, causing her to give a strangled scream of surprise and anguish. It takes every ounce of will power not to swing at the man in front of her, her fists clenching tightly. Her vision swims as she struggles to catch her breath, a combination of pain and blood loss finally starting to take its toll as her adrenaline drains out, and the twisted thought that she can no longer feel her foot isn’t helping. Her body sways, and for a moment, she can’t register the other people near her. She feels sick, nausea churning her stomach.

Metal complained as the men pried the jaws open, and Knox can’t stop herself from leaning into the two holding her up, having enough coherent thought to focus all her weight on her left leg. Green eyes take a chance to glance down at her mangled leg. It’s unsettling, seeing the blood and torn flesh, it’s a wonder her foot is even attached to her leg. “Fucking damn it…” she mutters, vision tunneling. She’s shaking, shock quickly setting in. “Please tell me I’m not gonna lose that…”

thewxywardtitan

It takes but mere seconds for the panic in her system to settle, brows furrowed as Knox silently watches the interaction in front of her. There’s another pang in her chest, a familiar and soft twinge that brings back pleasant memories of a time before. No doubt, two of the three were the kids parents, and they were quite concerned parents at that, judging by their disheveled appearances. It was comical in a way, and for the briefest of moments, she tells herself this was something her dad would be doing if he woke up to find her missing. He would have set the country side ablaze to find her… And probably beat her ass when he finally did.

The beginnings of a slight smile almost makes its way on to her face before her eyes fall on Joel.

Her form is tensing almost immediately as she studies him, carefully noting his weathered appearance, his face alone telling her that he’s seen more shit in his day than she probably ever would… And he lived through it all to tell about it. She evenly returns his gaze with narrowed eyes, jaw clenching tightly. The man is intimidating, hell both of the men present were, and she knows she’s probably failing at trying to hide the fact that she is intimidated by him. More eyes fall on her at Joel’s words, the fear from before making its presence known once more. She considers running before a sharp pain jolts up her calf, causing her to hiss slightly and quickly reconsider the idea.

“Yeah… I’m definitely not a bear…” she mutters mostly to herself, finally tearing her gaze away from Joel, and looking to the side. She has to bite back the urge to make some snarky comment, lest her chances of ever getting out the trap dwindle down to nothing. She back at square one, impatiently waiting for someone else’s decision to see if she would live or not. Out of the corner of her eye, she notes the two men could probably pry the metal jaws around her leg apart, but if they would was a different question entirely.

thewxywardtitan

She watched the two closely, feeling calmer than she had before. When Ava turned to her brother, Knox let herself relax, making the decision to leave her fate in their hands for the time being. Her arms were getting tired, so just as slowly as she raised them, she lowered them, making sure to keep her hands visible at all times at her sides. Even if they had been hunter kids, she doubts she could pull her gun on them anyways. She tilts her head a bit when Ava opens her mouth, but a different voice is heard.

Shit… shit, shit, NO.

The alarms went off in her head like a malfunctioning police siren, body instantly just as tense as it was before. She shouldn’t be surprised that the adults, better yet their parents, had decided to look from them, but the thought does nothing to quell the wave of fear shooting into way through her veins. Kids… She could more or less handle, but the adults? The throbbing in her leg seemed to have travelled up to her left shoulder, her panicked state sending coursing waves of pain across her chest. With a hiss through grit teeth, she barely stops her own hand from closing around her gun. There’s the toxic thoughts to fight now, unload her entire clip into the moving bodies before her.

‘This is not good…’

There’s three of them, she can just make out their outlines in the night. Their parents and one other person, and she can only hope that they’re somewhat like the twins with asking questions first and shooting later. Lips pull back into a bit of a snarl, her form slightly shaking with a mixture of pain and panic.

thewxywardtitan

Are you kidding… Dark brows furrowed once she saw who these strangers were. What were kids doing out this late? Their age did nothing to calm her down though, her heart beating loudly in her ears as the two approached her. She couldn’t make out their features too well in the dark, but it was clear one of them, of not both, were armed. Emerald eyes narrowed in a form of defiance as the girl spoke, lips drawn into a thin line as she debated whether or not she should even answer. Whatever deity that was looking out for her sure had a sense of humor.

Sighing, she finally relents, shaking her head slightly. “Just passin’ through. Got a safe house about two days away from here that I was headin’ to.” Knox answers truthfully, tilting her chin up in a display of stubbornness. She would hate to admit that she was intimidated by two kids in the woods, but here she was, doing just that. “But as you can see, I don’t think I’ll be gettin’ there any time soon.”

With a grimace, she breaks her gaze with Ava to glance down at the trap.

thewxywardtitan

Out of all the things she had survived, she was going to possibly die from getting caught in a bear trap. She could hear the voices again, and was able to discern there were at least two humans just out of her sight. There’s a brief glimmer of hope that whoever they were, they probably were not hunters. She would’ve been shot dead by now. Maybe these people were residents of the settlement? She could always as-

Knox visibly flinches as something smacks into the back of her head, a hiss escaping her lips as agony creeps up her trapped leg from the sudden movement. She scowls with a whispered curse, eyeing the twig with a glare before taking a deep breath. Of all ways to check if someone was alive. Her body is stiff from staying crouched for so long, the bag on her back suddenly seeming heavier than it was before. Her trapped foot is starting to go number below the jaws of the trap, and she knows that’s probably not a good thing. She wasn’t in a condition to fight, much less run even if she could get out of the metal nightmare.

Perhaps a peaceful approach would be better?

She shifts a bit, throwing caution to the wind because these people should already know she’s alive now. It’s irritating and alarming that she still can’t see who’s found her… Hesitantly, she lifts her arms in a surrender, keeping her hands visible to show she was holding no form of a weapon. No doubt these people would be armed, unless they were crazy enough to be in the woods without a firearm.

“If you’re goin’ to shoot me,” she starts, voice laced with clear annoyance and pain, “do me the pleasure of tellin’ me who put this damn trap here so I can haunt them.”

thewxywardtitan

Being alone at night was something that could very well upset a number of people. It was dark, every sound was a threat, who stepped on that branch? Knox wasn’t in that number. The cool air of the night was better than trekking through the woods in the heat of the day, hardly any bugs were out, and most importantly, people were asleep. Aside from watchmen in the settlements she had passed, there were no patrols in the night, no worry of anyone sneaking up on her when she least suspected it. Travelling alone meant there was more ground covered without waiting for a companion to catch up, no second thoughts about being shot in the back. She was happy that it was just her and the crickets.

The world around her quiet, almost eerily so, the only light guiding her way being the moon… And the settlement not too far away. She had passed by this place before in the last few years, and each time it seemed to be thriving more and more. But, she could sight see later. Right now, she wanted as much distance from… What was the place called again? Started with a ‘j’, right? Shaking her head, she let’s the thought go. Just beyond the settlement and dam was an old safe house that, providing it was still standing, would give her a day or so of a break from the wilderness. If Knox kept up her steady pace, she would reach it within the next two days.

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