Compulsive Attraction: Chapter 1
A Karen Jones x Fem!OC longfic
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Chapter Summary: Iris Abernathy (oc) is too sweet. Karen hates it. She’s new to the gang yet she’s not even a member. Just sticking around until she figures life out. Isnt that what they’re all doing? There’s no way she’s leaving anytime soon but Karen just wishes she would. That stupid girl won’t stop flirting with all the men, especially with Javier. It’s sickening. But, maybe there’s something behind that sweet smile of hers. There’s a reason she’s clinging to Javier like that, but what is it?
Warnings/tags: none for this chapter, maybe jealousy and a little bit of violence (very minor, it doesn’t actually happen it’s just imaginary) but that’s about it
a/n: ahhh, I’m so excited and nervous to put this out there. This is one of the first times I’m sharing any of my writing online. Don’t be afraid to let me know what you thought and please: be honest. Anyways, I’ll shut up now. Enjoy!
Golden rays peek over the horizon, slowly eating away at the darkness of the previous night. Hues of purple, red, and orange mix into one beautiful portrait that hangs low around camp.
Pearson is already up and about, cooking his infamous stew for breakfast. Chunks of beef and vegetables float to the top of the pot. Steam swirls up into the air. Bringing along a peculiar smell that lingers. It wafts into the tents nearby, giving everyone an unwelcome awakening. Particularly Swanson. Who is nursing a hangover and almost certainly drunk again already. He's stumbling around muttering nonsense about the horrible, gut-wrenching stench.
Not too far off, Miss Grimshaw is berating Tilly and Mary-Beth for not finishing their chores from last night. Now they have an extra job to do.
Karen is sitting on a crate close by, tuning her out. A cigarette is pinched tightly between her index and middle finger. She's leaning forward, her elbows resting against the top of her knees. There's a way more "important" conversation going on around the campfire between that new girl and Javier. So she's watching. Instead of paying attention to Miss Grimshaw.
Everyone seems so infatuated with the new girl. Especially Javier. Who has been by her side almost every day since he brought her back to camp. Karen doesn't get it. It's not like she's anything special. Just a pretty face, basic personality. A definite people-pleaser, attention seeker. Who would like someone like that, anyway? Now she's laughing at any and everything Javier is saying and it's pissing her off.
There's a couple soft footsteps and a few whispered words behind Karen but she's too transfixed on the scene in front of her to notice.
Javier grabs onto new girl's shoulder. Their thighs are touching. Smiles and giggles are being exchanged.
"Miss Grimshaw is making us do extra work today." Mary-Beth mutters as she plops down next to Karen. Tilly is right beside her, following in suit as she nods in agreement, "That woman’ll never give us a break."
But Karen ignores them because Javier is getting even more handsy with the new girl. He's squeezing her wrist now and whispering something in her ear.
"Disgusting." She scoffs, taking a very agressive drag of her cigarette. "The new girl won't stop flirtin' with everybody. Don't y'all think that's gross?"
Smoke billows out of her mouth as she turns to face the other girls. She's trying to gather their opinions. Hoping that they agree with her.
Both of them meet her gaze with the same confused expression on their faces.
Of course they don't understand. They never understand.
Mary-Beth is the first to respond, her tone sweet, “I don’t know. I think she's nice."
"Yeah, she is nice." Tilly is quick to agree before pointing an accusatory finger, “Unlike you, Karen. You're just jealous."
Karen mumbles something under her breath about the two of them being useless and turns back towards the nauseating scene occurring around the campfire.
To no one's surprise, it's already taken a turn for the worst:
The new girl is bending down. The fabric of her skirt is tightening around her curves and Javier is staring at something he shouldn't be, that's for sure.
Karen gasps in disbelief,
Iris hadn't given much of a warm welcome to the men she found rummaging around in her kitchen. I mean, who would've?
It had been weeks, at that point, since she had seen another human. Days and nights passed her by without a care. Time kept on ticking while she sat motionless in her mother's bed, teary-eyed and aching.
Now, as she snuck around the corner and towards the kitchen, time stood still.
This wasn't the first instance where she had to deal with strange men who had broken into her home. However, it was the first time she had to deal with them on her own.
A knife was clutched firmly in her palm. The steps she took were as quiet as she could make them, the floor creaked under her weight. As soon as she had gotten close enough to the kitchen, she ducked behind a nearby counter.
Her mother had always told her to think before she acts.
‘Don't go jumping into a fight, or anything for that matter, that you know you can’t finish.'
All she ever wanted was to make her Ma proud. Especially now.
So, she prayed she had the upper hand here.
The men weren't subtle at all about what they were doing. Drawers were ripped open, stuff was being thrown around. They were even shouting things to one another. It was like they wanted to be caught.
"There ain't nothin' here, Javier. Don't even know why Dutch sent us out this way." One of the men grumbled while slamming a drawer shut.
Of course there's nothing. Someone lives here, you fool.
Iris snuck closer to the edge of the counter as she thought this, peeking out from behind it to get a glimpse of what she was working with.
Suddenly, one of them took a step back towards her and she had to bite back a yelp. The fabric of his pants brushed up against her nose as he moved even closer, causing her to fall backwards.
Her fall wasn't exactly quiet. She braced herself on her hands which made a loud slap as they hit the hardwood floor. Both men whipped around, their revolvers swiftly removed from their holsters as one of them shouted, "Who's there?"
