You don&#x27;t know me.

Abby, in the dark

#x; you don't know me (abby)#x; you're my people (lev)

you're my people

sweeetestcurse

Abigail “Abby” Anderson 15/??

Abby on a hunt 🦌

A Terminator mention. Now that’s one that she was familiar with. Her dad absolutely loved the film and though he’d never been able to get able to get his hands on a copy of it, he had told Abby about it so many times that she swore she could recite the plot based on his description alone. “If you have it, we’ll have to watch that one at some point. Then I can see what all the hype is about.” But that could wait for another night though. Tonight was all about Alien and as they were nearing the end of the film, she actually found herself excited for what was remaining of the story. Owen sure had hyped it up and she wasn’t sure if it would be able to live up to her expectations but it had delivered so far.

She heard his words though she didn’t respond back, clearly engrossed at what was going on on screen. Owen hadn’t been lying. Ellen Ripley was a certified badass as she blasted the xeno into space. For a brief moment, Abby felt herself holding her breath as the movie finally came to its climax but she let out a quiet breath of relief as Ripley and Jonesy crawled into the safety of their pod. Now she got the hype and Owen had continued to prove that his taste in horror movies was pretty damn good. “Gotta admit, you nailed it with this one. Most worth the watch movie I’ve seen in a while.” With her free hand, she patted the top of his knee a few times and pushed herself to sit up ever so slightly. The mix of beer and a feast had her ready to sleep but the desire to stay up and watch more with Owen was also tempting. “You still awake?” she asked quietly, turning to look behind at him.

Already adding another series to their newly established watchlist? He would have to start writing the titles down somewhere if they kept adding more. Owen couldn’t stop himself from cracking a smile. “Sure.” He’d take all the quality time he could get with Abby. It almost felt like old times… kinda. Watching movies with their group at the stadium. Most of those leisurely evenings were spent with Mel or Manny but there was always room for Abby to join. Her absence was felt whenever she told them she was busy and he suspected her being the only one without a warm body to lean into kept her from showing up half the time. He couldn’t blame her for not wanting to be the third wheel, or so to speak.

Manny always had one of his girls hanging around. Jordan and Leah got too busy sucking face to notice anyone else in the room. Gross.

Owen blinked when Abby spoke, abruptly pulling himself out of his walk down memory lane to focus once more on the present. The end credits to Alien were rolling. How long had he been zoned out for? Long enough for his companion to wonder if he was starting to fall asleep—he definitely wasn’t. Not when he had Abby’s hand in his and this was the most physical intimacy he’d shared with someone in a long ass time. “Pretty good, right?” he said with a light laugh and a grin to accompany it. She moved, making the springs in the couch creak, and he drew in a breath through his nose as she turned to look at him.

Hazel eyes didn’t shy away. They just held hers. His voice was equally as quiet—almost a whisper—when he replied, “… Wide awake.” A pause. Did she have enough of the cuddling? “Want more beer or anything?” was what he settled on. Trying not to look at Abby’s lips was a challenge of pure willpower and he was wrestling with himself.

She wasn't quite sure if he was actually awake but before she could speak up again to check, he had come out of his sleepy stupor and spoken up. With a quiet laugh, she shook her head. Wide awake didn't feel like it was all that accurate but since he was talking, it at least was somewhat reflective of his current state. "It was pretty good, I'll give you that. Probably one of your best recommendations yet. Maybe even the best." She shot a quick glance back at the tv screen while the credits continue to roll before bringing her attention back to him, an eyebrow arching upwards. "You don't seem like you're very awake." Her volume matched his equally quiet speech, not intent on disrupting the peaceful atmosphere that had fallen ovee them these last few hours. It was hard to put into words just how nice their little movie night had been. It was the most normal she'd felt in a long time, the most normal she'd felt with him.

Had it not been so late, the offer of another beer would have been enticing but with darkness having fallen over Catalina and losing at least a few hours to the movie, figured it was better to be done for the night than drink another and have an even greater chance of falling asleep right there on the couch. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Owen was quite comfy but there was still nothing that beat the feeling of falling back into a nice, cozy mattress. "I'm good. If you want another, go for it. Definitely wouldn't help you make it through another movie," she offered with a quiet laugh.

