Chapter Ten: Runner
(October 5th, 2017, Thursday Morning)
Natsu took another deep breath, his body moving more sluggish than normal. He walked beside a few other men, all heading towards section four. They still had houses and buildings to search, hoping to find supplies and survivors.
Of course, not all survivors could be brought back. Some were too much of a threat. Natsu had never witnessed it himself, but he heard of a few Fairy Tail groups encountering ambushes or hostile people. They had lost people from them, but luckily they always came out on top. However, it was enough to make them cautious of the people they took in.
Sometimes Natsu worried the survivors on base would start to act out and break the rules, but with the help of Mavis, Laxus, and many others, Makarov was able to run a tight ship. Extra precautions were taken to ensure everyone's safety. Not only did they lock up all the weapons that weren't being used and ration the supplies fairly, they did checks on the people coming in to make sure they hadn't gotten bit.
Most people had seen at least one zombie TV show or movie where a person tried to hide their bite from everyone so they could live a little longer. It always ended up the same, the infected person putting the people around them at risk when they turned.
They were doing their best to keep everything in order, covering as many possibilities as they could think of.
It helped that they were right under three months into the outbreak. In Natsu's opinion, people hadn't had enough time to lose their minds yet, but he knew it could still happen.
However, he hoped it wouldn't. Fairy Tail was a relatively safe place. Everyone got fed two meals a day, weekly showers, decent laundry services, and protection. As long as their gates held up and their supplies didn't run too low, Natsu was sure they would have less of a chance for people to freak out.
Well, that was what he thought, before he met Lucy.
Natsu shook his head, trying to get the image of Lucy crying out of his mind. She didn't take it well when he left that morning, tearing up as soon as he said he had to leave. It wasn't his fault she was afraid of being alone, but he still felt bad for her.
'What the fuck happened to her to make her so messed up?'
At this point he figured he might as well directly ask her what the hell happened, seeing as she was going to cry either way.
Grinding his teeth, Natsu reminded himself he was being insensitive. Clearly something happened to her, he just didn't know what. 'Not completely true...' He had an idea, but he didn't like it one bit. He couldn't help but think of Grandeeney's words, slowly agreeing with her more every time he saw those bruises and cuts on her skin.
"Let's hope whatever happened isn't as bad as I think it is. People can be cruel."
He didn't want to believe it, but he was suspecting Lucy was abused, probably physically and mentally. Why else was she covered in marks and couldn't hold a real conversation? Even when she tried her best, she still couldn't say much.
As everyone continued walking and lightly talking among themselves, Natsu remembered what happened yesterday in the closet. He saw Lucy scratching herself until she bled. He really wished she hadn't done that. Not only was it not safe, it created doubts in his mind.
'She couldn't have made the cuts and burns on her back Yukino was talking about... And what about the large scar on her stomach? I wonder if it's as bad as she says it is?'
He would probably never find out. It wasn't as if he could ask her to lift her shirt for him, and he certainly wasn't going to ask even if he thought she might consider it.
Natsu looked up, his thoughts breaking when he heard a few people making a commotion in front of him. He saw two guys run up to a straggling walker, one of them knocking it over while the other made a clean cut to the back of the head near the neck, killing the zombie for good.
Natsu blinked, surprised they encountered one already. Most of the undead were gone in this area, but occasionally they found one or two wandering around. Not only did the runners have to gather stuff, they also had to kill what was left behind. A few clearers joined them, but they didn't help with grabbing supplies. Their only job was to protect, allowing the runners to lower their guards if they wished.
But honestly, that wasn't going to happen. At least not in Natsu's case. He couldn't afford to relax while outside. Though, today he felt differently.
"You okay, Natsu?" Rogue asked.
Natsu looked up and over, seeing the guard who was holding a rifle, the muzzle pointing downward. His job was to use his rifle in case too many zombies showed up and they couldn't handle it. It was their last defense before they would run.
However, even if they took out all the infected with the rifle, they would run anyway, knowing sound attracted them.
"I'm fine," Natsu lied, fighting off another yawn. He felt his eyes sting from keeping them open, his teeth and bones hurting as well.
Last night he didn't get much sleep, waking up every few hours to stop Lucy from screaming. She would then cry, causing him to try to lull her back to sleep, only for the routine to repeat soon after.
