I'm about 10% sure you all hate me because I keep starting new Jori fics. I'm sorry, I just really like this idea.
She ran down the subway and slid down the stairway railing. Her feet pounded on the ground as she gasped for breath. She couldn't run any further and she turned the corner and pressed her back against the cold cement wall. She clutched the bottle of water to her chest. Two men ran around the corner and grabbed her arms.
"Do you think it's okay to steal from us?" The tallest one asked.
"No, no - I - uh," she stuttered. The other man grabbed the water from her.
"Are you lying to us now?" He cocked an eyebrow.
"I think you need to apologize for how rude you've been?" The man holding her arm pushed her against wall.
"No, please!" She yelled.
"She's a bit scrawny but it'll do." The other man leered.
"Hey!" A woman yelled. The black haired female grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.
"You are in my territory! I don't appreciate you trespassing and I especially dislike you treating this girl the way you are." She whispered into his ear.
"She stole from us!" The man grunted.
"I believe you stole this from me." She yanked the water bottle out of his hand and shoved him away from her.
"No we didn't." The man rubbed his arm where her nails pierced his skin.
"Prove it." She bared her teeth.
"Fine, but you better watch your back when you're out of these tunnels." The man pointed to the shaking girl who was now sobbing on the ground. The men turned around and left the subway station. The woman extended her hand out to the girl.
"I'm Jade." She said as the girl looked up at her through the curtain her hair formed around her face.
"Tori?" Her breath hitched. "Oh, my God." She sank to her knees. Tori's normally glowing tan skin was shallow and grey tinted. She had a deep gouge in her neck and her hair was short and shaggy. Her bones poked through her sickly skin and her breathing was ragged.
"Jade," inhale, exhale, "I missed," inhale, exhale, "you." She broke out into a coughing fit.
"Come on Tori." Jade hooked her arm around Tori's back and half carried her back to one of the control stations where her crew was staying.
"Jade! Robbie is trying to sleep in my sleeping bag!" Cat cried as she ran out of the large room.
"Oh who is that?" She stopped and pointed to Tori as Jade carried the sickly woman in her arms.
"Cat, go get the first aid kit." She ordered as she carried Tori into the back room. She stretched her out on the table and peeled her jacket off and tossed it in the trash. Her clothes were filthy and ripped. Cat ran into the room holding an old suitcase in her arms.
"First aid kit!" She cheered.
"Oh!" She exclaimed looking at Tori. "Who is she? Where'd you find her?" Cat helped Jade pull the mud caked shoes from Tori's feet.
"Cat, it's Tori." Jade said through her teeth.
"Who's Tori?" Cat pulled the woman's socks off as well.
"This is Tori." Jade clarified searching through the suitcase.
"Tori!" Cat squeaked and moved up to her head.
"She looks so different." She said as she pushed back Tori's blood caked hair.
"Cat, go boil me two pots of rain water." Jade ordered and pushed the girl out of the room.
"Come on Vega, I've seen you live through worse." Jade urged as she threw the last of her clothing in the garbage can.
After being cleaned, having her wounds treated, and being redressed Tori looked healthier, albeit very skinny, but not so half-dead. Jade elected to stay with her over night, just in case she woke up. However, the emaciated woman slept soundly until very early hours of the morning.
The sun had just peeked over the edges of the smoking rubble above ground when Tori opened her eyes and let out an ear piercing scream. Jade jumped from her not-so-comfortable spot on the bench to try to sooth the writhing woman.
"Tori calm down, you're safe here." She grabbed her arms and shoved her down to the table.
"No!" Tori screeched.
"Vega!" Jade's voice boomed around the tiny room. Tori's eyes widened as she stared up at Jade. Suddenly she started to cry and Jade pulled her into her arms.
"You're going to be okay." She sighed and began to rock her back and forth. Eventually, after getting her back to sleep Jade placed Andre in with Tori.