With a few tired blinks, she tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. There was something going through that head of his. "What?" she questioned as the corners of her lips turned upwards. "What are you looking at?"

Whether or not Ellie was considering settling elsewhere was none of Abby’s business but the way she spoke of travel wasn’t exactly encouraging in her quest to be rid of her company once they finally got to Catalina. Was there an implication that she could potentially be staying in California? Is that where Ellie thought there could be more for her? If it was such a big world, why did Ellie need to be anywhere near where Abby had made a home? Maybe she was getting ahead of herself with assumptions. She understood it at least, being stuck in a place and tied to the people there. Home had always been where the Fireflies were stationed, where her father was needed. Salt Lake was an assignment. Seattle was a stop gap. Catalina to her actually felt like home for once. At least after years of rebuilding, it felt like the place she would up in barring any completely island meltdowns. She caught herself before her face could give away the displeasure at the thought and instead she just nodded while glancing back into the fire. “Big world, a lot to see out there.” There. As in away from Catalina, she thought to herself.

Abby did see Ellie buried in her book quite often but it wasn’t like she made an effort to try and see what exactly she was doing. “I see the book but I don’t know what you’re doing. Not exactly like I’m trying to read over your shoulder. Could be journaling or whatever but drawing is cool too.” Maybe once or twice she had caught a glance of what seemed like a picture but had never tried to crane her neck for a better look. If it was something private, Ellie was entitled to that privacy. Abby was here to get her to Catalina safely and that was that. Not here to make friends and certainly not with Ellie. They worked well together but Lev also helped create a buffer between the two of them that made it more tolerable on her end. After all this was done, she would owe him big time for helping keep her level headed and reasonable throughout this trip.

Admittedly Abby had forgotten about the idea of staying an extra day. Part of her was so desperate to get home that she was willing to push herself to the limit to get there but that didn’t mean it was what was best for everyone. Her eyes lingered on Ellie as she questioned her before they shot a glance over to Lev to get his thoughts on the subject. Eyebrows rose up in a silent what do you think gesture. The look he gave her was an earnest one and he punctuated it with “I think that’s a good idea”. In times when she was stubborn, he helped to soften her up and that still was the case here. With a nod, she placed her hands on the chair arms and pushed herself to stand up. “Alright, another day. We’re still too close to the city for my liking so just a day.” It was a bit of relief. Two nights in an actual bed would be the best lodgings yet in the weeks they had been on the road. And an extra day meant she didn’t need to stay up boiling water and could instead catch up on sleep. “If you two don’t mind, I think I’ll get some sleep.” With a nod, she disappeared inside the cabin.

Ellie wanted to make the most out of their ‘day off’ by being as productive as possible. She needed to busy herself, to 'get shit done that needed doing’ as Tommy liked to say. She rose early, just as the first rays of light touched the horizon which she spent some time enjoying while sipping her coffee. Once Jack was fed, a pot of chili was warmed up for the three of them. It was of course canned yet still edible, albeit Ellie deemed it safer to avoid the meat… Just in case. This lasted into lunch but by then she and Lev had brought back several duck carcasses from their (surprisingly) successful hunt so there was fresh meat to make up for it.

It was nice to have time to herself after being on the road for weeks, or at least having the option to just do her own thing. But she kind of wound up spending most of her time with Lev instead once she’d finished cleaning her gear and weapons. His company was… nice. They worked on making fletchings for their arrows from duck feathers and she discovered that he was actually an efficient teacher, his patience shown in how he would demonstrate proper technique without being unkind or sharp with his words. It was like being in an arts and crafts class except she made less of a damn mess of what she was trying to create.

By the time evening rolled around, the pair were sitting close at the picnic table with their elbows touching as Ellie shared one of her earbuds with him. He was busy whittling what appeared to be a small animal and she was sketching whatever imagery popped into her head. It was a miracle that her MP3 player still had enough juice to give Lev an introduction to heavy metal. Funny how she went from listening to mainly country and folk music throughout her teens to a genre so entirely opposite. Joel definitely would have been covering his ears but Dina liked metal as much as Ellie did… They still had a lot in common.

Dina. Homesickness. There were two journal pages (and counting) that were dedicated to her and JJ.