The first time she screamed, a few people came by to check to see if everything was alright. Lucy had panicked in the dark, trying to hit him until he got through to her. It made things worse when they both heard frantic knocks on his door, hyping Lucy up all over again.
He didn't want to blame Lucy, but he did. If she had just stayed asleep, he wouldn't feel this shitty right now. All of his muscles ached when they moved, his reflexes dulled considerably.
Still, he tried to keep alert, even if all his mind wanted to do was fall asleep. 'Later,' he thought, blinking rapidly to try to stay awake. 'I can sleep later...'
"If you say so," Rogue started, running a hand through his black hair. His red eyes flitted from Natsu's face to his arm, raising a brow as he asked, "What are those scratches from?"
Natsu pressed a hand to his arm, frowning as he covered up the red welts that had yet to go down. "Happy scratched me." It was a lie, a bad one at that. They were too big and dull to come from a cat's nails, but luckily for him, Rogue didn't press for a better answer.
The truth was around the third or fourth time Natsu tried waking Lucy up from her screaming, she attacked him, scratching at his arm. He was glad she didn't draw blood, not wanting to deal with that clean up while it was dark.
Lucy was becoming more and more of a hassle, but he tried not to let it get to him. 'She'll be better soon, right? She can't get any worse than this...' He was confident she just needed more time to adjust to Fairy Tail, then he wouldn't have to struggle to keep her calm all the time. 'I really hope she gets through today while I'm gone...'
While Natsu blinked his eyes a lot slower than before, he thought of the things she shouted while waking up from her nightmares. Or, at least he figured they were nightmares. He couldn't get her to talk much after she was lucid.
"No! Pl-please! Stop! Just st-stop!"
"G-get away! No!"
"Please! D-don't!"
It was getting harder to ignore the signs. Something horrible must have happened to Lucy before he found her, he just didn't know how bad it was or how recently it occurred before they met for a second time.
Natsu almost felt like falling to his knees when they finally reached the neighborhood they were going to search. Work hadn't even started, and he was already at his limits.
"Dragneel, you get those two houses. Vastia, you get—"
Natsu stopped listening as he walked towards one of the houses he was assigned, thankful he wasn't going to get put on siphoning gas duty. That job was easy since he didn't have to walk around a lot, which would have been good for him since he was so tired, but it also meant he wouldn't get first choice on anything he found in the houses.
He managed to chuckle as he thought about how they siphoned gas when the outbreak first started. Some of the survivors tried sucking the gas through a hose to siphon nearby vehicles. Natsu hadn't been one of the people who did that method, but he knew a few who had, and they said it was awful .
That method ended when Freed was told what they were doing. He was the one who informed everyone they could siphon gas without having to taste it at all. After putting in the first hose, a second, shorter hose should be put in as well. Wrapping a rag around the hole and hoses so no air could escape, the person would then need to blow through the second hose, causing the gas to push through the first hose and go into the container.
That bit of advice definitely helped, especially considering a few people got sick after using the old method.
Pulling out one of his knives, Natsu made his way to the porch. He looked through the windows first, not seeing any movement. He sighed, hoping that meant no zombies were inside, or at least in the front part of the house. The clearers already came through, so it was unlikely they missed a zombie, but it was always a possibility.
He tried the door, a little surprised when he found it was locked. Sometimes clearers locked the doors behind them out of habit, making it more difficult for runners to get in. Not wanting to make a lot of noise, Natsu checked around the front of the house to see if there was a spare key hidden or another entrance he could use. After wasting a few minutes without any luck, Natsu grabbed a rock and threw it through the front window, causing it to shatter.
No one batted an eye his way, a few of the other runners having to do the same thing due to their own locked doors. As long as they weren't too loud, they were fine.
After making a big enough hole, Natsu listened for any sound inside. When he heard none, he crawled through, careful to make sure he didn't cut himself on the glass. The first thing he did was unlock and open the front door, not wanting to go through the window more than necessary.
Searching the house was tedious. First, he had to make sure there were no surprise zombies hanging around. Then he had to go look for priorities, which were medicine and food. Infant formula was also high on the list, but they didn't usually find much unless they made it to a store.
He piled them all in garbage bags that were in the house, bringing them to the porch for later. Since they only had so many trailers attached to their vehicles, they had to be picky with the things they brought back.
