A/N: Hello, all. I am entirely new to fanfiction and writing in general. I finally convinced myself to put my thoughts to words, and I hope you all enjoy it. Please let me know what you think, and any tips are welcome!
She woke with a shuddering gasp and bolted upright. Leaves stirred underneath her, gripping her hair and clinging to her shoulders. The drilling pain in her head had woken her. It receded for a few moments before returning again.
You're finally awake. The sarcastic voice drifted in her head. I was getting incredibly bored.
She gripped the back of her skull as the pain increased. She finally wrested control and banished the drilling away. The throbbing resided and her head welcomed the cool relief.
Boo. The voice pouted. Always taking away my fun.
"Hush," she mumbled aloud, the word slipping out on accident. She was too busy scanning the area, wondering where she was and how she got there. Her brain scrambled to try and find the latest moment she could remember.
You were at the church.
She sucked in a sharp breath and shut her eyes, her mind flashing an image of the dusty, wooden church. A dark room. An angry face. A leaf finally detached itself from her hair and tickled her cheek as it fell. "Did I...?" She let the question trail off into the air, as if the forest around her had the answer. She looked down at her hands. Dried blood crusted her fingers and her clothes. She hurriedly scraped at her pale fingers, trying to get it off.
Yes, he answered. They're all dead.
She winced and chewed on her lower lip, giving up on her hands. "And the Reverend?"
He laughed loudly in her head. Oh he is dead. You obliterated him. It was very artful, I must say, although much too quick.
I thought you would be more upset about his death, she replied, this time keeping her response in her head. She sounded surprisingly calm and was proud of herself for it.
And why would you think that?
I just assumed all assholes liked each other.
There was a snort. He is too much of a lesser asshole for me to like him.
She took a moment to absorb her surroundings again, her mind whirling as she tried to piece things together. They were all dead, and she was free. She felt a sudden surge of satisfaction at the thought, but she quickly pushed it down, burying it. She wasn't supposed to be happy about something like that. A cool breeze loosened leaves from her hair, and she picked at the others that were still attached.
"Time to get up," she muttered out loud. She pushed herself up and all of her joints and muscles groaned in response. She felt as if she had been tossed around in a storm. Perhaps she had. Even the scars on her back throbbed like they do after she's had one of her... accidents. She ran a shaky hand through her tangled hair, pulling out a few more leaves. The woods around her were painted in the bright, golden colors of fall. It would be a rather lovely scene if it wasn't for the dirty, blood-covered girl ruining the picture. None of it looked familiar, and she cursed quietly. It would be too easy, it seems, to have woken up near a street sign or something. She hesitated for a few more moments before forcing herself to walk, hoping it would be in the right direction.
After fifteen minutes, fortunately, the dark coloring of a road peeked out at her from between the trees. She eagerly picked up her pace, although her eyes continued darting around cautiously. As she came closer, she noticed the trees near the road were splintered and tipped over, some of the trunks viciously ripped away from the ground. She slowed instantly, putting her guard up. Stepping over a fallen tree and slipping around another, the road finally came completely in view. Her spirits sank at the sight. A smashed car lay hanging off the side of the road. The roof was completely caved in, as if a huge boulder had fallen on top of it and then rolled away. Shattered glass sprinkled the road, and it crackled loudly in protest as she carefully moved closer. The sight of a limp, bloody hand hanging out the window confirmed her fears, and she halted her approach. Lifting a small hand to her mouth, she continued to stare as her mind flashed wildly, guiltily. No, she thought to herself. Unfortunately he could hear her denial as well, though he didn't voice a response. One part of her told her she should do something, give some small act of repentance to make up for what was possibly her fault. But the thought of repentance reminded her of the Reverend and she quickly changed her mind. "I am sorry," she murmured to the air, letting the cool autumn breeze carry it away. Then she turned and continued down the road.
Forty minutes later a town came into sight. She let out a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping. She had a little more stamina than most people, but her muscles were still aching from earlier. Her stomach growled as if to voice another reason why the town was a good sign. As she continued to walk she gave herself a quick check. She looked awful, simply put. Her hair was matted and crusted with blood and leaves, her clothes were torn and dirty. Overall she smelled and looked like some horrific creature that would star in older horror movies. "I'd make a great zombie," she murmured to herself. He huffed in response, unimpressed. The crushed car flashed in her head, and she silenced herself, unhappy again.
As she drew closer, she noticed a dark feeling settled over the town. It felt as if the town was a kicked dog licking its wounds, and waiting in fear for the next round. Her steps slowed in response and went on high alert. People shuffled quickly from place to place, only looking up as if they were checking for a storm every so often. Some acted normally, smiling and greeting each other, but there was still a sense of restlessness. She quickened her pace again, eager to eat something, hopefully change and wash up, and then leave.
She headed for the closest store, eyes darting around. I hope this is the right place, she thought, wracking her brain to remember what the place was called where she might find food. She peeked inside quickly and looked at the items stacked on the shelves. For the most part they looked like food, so she decided to risk it. In her head she played through the ways she could steal what she needed with the least bit of commotion. She stepped behind the corner of the building and leaned against the wall. She hadn't used her abilities for a while, and was unsure how it would feel. Carefully, she flexed her mind like she would flex an arm. It throbbed in response, groaning. But after a few more moments, it eased into it. Sucking in a breath, she shoved her hands into her pockets and concentrated on a small rock nearby. The rock shuddered unwillingly at first, and then scraped against the ground when she pulled harder. Finally it acquiesced and slowly lifted from the ground. As it slowly floated higher, it spun lazily in the air like it had just been woken from a nap. It wobbled precariously a few times as her mind slipped, but remained afloat. "Good enough," she mumbled, dropping the rock. It gratefully plummeted back to the ground.
She turned back to the store, her stomach growling again in anticipation. There was only one car parked outside the store, fortunately. She went in, hands shoved deep in her pockets and shoulders hunched forward. Hopefully anyone who looked would think it was just dirt on her and not dried blood. Hopefully it was brown enough. She heard a murmur of voices at the checkout, but she drowned them out as she scanned the aisles. She grabbed whatever she could, stuffing them into her pockets. She had no idea what anything was and she had never seen so much food in one place before. She tamped down the curiosity that bubbled inside her, refusing to allow herself to waste time. She was about to head towards the back to grab a few drinks when a piece of the conversation drifted her way.
"If you see her at all, let us know. Here's our card, and put this up, just in case anyone else has seen anything."
She froze instinctively. There's no way... she thought. Footsteps headed towards the exit and she slipped behind one of the aisles to make sure she wouldn't be seen. When she heard the door close, she carefully moved towards the counter. The bags of food in her pockets crinkled loudly as she crouched slightly to remain out of sight, and she winced in response. Carefully she poked her head around the corner. She nearly gasped at the sight, an icy feeling creeping up her back. A black and white picture of her hung above the counter.