Shortly before Ellie and her companions left the cabin by the lake behind, she carefully tore out the page that she drew Lev on back in Salt Lake and gave it to him. 'The beard suits you, huh?’ It made him smile from ear-to-ear. Ellie’s affirmation, despite how simple she thought it was, seemed to have made his day. Now, she didn’t intend to have bonded like this with someone so close to Abby because it could complicate things even more but Ellie just brushed it off with a shit happens sort of air. It wasn’t like there was a possibility it could bite her in the ass at some point, right?

Four days later and there was Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest. Near Carson City. The mountain range reminded Ellie of Wyoming and having the crisp forest air filling her lungs was so very refreshing after the Vegas swelter. The trio (plus an energetic Jack) passed a yellow sign and Ellie reflexively held her rife closer as she read:

WARNING HIKERS: YOU ARE IN MOUNTAIN LION COUNTRY.

Underneath, there were bullet points listed she didn’t bother to read. Nope. It was bad enough that there were bears out here. “Think you could wrestle a mountain lion…?” she asked Abby conversationally, head turning and brows lifting in a comical sort of way. There was a note of humor in her voice—subtle but present nonetheless.

What followed was one of the most restful nights of sleep she'd had in a long time. A roof, a mattress, a locked door. All of it made an immense difference when you'd been on the road for months. She hadn't even heard the other two come in the front nor had she heard Lev when he entered their shared room and shuffled into his own bed. Abby even slept in too, something that was so unlike her that at some point, Lev had checked to make sure she was okay. She was of course. She was just so damn comfortable and if they were going to be here for an extra day, might as well take all the comfort in all this fine establishment they would call homebase for the next 24 hours. If that means lazing about for an extra hour or two in the morning, then so be it.

She had eventually staggered out of bed though admittedly she was still in no rush. Abby took advantage of the free time she had as Lev and Ellie left for their own adventures. A quick washing to freshen up left her ready to tackle the day. Her main priority was potable water. While wandering through the heat of Nevada hadn't cleared them out entirely, she intended to make sure running out wasn't a potential issue while they traversed the same environment these next few days. Food they could stretch but if they ran out of water, it could become game over real fast. Instead, she had every single one of their containers filled with as clean of water as she could get. Took a little bit of exploring but she'd finally found an area where the water began to run off into a stream. Even with the runoff, she still boiled and filtered (to the best of her ability) to give tem the best chance at not encountering any nasties in the water.

That along with more scavenging in the surrounding area left her with another hunting knife, almost a full spool of fishing line, and a small personal first aid kit. Not a bad haul for being somewhat out in the boonies. The rest of the day wasn't half bad either. Some more relaxing and home cooked meals with actual utensils made for a good send off dinner before they found themselves back on the road the next morning. Leaving the comfort of a mattress and security of a locked door behind was rough but she knew the sooner they got started up, the better off they would be.

A grueling 4 days on had finally brought relief in the form of shade, hidden amongst the trees where the heat couldn't beat down on them anymore. It actually felt quite nice after such sweltering heat but Abby still found herself somewhat missing the comfort of the cabin. Not that it was a deal breaker, but it certainly had been missed as they were back to sleeping on the ground or whatever somewhat softish surface they could find.

Keeping her wits about her, her eyes scanned their surroundings as she honed in on every breeze, every leaf crunch, every branch snap. They may not have stuck out like a sore thumb in the open anymore but that didn't mean they could let their guard down, the sign in front of them being a very literal reminder of the new added dangers that lurked about in the free line. Looking over to Ellie and then back at the faded mountain lion image, she shrugged her shoulders casually as she continued to trudge on. "If I knew it was coming? I'd give myself maybe 70/30 odds." One more look over to Ellie, both eyebrows arching upwards. "If it saw me first? Don't like those odds. My dad always thought they were worse than bears. Quieter, more stealthy and you rarely if ever see them coming. Wouldn't be surprised if there's any out there right now." Her gaze fell away from Ellie and back to their surroundings, grip still firm on her rifle and ready to use as needed.