"If she wakes up yell for me; I won't be far." Jade ordered. Andre nodded his head
"Will do." He said before closing the metal door. Jade sighed and cracked her neck. She felt disgusting. She hadn't bathed in at least a week and she needed to do something about the rat's nest on her head. Her bones creaked as she rifled through her duffle bag and pulled out a pair of black cargo pants and a gray tank top. On her way to the river she borrowed a brush and a knife from one of the new girls.
She took her time stripping the clothing off of her skin. Once she was completely nude she stepped into the cold river water. It awakened her pores as the icy water flowed over her grimy skin. She sighed and leaned her head back to soak her hair. She stayed like that for several minutes, just breathing and allowing her aching muscles to unwind. Running a survivor's camp was rough.
Finally she started to rake the brush through her tangled hair. When it was smooth and she got all the knots out she grabbed the knife and started hacking her hair off. It was so long and heavy, she hoped that cutting it off would aid her somehow, but really she was tired of it being an old symbol of beauty. The world had ended, nothing was beautiful anymore.
When the last strands of her once long tresses flowed downstream she emerged from the water with a blue tint to her pale skin. She shivered violently as she pulled on her clothing and shoved her feet into her combat boots. It took her the entire walk home to warm her skin from the freezing river.
The camp was mostly up and moving by the time Jade returned and word had gotten around that someone was brought in during the night.
"Who is it?" Was asked several times.
"How old are they?"
"Where did they come from?"
Jade turned around to find a crowd following her.
"It is none of your business who has joined our camp. If it becomes your business you will be notified. If you go looking for details before any are revealed to you I will personally take you above ground and let the gangs tear you apart. Now get back to work or leave this camp!" She yelled. The people immediately scuttled away and she was left with Cat looking at her with wide eyes.
"Cat." Jade groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Can I help with anything?" She asked hopefully.
"Get me two meals, mostly fruit, and three bottles of water." Jade turned on her heel and marched off in the direction of the makeshift hospital room. She opened the door and Andre jumped up into attention.
"Relax, Andre, go eat." She told him wearily.
"Okay, cool." He said before walking out. Jade exhaled and closed the door.
"Hey, Tori." She shook the woman's shoulder lightly.
"Tori wake up." She said softly. Tori's eyes opened and a smile slid into her face.
"I finally died." She whispered hoarsely. Jade shook her head.
"Not yet, Princess. Now sit up, you've gotta eat something." Jade helped her move into a sitting position. Cat walked in moments later balancing two trays and three bottles of water.
"Here you go, Jadey!" Cat smiled as she kicked the door shut. Jade grimaced and took the offered food.
"Thank you." She peeled a banana and held it out to Tori. Tori took it in her hand unsteadily and began to eat it hungrily.
"Cat, shouldn't you be opening the daycare by now?" Jade asked the woman who was playing with a lock of her faded red hair.
"Yeah." She answered sheepishly.
"Then why are you still here?" Jade questioned using all of her self control not to snap at her.
"Because I missed Tori." She reached out for the woman who was ravishing a bowl of oatmeal.
"No." Jade said in a warning tone as she hooked her arm around Cat's midsection. "Don't touch her." She ordered and pushed her out the door.
"Now go play with the kiddies to keep them busy." Jade shooed her away before once again closing the door. She leaned her forehead against the cool metal and slowly inhaled.
"I like your hair short." Tori said breaking the silence. Jade turned around and looked the woman up and down. Tori's grey tank top hung from her boney shoulders in a very unflattering way and Jade was sure that if she stood up the cargo pants would slide right off her hips.
"Needed a change." Jade offered as reasoning as she stepped forward. Tori shrugged and it seemed to take a lot of effort for her to do so.
"Still nice." She commented and took another spoonful of watery oatmeal.
"How do you feel?" Jade changed the subject.
"A lot better than before. Thanks, for, you know, taking care of me." She said. Now it was Jade's turn to shrug.
"It's no big deal." She said blowing off the thanks.
"Where have you been for the past few months?" Jade asked. Or at least she thought months had passed. She wasn't exactly sure because she didn't have a calendar and getting to next week wasn't as important as living through the current day.