Before looking for other items that weren't high on the priority list, Natsu went to his second house to look for more food and medical supplies. Luckily for him, one of the windows was unlocked, so he didn't have to risk getting cut.
He banged on the wall inside, waiting a minute before climbing in. After checking around, he went to the kitchen to look for food. His eyes widened when he saw an almost-full carton of cigarettes on a counter, his lips quirking for a second at the sight. "Fucking hell," he said, not hesitating to pull out a pack to open.
In his struggles to leave the room while Lucy kept crying, he grabbed his lighter but forgot his cigarettes, leaving him more moody than usual. Once he inhaled that tobacco into his lungs, he had a sense of calmness wash over him. It wasn't nearly as satisfying as sleep, but damn, did it feel good.
He padded around the kitchen, collecting the food and drinks that were salvageable while smoking his cigarette. By the time it was finished, Natsu cleared out most of the kitchen, making his way to the bathrooms when he got done.
When Natsu left the second house, he saw a few trucks with trailers leaving the area. They had two groups in this section. The first started two hours before his group did. They took the vehicles while his group walked.
Natsu definitely didn't mind that. With his motion sickness, it was better on his stomach. Then again, walking was hell on his legs and feet.
"So tired," he mumbled as he hauled a few bags towards the nearest trailer, repeating the process until he finished with his bags he already collected.
"Find anything good?"
Natsu jerked around, seeing Droy, one of the other runners, standing behind him. Droy used to be a lot bigger, but with the lack of extra calories and running around, he had lost quite a bit of weight.
"Yeah," Natsu said with a grin. "Carton of cigarettes."
"Really?" Droy looked over at the two houses, tapping his chin. "You gonna keep them all?"
"I was plannin' on it. Why?"
Natsu cocked his head when Droy shrugged. "You know Wakaba, right?"
Nodding, Natsu said, "Yeah. He's always hanging out with Macao."
"That's the one. He said he would trade me some stuff if I got him some cigarettes."
"What kinda stuff?" he asked, earning a chuckle from Droy.
"Weed," he said bluntly. "He's got weed and I wanted to get some for me, Levy, and Jet."
Natsu raised a brow, about to ask why he wanted some for Levy too, but decided not to ask. Who Levy wanted to spend her free time with was none of his business, but he secretly hoped there wasn't anything more than friendship going on between her and those two men. Personally, he thought she could do better.
"Guessing you haven't found any cigarettes yourself?" Natsu asked, already wishing he lied and said he didn't find any. He didn't want to be a jerk, but he really didn't want to give up any of the cigarettes, especially if it was just to get drugs.
Droy's mischievous smile made him want to cringe. "Nope, but I did find something I think you'd be interested in."
"Oh yeah?" Natsu asked, his attention on the thumb Droy started jerking behind him.
"Yup. Heard you might need some mass gainers. I found some."
"You did?!" Natsu's green eyes lit up. He had forgotten he was supposed to be looking for those, his mind working hard just to stay awake. "How much did you find?"
Shrugging, Droy said, "That depends."
Natsu's shoulders fell as he frowned. "Depends? On what?"
"On how much you wanna trade."
It took him a few seconds to understand what Droy was hinting at. "Oh. You wanna trade smokes for the stuff?"
Droy nodded as his smile widened. "Exactly. Whaddya say?"
Natsu gritted his teeth, already knowing he didn't have much of a choice. He could either do the right thing, or be a dick. "Yeah... I'll trade some."
"Great. I'll bring the stuff over. We'll see what looks fair."
"Sure," Natsu mumbled, heading back to the house he found the cigarettes in. He wanted to keep all of them for himself. They would last him for a long time, but he knew Lucy needed to gain weight more than he wanted to smoke. He could make this sacrifice.
'Why not, I'm already making fifty other sacrifices for her.'
Natsu shook his head, groaning when it actually hurt. It felt as if his brain was rattling inside his head, his exhaustion making him moody and more susceptible to pain.
'It's not Lucy's fault she's so skinny... At least I don't think it is... I wouldn't know 'cause she never tells me shit.'
He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath, then another. He was irritable from lack of sleep, but that didn't give him the right to berate that girl because of it... 'Even if she's part of the reason I'm so fucking tired.'