more of Abby serving and smirking

It’s back day 🏋🏼‍♀️

gwug

Abby in the forest

gwug

“Or…” she mumbled with the laziest of tones, “we’re overthinking it and cordyceps did adapt to infect humans. Doesn’t make for as exciting of a movie though.” A quiet laugh slipped from between her lips. It was all just theory at this point and not like speculating mattered much. Regardless of how cordyceps came to it, it had effectively wiped out the majority of humanity. Their reality would have made a hell of a movie if the world hadn’t fallen. Hell, even a really good book. That was the kind of book that she would have picked up while out scavenging and stashed in her pack for enjoyment when back home. It made her wonder if people enjoyed those kinds of stories. Fantastical tales of disease and infection that were going to wipe out the whole world only to be stopped by a brave group of heroes. Did they ever think it wouldn’t happen to them? Poor bastards.

Abby took a moment to slide back up onto the couch considering she had slouched so much she was about to slide herself right off the edge and out of Owen’s arms. Seems the movie had quite literally put her on the edge of her seat. “Corporal? Sounds like he would know his stuff more than anyone in this movie. Still kind of leaning towards the cat though,” she commented quietly with the unmistakable hint of a smile. It was meant in a good way of course. “Is that not already what we do something?” she questioned in reference to the people watching and judging while an eyebrow cocked upwards. Her eyes were still locked on the screen as she stretched her legs out. As far as she could tell, the movie was close to coming to an end. Ripley had made it onto the shuttle but naturally one last showdown was needed and Abby watched with bated breath as she geared up to try and end this thing once and for all.

There was an amused sound that came from Owen when Abby tried to readjust her position on the couch and he wordlessly helped her do so. He never let go of her hand. Their blanket was fixed afterward, drawn further up, and he couldn’t resist burying his face against the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Just snuggling right in. Not really paying much attention to the movie anymore. “The actor for Hicks played a soldier in the first Terminator, too. Aliens might have been his biggest role though because I haven’t seen him in other movies aside from those.”

Lifting his chin, Owen heaved a deep sigh (like it took him a great amount of effort to pull away from her neck) and reclined once more while bringing Abby with him. “Judging people?” She’d be able to feel his rumbling laugh against her back. “Yeah, I suppose we already do that.” There was the deadpan stares or funny expressions he would send in her direction when somebody said or did something questioning. Or just plain stupid. Occupying an island with absolutely no infected made people feel safe enough to do shit worthy of being featured on Jackass.

‘Hi, I’m Johnny Knoxille. Welcome to Jackass!’

Eventually, he turned his attention back to the screen. His fingers would idly play with hers—soothing strokes and tender squeezing every now and then.

A Terminator mention. Now that's one that she was familiar with. Her dad absolutely loved the film and though he'd never been able to get able to get his hands on a copy of it, he had told Abby about it so many times that she swore she could recite the plot based on his description alone. "If you have it, we'll have to watch that one at some point. Then I can see what all the hype is about." But that could wait for another night though. Tonight was all about Alien and as they were nearing the end of the film, she actually found herself excited for what was remaining of the story. Owen sure had hyped it up and she wasn't sure if it would be able to live up to her expectations but it had delivered so far.

She heard his words though she didn't respond back, clearly engrossed at what was going on on screen. Owen hadn't been lying. Ellen Ripley was a certified badass as she blasted the xeno into space. For a brief moment, Abby felt herself holding her breath as the movie finally came to its climax but she let out a quiet breath of relief as Ripley and Jonesy crawled into the safety of their pod. Now she got the hype and Owen had continued to prove that his taste in horror movies was pretty damn good. "Gotta admit, you nailed it with this one. Most worth the watch movie I've seen in a while." With her free hand, she patted the top of his knee a few times and pushed herself to sit up ever so slightly. The mix of beer and a feast had her ready to sleep but the desire to stay up and watch more with Owen was also tempting. "You still awake?" she asked quietly, turning to look behind at him.

“Sucks for them, they’ll just have to keep it up with their beer.” A pause. “Seems like a nice place. Jackson I mean.” It was a place that she didn’t think about often nor had she ever really acknowledged it. It was the place where everything had changed, where fates had become intertwined. Had she known what would transpire when she saw the city from a distance for the first time, would she have still gone through with it? Admittedly it was a thought that had crossed her mind before. Leaving without Joel’s death would have felt like a complete failure. Not only for herself but for the others. People had died that day in Salt Lake. Alot of them. He’d come to their home and taken loved ones away. She did the same. That was that. Even now she tried to not think of it extensively but at times it did become difficult to forget it completely.