"I had been living on the streets for a while, stealing and sleeping in trees, but I found a gang that actually wanted skinny tiny me. They only wanted me to crawl into small places that belong to other gangs. I took the job, I mean, Hell, I needed the food and shelter. Unfortunately, I got caught; I was being starved and tortured. My hands got so skinny they slipped right out of the cuffs. So I ran. I just escaped a day before you found me." She drank the bottle of water and quickly followed it with a second one. Jade sighed. Above ground seemed to be getting worse and worse with each story Newcomers brought.
"Well, you'll be put to use here in a better way. We don't steal, we actually are connected to several other Survivors' Camps and we trade people, goods and supplies through the subway networks. We are trying to clear out the south tunnels because right now we can only go north and east but it's tough to get enough able bodied men to work on the Clearing Crew and enough to put on our Patrol Team." Jade took a bite of an apple.
"Did you start this all by yourself?" Tori asked.
"Yeah, well, at least it was my idea, Beck and Andre helped me round up people to help make this place livable." She answered. "Do you want me to take you out and show you around?" She asked. "Everyone should be out at their stations by now." Jade opened the door. Tori's eyes darted fearfully between Jade and the door.
"I'll help you." Jade extended her arm to assist Tori with getting down from the table. The combat boots on her feet were new and squeaked as she walked.
"Okay, over here, is where you will be staying when I deem you fit enough to be out of confinement." She smirked. Tori raised an eyebrow in question.
"It will give the camp some time to get used to a newcomer. They get excited easily." She chuckled and moved into a room with several sleeping bags on cots.
"It seems unfair, but it's only the gang in here. It'll be you, me, Andre, Beck, Robbie and Cat." Jade pointed to each cot when she said a name.
"Why nobody else?" Tori asked.
"Because I feel safe with you guys. Besides, everyone can choose where they want to make their home down here, as long as it doesn't interfere with camp life." Jade started to guide her out of the room but Tori stopped her and stared at her.
"What if I wanted to stay somewhere else? You didn't even ask me." She said.
"Because I don't want you staying anywhere else." Jade said without thinking. "Shit, I never said that."
"Do you have something you want to tell me?" Tori asked coyly.
"No!" Jade snapped. "This tour is over."
"Okay, okay, you never said anything, please continue showing me around." Tori tugged on Jade's arm.
"Alright," she pulled her along again. She showed her where the food stations were and explained when people were given their rations and who received what rations. She drifted near where the clothing was washed and dried before being issued back out into the community and remarked to Tori that she wasn't fitting the standard issued clothing very well. She walked her through the East tunnel where the children's wing was located.
"I've been thinking about it and I want you to teach the kids." Jade said on their way back.
"What?" Tori asked.
"We're getting more and more kids and there are only four teachers. All the children who are between four and fourteen are lumped together in one class; I want them separated by grade levels." She paused and looked at Tori. "I think you would be great with the kids. And they really need a teacher." Jade pleaded with her tone.
"Okay, fine, when I can walk without you holding me up I will go ahead and teach." She replied.
"Thanks Tori." Jade smiled and helped her into the cot that was moved in place of the table. Tori nodded slowly and started to drift off to sleep.
"Jade?" She yawned.
"Huh." Jade grunted as she checked on Tori's neck wound.
"Never mind, it's silly." She replied her voice was thick with sleep. Jade rolled her eyes and put a new bandage over her skin.
"No, what is it?"
"I love you." Tori answered sleepily. Jade narrowed her eyes and stared down at the woman.
"What?" She sounded skeptical. Tori was sound asleep and did not answer. She shook her head and pulled the blanket over Tori's skinny body.
She pulled the door closed behind her and nearly ran into the woman standing in front of her.
"Tracy, what are you doing here, shouldn't you be working in the hospital wing?" She asked looking over the slender woman. She wore a pair of standard issue brown cargo pants and a black tank top with a black jacket over top and her blonde hair was shaved short. Tracy scoffed.
"Why is she so special?" She bobbed her head in the direction of the door behind Jade.
"Who?" Jade crossed her arms over her chest.
"That woman." Tracy rolled her eyes.
"She is a friend." Jade answered.