Natsu had to suck in another big breath, reminding himself that he could sleep when he got home. He checked his watch, frowning at the time. He still had a long ways to go before they would head back, meaning he had just as long before he could take a nap.
He almost considered skipping dinner so he could sleep longer, but he knew that wasn't a good idea. Being a runner, Natsu had separated a small bag of pretzels and bottle of water from one of the houses. He would eat that when it was his break time, giving him a small boost of energy that he desperately needed. It would help, but he still needed dinner.
He almost didn't even eat breakfast, but his friends came by that morning so they could all walk together. Lucy was silent during that meal, barely making eye contact while she picked at her food. Truthfully, he was thankful for the peace, normally hating when it was quiet.
Then she had cried soon after they returned to the room, not taking the news well when he said he had to leave for the day. 'She'll be okay,' he thought, running a hand over his face to try to wake himself up. 'Happy can keep her company.'
A sickening feeling washed over him when he thought of Lucy hurting his cat. 'She wouldn't... They got along really well. She wouldn't hurt him.'
If she did, she would pay. He could handle her hurting him, but he wouldn't tolerate anyone hurting Happy, no matter what the reason was.
"There you are," Droy said as he entered the house, finding Natsu quickly. "Here's what I got. I also found some testosterone boosters if you're interested?"
"I'm not," Natsu said dryly as he went to inspect the two containers of mass gainers. One was unopened while the other appeared to be half-full. After checking to make sure they weren't expired, he set them down. Sighing, he grabbed the carton of cigarettes, already upset he was going to have to part with some. "How much do you want?"
"Wakaba charges a pack for three joints, so... I'll trade you these two for... how about four packs?"
Natsu wanted to grumble. 'Why the hell does he need twelve joints! Sheesh!' Instead of arguing, he pulled out four packs, hesitating before sliding them across the table. "Fine."
Droy smiled as he grabbed them, giving Natsu a nod. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"Yeah yeah," Natsu muttered as he grabbed the two containers of mass gainers, hoping they would actually help Lucy.
After Droy left and Natsu rounded up the stuff he wanted to keep, he went back to work, getting the secondary items like clothing, bedding, tools, books, bowls, and board games for Fairy Tail. They always needed more clothes and blankets, and board games kept the kids entertained for the most part.
However, he knew they could only play these games so often before they became bored themselves.
Natsu allowed himself a small smile when someone came by his house to tell him it was break time. He grabbed his snack and water, heading to the trucks where everyone else sat to take their break. It was better to stick together while they rested, that way they could watch each other's backs.
Natsu didn't bother contributing to the conversation, trying to rest his mind while he ate. He heard a few people talking about the stuff they wanted to keep, reminding Natsu of the other things he found. While searching through one of the houses again, Natsu found a pack of condoms. He wished he could keep them and give them to Jellal, but unfortunately, they were one of the items they weren't allowed to keep since a lot of people wanted them too.
Luckily for Natsu, a lot of people had already given up on smoking, leaving more cigarettes for him when he found them. He hadn't heard of anyone looking for mass gainers before though, and he doubted anyone would try to take them away from him.
While looking around the houses earlier, he also found a bottle of weight loss pills, but he threw them away in the real trash can. He laughed while doing it, thinking they were a joke. Those pills would only do more harm than good at this point.
When their break was over, everyone headed back to work. Natsu wanted the day to end faster, but it seemed to carry on forever.
A rush of relief filled Natsu as soon as he heard they were ready to go back to base, several hours later. Before leaving, they spray painted the houses to show which ones were completely cleared out, meaning no useful supplies were left behind.
Natsu did something extra, something he usually did at every house he visited if he remembered. Sometimes he was too distracted and forgot. He wrote a message on two pieces of paper, putting each piece in the houses on the kitchen tables.
Igneel, it's Natsu. If you're reading this, come to the place where I got in a car accident. You'll find me there.
Back when Natsu was a sophomore, he took driver's ed. Unfortunately for everyone involved, his motion sickness pill from that morning had worn off while he was behind the wheel of the car. It wasn't a big accident, but it was enough to get the school to call Igneel to let him know what happened.
With any luck, Igneel would see this, or one of the other notes he left in random places, and come find him. He just had to be patient and have hope that everything would work out in the end.