“Wouldn’t have pegged you for an artist but that’s cool.” Her eyes drifted down to the numerous tattoos covering the other woman’s arms and she wondered if it was all her own work or the work of others. Hobbies weren’t necessarily something that Abby occupied herself with. It was all business most days and not something she had actually delved into too much. Aside from Lev, she was a lone wolf, participating as needed and fulfilling her part in contributing to a functioning and thriving society. It worked for her. Or at least that’s what she told herself. It was far easier to stay by herself than try and interact with those around her.

It didn’t take her long to finish up her food and she set the plate down on the dirt besides her feet. Soon enough, she would be ready for sleep but another hour or two would give her time to boil water for them, maybe take a another look around before calling it. The last of the alcohol warmed her throat as it went down and she placed the empty glass just next to the dishes beside her. All she wanted at that moment though was just a couple more minutes to relax. Her gaze found its way back to the lake and she settled down into the chair, making herself comfortable. It was beautiful, the way the rising moon was reflecting in the water. The water was eerily calm save for a few ripples here and there with fish and whatever other wildlife was rising with the darkening hours. It did make her miss Catalina. There was something special about enjoying this very sight but on the beach instead. On the shore in the dark is where she could find a minute of peace these days. All it did was drive the desire to get back to Avalon as fast as possible.

“So,” she started, clearing her throat to break the silence. “We stay here tonight and head through the park tomorrow. I’m thinking an early start, try to avoid the heat again. If we can get there by midday I think we’ll be in good shape. What’re your thoughts on it?”

Ellie lowered her own plate, food only half-eaten, and put it on the ground for Jack to finish off. She held the glass of whiskey between both hands after taking ruminative sip. “It is.” The adirondack chair she occupied creaked slightly when she sat back, knees spreading and shoulders going lax. “… But… it’s always felt too small to me. This—” She tried to find the right word to call their trip to California. A journey suggested enlightenment and in ways, she had experienced that. Revelations and understandings she could not shake from her mind. “—whatever this is…” She gestured vaguely. “-made me remember how much I like to travel. I’ve always felt that there was more out there for me.” Another drink. She waited until the acrid burn lessened in her throat before she cleared it and continued. “My roots are in Jackson and I guess I kinda just… settled there. Because of my family.” Joel, at first. Then Tommy and Maria. Dina and JJ.

Lev seemed to be intently listening from where he sat to her left. Ellie noted that he would only take the smallest of sips from his own drink. To be fair, it was a strong whiskey. She could see him in her periphery, leaning forward with forearms on his knees and expression one of softness. He was a good kid. Her gaze focused back on the fire again, watching the flames dance. Abby would be able to pick up on the fact Ellie left her confession open-ended. Letting what she wasn’t voicing settle between them; it was taking root outside of her mind now and making her feel restless. She’d been considering staying in California for some time. It was something she’d been debating, mulling over across several pages of her journal. How would Abby react once she picked up on the implication? In Ellie’s head, her staying was entirely dependent on how things went with the Fireflies.

Dina would go wherever Ellie went… and so would Rudy—the person who had become her closest friend since Jesse. Like her, he had aspirations of being a part of something big (coupled with his undying hope to get the hell out of Wyoming one day) so he wouldn’t need any convincing to pack up and hit the road with her.

Ellie suddenly huffed out a laugh after the lapse of silence had fallen between them as she recalled what Abby had said. Lev eyed her questioningly. Probably thought she was finally losing the last of her few precious marbles. “What…?” She was sort of relieved to have another topic to settle on. “Seriously…? All I ever do is draw. You see me do it everyday,” she pointed out, staring at Abby with raised brows. The leather-bound book came out often. Those blue eyes had skimmed over her tattoos but Ellie didn’t shy away from them even as they touched upon the hand short two digits. Her first tattoo was of her own design as was the death’s head moth on the back of her left hand that came not too long after Santa Barbara.

That bite mark healed up without leaving more than the smallest trace behind and for that she was grateful—she could have lost her hand had the clicker not been disorientated from hanging upside down. Their bite force was more powerful than that of a runner or a stalker. A bloater had to be the worst of all, but they preferred to rip and tear limbs off rather than bite.