Iris bolted out of the kitchen as quick as she could, scurrying away like some sort of rodent that just got caught stealing a crumb.
If she had the upper hand before, she certainly didn't have it now.
Her chest rose and fell with each rapid breath she took. The corner she huddled into was dirty and damp, one of the many signs of how much she had neglected this place over the past couple of weeks. But that was the least of her worries now.
Thud. Thump. Thud. Thump.
Someone was walking right up to the room she was in. One of those men had to be bringing his gun with him and he was definitely planning to shoot her with no remorse.
Iris covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut as the footsteps drew closer. Her desperate pants for air quickly turned into weak little whimpers of fear. The doorknob began to turn and she jumped at the sound. She wrapped her arms around her knees, burying her head in her lap, trying to protect herself in any way she could.
Every little inch made her retract even further into herself.
Thud. Thump. Thud. Thump.
Iris didn't dare look up. One of those men had to be staring down at her, his gun probably pointed straight at her skull.
"Hey, hey. You're alright."
Those soft-spoken words were somehow more frightening than a gun to her head. There's no way this was the same person that was just pillaging her kitchen. Maybe, just maybe, a very nice gentleman showed up at her doorstep and scared those thieves away. Maybe they're lying on her kitchen floor dead and this man swooped in to save her.
Slowly, she lifted her head from her lap and pried one eye open. Shock settled into her features as soon as she recognized the man in front of her. She hadn’t gotten the best view of the two men in her kitchen before, but she would recognize those pants he was wearing anywhere. The pants that initiated her fall.
Despite his earlier actions, he had a kind face. Kinder than anything she would've imagined on a criminal.
"I'm not here to hurt you, I promise." He added while cautiously reaching his hand out towards her. Once he made contact with her skin, she gasped. The gesture was caring, empathetic. The opposite of everything she would expect from a man who was just destroying her kitchen. She didn't flinch away from him, despite her initial shock. Instead, she stayed right there, with her eyes locked onto his.
Soon, she grew bold enough to study his features, take in his appearance.
There were a few scars littered across his face. One in particular that stood out: a gash through his eyebrow. The stories he must have from that scar alone intrigued and frightened her at the same time. Why was she so interested?
Two patches of facial hair rested on either side of his upper lip, not quite meeting in the middle. Another small tuft formed into a goatee below. Some of his hair came loose from the small ponytail he had it in and brushed up against his cheeks. He had softer features. Not the sharp chiseled out of stone look most men around Iris had but something more gentle, more natural. It made him look friendly. Inviting.
The grip he had on her shoulder loosened as he pulled himself up into a standing position.
"Hey, Arthur!" He shouted over his shoulder, "Could I get some help in here?"
Iris felt her stomach drop, dread seeped in swiftly. The moment ruined.
Of course it was all a ploy. This must've been his plan all along: get her cornered and vulnerable, trick her into believing she's safe. Then call his buddy in so they could dispose of her properly. She fell for his sweet smile and captivating features. How in the world could she be so gullible? They were in her kitchen just seconds ago trying to steal food and supplies. Now of course they were going to kill her.
What a stupid way to die.
It wasn't long before the other man, presumably Arthur, was blocking the doorway. With his arms crossed over his chest and a deadpan expression on his face, he studied the girl in the corner. His gaze was scrutinizing, terrifying. "What have we here?"
Iris's body tensed at his words. The man in front of her, who she couldn't quite remember the name of, stepped up to Arthur and began explaining in a hushed tone. Probably forming a plan on what to do with this woman he just found. She desperately tried to remember his name as the two of them whispered back and forth.
Javier! Yes, that must've been it.
Why in the world was she trying to remember the name of a man who was just about to kill her?
They were certainly discussing how to murder her at that very moment and she was trying to remember his name. How absurd!
A gun would've been too messy, too loud. Right? They didn't seem like the type of men who enjoyed cleaning. Maybe they were gonna skin her. Make her watch as the muscle below her flesh was revealed, chunk after chunk. Would they tie her up? Or give her the chance to escape? If her legs hadn't of betrayed her. Frozen up and left her vulnerable in the corner.
If she could just get up and run…
Her eyes flicked over to them. Javier was looking her way again, a hint of a smile on his lips. It wasn't a vicious smile. Not something menacing or uninviting. But the same smile he had given her earlier, when she had leaned into his touch. It made her face burn and her heart flutter. In a way it never had before.
For a split second, it almost felt like these men wanted to be her friends. Like they weren't just some cold-blooded killers who planned on stealing her food and her life. Somehow the moment felt… different.
Even if just for a second.
Iris hadn't had many friends growing up. Only a few here and there. Who just up and left her when they felt it was right. When it worked for them. She was always too overbearing, too clingy. Too much. So, maybe that's why she found herself smiling back at the thief.
Loneliness eats away at people until they're left empty and hollow. Anything could burrow its way inside and make a home of them.
And that's exactly what she wanted Javier to do.
2nd a/n: I have so much planned for this so I’m hoping others are as into it as I already am. As I stated at the top, feel free to let me know what you thought and please leave feedback! Especially if it’s about writing dialogue cause I struggle so much with that. Please, please, PLEASE! give me advice on writing better dialogue, if you have any. I just never know where to put what so it always feels so awkward and clunky
graphics from: @sweetmelodygraphics
(rdr photos were all taken by me besides the Tilly photo, I got that one from the wiki)