With two containers of mass gainers and three packs of cigarettes in a trash bag, Natsu climbed onto the back of a trailer where a few other men were sitting. He didn't want to puke, but it was better than walking at that point. He was too tired.
Besides, it wasn't so bad. He could easily vomit into the street as they drove away, keeping himself and everything on the trailer clean while also helping his stomach feel better. At least his food was mostly digested, letting him save some of the calories and nutrition from his snack.
Natsu almost kissed the ground when they finally made it on base. He didn't, but damn was it tempting. He had to go through a line where Freed looked over what the runners wanted to keep, approving some and declining others. Thankfully, Freed said his mass gainers and cigarettes were fine, but warned him that he was close to taking too much.
"Next time keep it lighter," he said before waving Natsu off, letting him join the others who were already checked.
After Freed went through everyone, Elfman and Jura -one of the other guards, escorted them to the weapons room before heading to the processing station. The women went to see Yukino while the men went to Jellal. They each had to strip down and have their respective processor look over them, as well as go through their pockets on their clothes to make sure they didn't have any contraband.
One of the guys got caught trying to smuggle in a candy bar. Natsu thought it was stupid trying to hide stuff like that, but he understood the desire for more. If he had to turn in his cigarettes, he might consider smuggling stuff too. He wouldn't do it, but the thought would definitely cross his mind.
While everyone was cleared, the guy who broke the rules was told to follow Elfman, who would take him to see the leader. Since it was just a candy bar, Natsu doubted he would get in serious trouble. He would probably get a scolding and a warning. Rarely they had people break the rules, but when it was serious enough, they were punished.
Natsu shivered, not wanting to think about Gramps' punishments as he walked towards the school, his trash bag of stuff in his hand. He couldn't wait to get home and sleep, desperately needing it.
After taking a small detour to use the bathroom, Natsu went straight to his room. When he unlocked the door and entered, he saw Happy sitting on the desk, curled up where the sun would hit his blue fur. 'Happy's safe,' he thought, allowing himself a small smile.
He closed the door before heading over to his cat, setting down the trash bag of stuff and removing a pack of cigarettes from his pockets before petting Happy's warm fur. "Hey buddy. How was your day?" He looked around, furrowing his brows when he saw someone was missing. "Where's Lucy?"
As if the cat understood him, Happy stood up, stretched, then jumped to the ground. He padded over towards the closet, scratching at the door with a paw. "Nyaa."
Natsu blinked, his lips tugging downward as he asked, "Lucy?"
Slowly, the knob twisted, the door opening a moment later to reveal a pale, bruised arm. "Y-yes?"
He didn't know what to do, so he blinked again. "What are you doing in the closet?"
He stepped back as Lucy crawled out, his phone in one of her hands. Looking at the screen, he saw it was paused, but he couldn't tell what movie or TV show she was watching, not that it particularly mattered to him.
When she was out of the closet, she said, "I-I h-heard... people... out-outside."
Raising a brow, Natsu looked towards the door. "They can't get in, remember?" He glanced back at her, wondering if she forgot what a lock meant.
When she said nothing, he sighed. "Anyways, I'm back." He scratched his head, feeling a few tangles, but he couldn't be bothered to comb his hair right now. "Dinner's in an hour or two. I'm gonna nap 'til then."
On his way to his bed, Natsu paused, a frown pulling at his lips when he sniffed the air. "Did Happy piss in here?" he asked, turning to look at his cat, who was resting beside Lucy. He sniffed again, realizing it didn't exactly smell like cat pee, but it was similar.
Looking at Lucy, he saw her eyes turning watery. She looked over at the window, muttering, "S-sorry."
He stared at her for a few more seconds, his eyes stinging every time he blinked. Natsu walked over towards the window, not realizing what she meant at first. He looked outside, seeing the large tree Happy used to get up and down to use the bathroom, but other than that, everything looked normal.
It wasn't until a gust of cold air rushed by him that he noticed the smell. He looked down, seeing a cup sitting on the window ledge, tiny beads of an orange-yellow liquid at the bottom. His eyes widened as he realized what that was. Despite knowing what it was, he decided to ask just in case he was wrong.