It was some time before they spoke again. It was Abby who broke through the veil of drowsiness that had caused Ellie’s eyes to lose focus. Brows furrowed in slight confusion. “Oh. Changed your mind about staying here for a few days?” She wanted to at least have a day to wash her clothes and clean her gear. Pamper Jack a little. Maybe go duck hunting with Lev for feathers to improve her fletchings (and for him to make good on their deal in teaching her). “We could wash our clothes here. There’s one of those washboards out back and some line to hang everything up to dry.” It was much better than scrubbing their clothes in a cold river and using branches. She didn’t want to sweat through all of her shirts then have to wear them again when the temperature got lower. Her eyes lifted to meet Abby’s and her voice was soft when she added, “We could use a day to recuperate, right?”

Whether or not Ellie was considering settling elsewhere was none of Abby's business but the way she spoke of travel wasn't exactly encouraging in her quest to be rid of her company once they finally got to Catalina. Was there an implication that she could potentially be staying in California? Is that where Ellie thought there could be more for her? If it was such a big world, why did Ellie need to be anywhere near where Abby had made a home? Maybe she was getting ahead of herself with assumptions. She understood it at least, being stuck in a place and tied to the people there. Home had always been where the Fireflies were stationed, where her father was needed. Salt Lake was an assignment. Seattle was a stop gap. Catalina to her actually felt like home for once. At least after years of rebuilding, it felt like the place she would up in barring any completely island meltdowns. She caught herself before her face could give away the displeasure at the thought and instead she just nodded while glancing back into the fire. "Big world, a lot to see out there." There. As in away from Catalina, she thought to herself.

Abby did see Ellie buried in her book quite often but it wasn't like she made an effort to try and see what exactly she was doing. "I see the book but I don't know what you're doing. Not exactly like I'm trying to read over your shoulder. Could be journaling or whatever but drawing is cool too." Maybe once or twice she had caught a glance of what seemed like a picture but had never tried to crane her neck for a better look. If it was something private, Ellie was entitled to that privacy. Abby was here to get her to Catalina safely and that was that. Not here to make friends and certainly not with Ellie. They worked well together but Lev also helped create a buffer between the two of them that made it more tolerable on her end. After all this was done, she would owe him big time for helping keep her level headed and reasonable throughout this trip.

Admittedly Abby had forgotten about the idea of staying an extra day. Part of her was so desperate to get home that she was willing to push herself to the limit to get there but that didn't mean it was what was best for everyone. Her eyes lingered on Ellie as she questioned her before they shot a glance over to Lev to get his thoughts on the subject. Eyebrows rose up in a silent what do you think gesture. The look he gave her was an earnest one and he punctuated it with "I think that's a good idea". In times when she was stubborn, he helped to soften her up and that still was the case here. With a nod, she placed her hands on the chair arms and pushed herself to stand up. "Alright, another day. We're still too close to the city for my liking so just a day." It was a bit of relief. Two nights in an actual bed would be the best lodgings yet in the weeks they had been on the road. And an extra day meant she didn't need to stay up boiling water and could instead catch up on sleep. "If you two don't mind, I think I'll get some sleep." With a nod, she disappeared inside the cabin.

sporehell

It was about the reaction she had expected from him considering her ill timed attempt at humor but hey, at least if she were to go out, she would have done so in trying to bring him comfort in what was an entirely fucked up situation. If she had just been a bit more careful, this whole thing could have been avoided but then again, how was she supposed to know she was walking on a skylight? It once again made her question who even put those things on a roof in the first place? That was an annoyance for another time. There were more important things to think about at that time like not falling asleep, steadying her breathing. An anytime was muttered out around the glove but it was quiet and no guarantee he even heard it at this point.

She was fading and fast. The exhaustion, pain, blood loss - all of it was starting to take a toll but she had promised him she wouldn't leave him and there was a fear creeping up that if she did pass out, that would be it. By this point it's almost difficult to feel what he's actually doing and in her mind, that wasn't a great sign. With no local anesthetic, she should have been feeling the puncture of the needle each time but the sharp prick had been replaced by a dull discomfort. There was a sense of relief when he confirmed that he was done but she had no way of showing it. By that point, she was too out of it to do anything but lay there. At least her jaw unclenched so that the glove could fall down to the floor.

