The tip of the iron shovel moved past the dirt, it's potent scent filling Chloe's lungs, clawing at her throat as she struggled to shift one more load over her shoulder. The pristine blue blazer that she wore around her shoulders for the interview stayed around her waist now, the base tickling behind her knees.
A sharp ache ran along her arm and to her neck, she would need drugs, and a lot of them, to get a few hours of sleep in before her first class at twelve. Barden University didn't take well to more than one absence, and she had already wasted the first one on a revival tour for ABBA. They weren't even the real thing, just mimics.
She had fun that night, though. Aubrey had forced the ginger out of her comfort zone, getting a few alcoholic beverages in her before she could really enjoy herself. Back then, it wasn't too hard pulling an all-nighter. Now, as she stood shoulder deep in a grave, she could barely keep her eyes open.
The plot had been clearly marked, the girl finally hitting the height that she needed to. She let out a small grunt as she hauled the shovel over the side, pressing her fingertips into soft soil as she tried to get a foothold on the little ledge she carved out of the soil.
It was easy enough to hoist herself up, her back pressing against moist grass as she stared up at the starry night sky. Her clothes and hands were wrecked, her whole body throbbing. Part of her just wanted to lay there until daybreak, but it was only three am, eight hours of hard labor and she was craving a hot shower.
Chloe breathed out, slowly sitting up as she adjusted the holster around her shoulders. She didn't' see a point to it really. The town was tiny, and grave robbers didn't seem to want to dig through feet of sod to get to a coffin full of cheap jewelry. She wasn't one to judge though, her main focus on wandering back to a shed that she only saw once.
Her boots crunched against dry grass, shoulders slumped as she held the brass keys between her lips. It tasted like blood- the coppery edge thick and strong against her tongue. The taste was almost overwhelming, the one time she was on the wrong side of a punch coming back to her mind. It was late enough for the air to be chilly, her nose running as she propped the shovel up against the side of the tin shed.
"Fuck," Chloe mumbled under her breath as she struggled with the keys, her fingers numb and blistered. A thick line of crimson was dripping from a blister that formed on the edge of her palm. One that she had ignored until now. It stung. She peeled the door open before shoving the equipment back in its place, the leather gloves finally hung up.
The young girl drew in a sharp gasp as a loud and unforgiving bang rapped against the side of her skull. It made her mouth instantly dry, her breath catching roughly in her throat as she instinctively reached for the soft grip of the taser. "Great, one night and I'm already tripping."
She shook her head to herself, her heart still pounding against the inside of her wrist. It was probably a car backfiring; the road was closed and enough people took to the midnight streets to burn some rubber. She was usually behind safe walls, though. Not in the middle of a moonlit graveyard.
Regardless, she knew she had to swallow her pride, bite down roughly on the fear that arose against the back of her mind. There was more at stake here than just her safety. She needed this job, and something told her that Gallagher wasn't much for second chances.
Chloe squared her shoulders, hearing another non-coincidental bang run through the near-empty lot. She pulled the taser from the holder, pressing the small button on the side of the weapon. It worked like a drill. To the left was on, to the right was off. If the button was stagnant in the middle, then it was locked.
She had never been tasered before, but she had seen videos: People would laugh at the way large men and woman would freeze up and drop to their knees. It was all comical until you really thought about how much electricity one of these things carried.
The girl walked slowly, ducking behind large headstones as the fear of stepping on a grave disrespectfully left her mind. She would end up under the stone slab if she wasn't careful enough- her breath shallow and rushed as she reached a large oak tree that was just beginning to change colors with the creeping seasons.
Bark scraped against her bare arms as she peaked around the ridge. There wasn't much light- a dull blue glow casting along the figure of a shorter woman. She held her own shovel, hands resting on her hips as she stared down a grave that was freshly dug. The mountain of soil and mud that stood to her side was a testament to her work. The golden beam of a flashlight sweat across the names written on the stones.
She looked too young to be out for cash but too old to have wandered into the yard without supervision. A girl that Chloe recognized. Of course, she couldn't quite tell with the darkness that shrouded both of them, her breath still shallow.
The beam of light suddenly flipped away from the names carved and against the tree that Chloe held her ground behind. There was no way that the girl could have heard her- not when she barely made a sound. Her heartbeat was echoing in her eardrums as she quietly gasped and pressed the nave of her back against the oak. The taser was strung across her chest, finger resting easily on the trigger. She closed her eyes, sucking in a breath. It was like a horror movie, she was too afraid to move against the current- to see if whoever that stranger was had darker plans in store.
Icy fingers were quick to wrap around Chloe's wrist, the grip tight- almost crushing as the red-head blindly aimed the weapon and pulled the trigger. A loud and eminent cracking filled the air, even with closed eyes, Chloe could see the flashing light the taser provided. The grasp on her was quickly released as a loud thump filled the college students ears.
"Ow! Oh my God" The rough voice of another caused Chloe to take a stumbling leap back as the stranger laid face up on the ground. Her hand was cupped over her ribs, the other outstretched above her as she let out a loud moan. "You fucking tasered me, dude?"
"Wh-Who are you?" Chloe asked, voice breaking under the pressure. "What are you doing here?"
Despite being on the ground, the stranger gave a small chuckle and smile. She was pale, her lips a deep shade of pink against fair skin and deep brown hair. She was dressed in all black, a leather jacket protecting against the mercy of the breeze.
"One question at a time, Red." She grumbled, outreaching a hand towards the shocked girl.
Chloe almost retracted into herself, her whole entire body frozen in a type of emotion that she couldn't really describe. It was odd, the pull that moved past her mind. She stared thoughtfully at the girl who was expecting a hand up.
The stranger let out a small groan before hoisting herself up, her hand pressing against a raw mark on her shoulder. She must have hit it on the way down, her deep coffee eyes reflecting discontent as the dark clouds cleared from an already full moon. It shaded her features, making her look darker in an odd way.
"I'm not afraid to use this. Who the fuck are you?" She Chole hissed again, tightening her grip on the gun as she raised it up again.
The mysterious figure stared at her, one eyebrow raised as she cocked her head to the side. A few seconds passed, the deep yellow beams of headlights sweeping across the length of the yard. The sound of tires against gravel, a moment of relief passed through the taller girl, only to be washed away as the sound of an engine slowly drifted away.
"This?" The girl cracked a dazzling smile, her hand quickly wrapping around the taser as she pulled it from Chloe's sweat-filled palm easily. She threw it over her shoulder as she stepped closer, trusting that the weapon would shatter into a million pieces when it came in contact with rounded cement or marble.
"Shit," Chloe mumbled.
The girl was close to her now, shorter, but intimidating. She held her stance strong, the scent of fresh leather and soil coated Chloe's lungs with its potent aroma. It mixed with vanilla, pomegranate maybe. She couldn't tell. Her own breath was shaking enough to put the metallic undertones aside.
"Oh, watch the language Red." She smirked, "I'm impartial to it, but you never know who's listening."
"We're the only ones here."
"Mm, Beca." She lifted her chin slightly. "Beca Mitchell."
"What?" Chloe knit her eyebrows together, fear lapping at the back of her neck.
"My name," She leaned forward. "It's Beca Mitchell, and you look way too young to call yourself a gravedigger."