"Why didn't you bring her to the Wing? She clearly needs medical help. You are keeping her hidden from the camp like she's some piece of treasure." Tracy was taller than Jade but she was a year younger and she let her temper fuel her decisions.
"She's got a case of malnutrition, and a few stitches in her neck; nothing I can't handle. You stick to the more serious cases that actually need you." Jade scoffed. Tracy's jaw was forced out as she held in her thoughts.
"Just bring her by before you let her out among the community, I have to make sure she's up to date on her shots." She ordered.
"Okay, I'll do that." Jade nodded and started off in the opposite direction. She made her way to the North Tunnel and at the entrance Beck stepped out of the shadows.
"Hey." He smiled at her and set the gun in his arms down.
"How's it going down here?" She asked.
"Patrol is going smoothly. Not many people come down here anymore unless they want to help us; I think they finally understand they can't steal from us." He said quietly. Jade shook her head.
"I think She's trying to gather people." She sighed. "I want you to get a few of the Patrol together and go above ground. Just check things out for me. I would go up there myself, but with Tori being here I don't trust her in the camp on her own." She glanced around the tunnel.
"Tori's here?" He asked.
"Yeah, I found her yesterday, she's weak though and I don't want her out here until she can handle it."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" He ran his hand through his hair and narrowed his eyes at her.
"I don't know, I didn't think about it. She only showed up last night Beck. Just get a crew together and stop questioning my motives." She snapped and turned around. Beck grabbed her shoulder and pulled her around to face him
"Don't let the stupidity you seem to always get around her screw up what we've got going on here." He demanded.
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" She growled.
"I'm saying that we have a really good thing here, people finally feel safe and I don't want your little crush to mess everything up. You need to keep a cool head and run this camp." He said through his teeth.
"Beck, you don't seem to know me well at all." Jade seethed. "I will not allow anyone control me, not even you." She punctuated her statement with a curt head nod and left Beck to patrol the North tunnel angrily.
Jade stopped at the Food Station on her way back to the main camp.
"Give me two meals and three bottles of water." She said to the man standing at the counter.
"This for the little lady in that room?" He asked with a leering grin.
"Oh, shut up Bill, you could be her father." She told him grabbing the trays and balancing the bottles of water on top.
"That has never stopped me from trying." He laughed and handed over a tray to the man behind her.
"You're lucky I let you stay here, you pervert." Jade rolled her eyes and started towards Tori's room.
She woke Tori up and handed her a tray with a sandwich and an apple on it.
"Enjoy." She said as she sat across from her cot on the bench.
"Thanks." She smiled and bit into the thin bread and meat. Jade nodded her head and started to eat her lunch unenthusiastically.
"Are you okay?" Tori asked through a mouthful of food. Jade shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied.
"When was the last time you slept?" Tori questioned setting her tray on the floor beside the stiff cot.
"Two days ago." Jade answered with an air of nonchalance. Tori's mouth dropped open.
"Jade, you need to sleep." She told her. Jade was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed in a general stance of relaxed nature. Her legs were crossed at the ankles, right over left and her arms resting in her lap. But Tori could see how tense she really was. Her shoulders were hard set and her foot continued to jiggle restlessly. Tori exhaled slowly and stood up.
Her body was shaky but she managed to stay upright.
"Come on; let's get you to your bed." She tugged on Jade's arm lightly. Jade's eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly throwing Tori off balance. She started to fall backwards but Jade bolted up and wrapped her arms around the thin woman's waist to steady her.
"Did you really expect to be able to take me to my room when you barely carry what little weight you have?" Jade chuckled. Tori laughed nervously in their close embrace.
"I don't know, you need to rest." She blushed. Jade pushed her down on the cot.
"No, you need to rest. You need to get your strength up." She told her. Tori grabbed her arm and yanked her down. Jade lost her balance and toppled over and landed over Tori.
"If you insist on staying here, the least you can do is keep me warm." She said. "These blankets do nothing." Jade adjusted herself around the boney female and sighed.
"Fine." She pulled the thin thermal over her shoulders and wrapped her arms around Tori's waist. Both women fell asleep quickly and were unaware of the storm brewing above.