Abby was quiet for several moments while heavy lids fell shut and she worked on gaining what little composure she could, her chest rising and falling with shaky breaths that slowly began to steady out though there was the occasional breath that hitched from what was now a dull ache in her side. She had to respond, it would be concerning to say the least to leave him hanging. It took several more moments for her eyes to flutter open. It was a level of exhaustion she had never felt before that was threatening to overtake her. "Yes," she barely got out, swallowing hard. "I'm tired. And cold," she whispered out, no doubt a combination of both the elements and her body struggling. Being indoors a fire wasn't an option but in her weakened state if she didn't warm up, she was risking other problems.

scriptorxfabularum

HE EXHALED - NOT HAVING REALIZED he had been holding his breath in anticipation of her still being able to answer, and attempted to smile at her. “You look like shit,” he said, shrugging out of his coat in the same breath. He was only left with his hoodie, but it was going to have to do for now; Abby needed the warmth more than he did. “Here…” He hummed, wrapping his winter coat carefully around her torso. “Better?” There was not a whole lot he could do more at that point.

There was, of course, the option of scavenging the building. Or even leaving the building and seeing if he could find something - anything - to keep her warm while he tried to find a way to get her out as well, but in this state, he didn’t dare leave her alone. What if he came back and she… He shook his head, trying to exorcise the thought from his mind. No, he was not thinking like that. But maybe there were things inside the building that could be of help.

He glanced back at Abby. Her pale lips, white skin. And he wondered if he could leave her alone for any amount of time. Though if he didn’t do something, it wasn’t going to matter anyway. At this rate, she wouldn’t make it very long. He took a deep breath and smiled down at Abby again. “Abby? I’m going to check the rest of the building real quick, to see if there’s any supplies we can use, okay?” He wasn’t even sure anymore whether she was able to hear him. “I need you to stay awake, though,” he instructed her. “You can’t fall asleep. You can’t.” He wrapped his fingers around her bicep and gave her arm a little squeeze, showing her he was still there, even though she might not be able to see him.

He gathered up both their backpacks and stacked them on top of one another, carefully resting her legs on top of them, remembering she had instructed him to elevate her legs. “You’re going to be okay,” he murmured as he manoeuvred her legs into place gently, not jostling her too much. “I’m going to be gone only a little while, and you’re going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.” Whether he was talking to her or to himself wasn’t quite clear. “There.” He glanced around the small office space, as though something was going to pop up that told him exactly what to do next. “You’ll be fine.”

winimaekova-deactivated20251026

There was the faintest hint of a grin that pulled at the corners of Abby's lips and if it wouldn't have hurt so bad, it may have even gotten a laugh out of her. "You know how to make a girl feel special," she mumbled in response. Looked like shit, felt like shit. But she was alive. And that's what mattered most. The hope was they would be able to look back on this and have a laugh. Falling through the glass window of a ceiling? It was the kind of dumb shit you saw in movies. Not something that actually happened in real life and yet here she was. Hell of a story if she got past this.

His coat provided a boost of warmth that she was in desperate need of and she nodded her head slowly. "Better." As much as she appreciated it, she knew it meant that now he would be freezing. It would be fine. Once she warmed up more, she would give it back even if he protested. A hypothermic Owen to complement her wasn't a plan of success for either of them.

For the first time, she found herself able to take a somewhat deep breath. Not deep enough that it hurt but just enough to feel like she was sufficiently functioning. She found herself shifting under the coat and it didn't hurt as bad anymore. There wouldn't be any marathons or lifting heavy in her future but better than the alternative. She forced her eyes open upon hearing her name and offered him another nod. "I won't." The omission of an I promise was very intentional as she would do her best to stay awake but there were no guarantees. His worrying was endearing. He cared. That much was evident. She actually found herself even more comfortable when her legs came to rest on the bag. As comfortable as she eas going to get, that was certain. "Owen," she muttered quietly, "I'm not gonna die on you. Go. I'll be right here." The smile she offered him, though small, was genuine and not one of uncertainty and fear.

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