"Did you... pee in this cup?" He looked at her, seeing her nodding. "Did you throw it out the window or something?" He doubted she got rid of it any other way. When she nodded again, he wanted to laugh. He thought her actions were a little on the ridiculous side, but still a funny. Who tossed their pee out of the window?
Natsu's voice held a teasing tone when he asked, "Why didn't you just go to the bathroom?"
Lucy shook her head, tears lining her eyes. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally saying, "P-people."
Natsu frowned, no longer finding the situation funny. "You didn't leave this room all day, did you?"
Once again, she shook her head, this time not saying any words to go along with it.
"Do you need to go to the bathroom again?" he asked, not knowing how long ago it was since she last went.
When she nodded, he sighed. His nap could be postponed for a few more minutes. "Okay, let's go."
Natsu found he didn't like escorting Lucy to the bathroom. She refused to go in a room he wasn't going in too, making him deal with the awkwardness of hearing her pee. He would cover his ears, but he was too busy plugging his sensitive nose.
While she went, he heard her wincing. He felt his face tint red from the secondhand embarrassment. At least, he thought she might be embarrassed. He knew he would be if the roles were reversed.
He wondered how bad a UTI felt, and if it was getting any better since yesterday. She only took two pills since then, but that was already twenty percent of the medication she was given.
While she 'flushed', Natsu rinsed out the cup as best he could in another bucket of rain water, knowing it wouldn't be nearly as clean considering he was washing it without soap. 'At least she didn't use my cup,' he thought, knowing that would have made him angry.
"Hopefully it doesn't taste weird... I'm not washing dishes again until next Tuesday."
Lucy didn't seem to hear him, her eyes on the ground as they walked back to the classroom. He waited until they got back inside before asking, "Does it still hurt to pee?"
She nodded, but didn't meet his gaze. Sighing, Natsu said, "You need to drink more water..." He poured her a glass, setting it on the desk where she went to sit.
Natsu went ahead and refilled Happy's water bowl, as well as poured his cat some food. When he finished, he looked back at Lucy.
"I'm gonna sleep. Feel free to keep watching stuff on my phone, but try to charge it too. Charger's on my bookcase."
Without another word from Lucy, Natsu went to his bed. He set his alarm to go off right before he had to head to dinner, then fell face first into the mattress. Not even three seconds passed before he was out, instantly falling asleep.
Natsu's eyes screwed tighter together when he heard that incessant beeping from his watch. If it wasn't attached to his wrist, he would be tempted to throw it across the room.
He pressed a side button on his watch, silencing it. It took him a moment before he was able to open his eyes, feeling groggy from his rough nap. Sitting up, Natsu thought his head felt heavier than normal, his body not wanting to move in the slightest.
He yawned, looking over to see Lucy was still at his desk, but she was no longer holding his phone. Instead, she had a thick book in her hand, a green and black dragon on the cover.
Natsu found himself smiling, remembering how happy he was when he received that book. He stood up, shuffling over towards the desk. "Levy got me that," he said, looking at the book before his eyes flitted over to Lucy. "It was a birthday present a few months ago."
Lucy frowned, attempting to close the book. "S-s-sorry."
He shook his head, his eyes softening. "No, it's fine. You can read it, I don't mind."
Lucy's eyes slowly returned back to the book, her head nodding. "Th-thank you."
"No problem," he whispered, heading over to his notebook to pull out a piece of paper. He folded it to make a temporary bookmark, wanting her to save her place without dog-earing any of the corners. He placed it on the desk, saying, "We need to go to dinner. You can read when we get back."
He made his way to the bookcase where their dishes were, glancing over his shoulder to see Lucy hadn't budged. "Lucy?"
She swallowed, a shaky hand grabbing the bookmark to place between the pages. Reluctantly, she closed the book, taking far longer than Natsu thought necessary to stand up and walk to get her own dishes.
He decided not to comment on her hesitance, instead asking, "Did you take your two scoops of that stuff today?"
She lowered her head before nodding. "Y-yes."
"So, how'd it go?"
Lucy shrugged, not bothering to look up at him.
Frowning, Natsu asked, "How'd it taste?"
Her lips twisted as she shook her head. "B-bad."
He couldn't help but chuckle. "Sorry. I'll be sure to write a letter to the manufacture."
Natsu was pleasantly surprised when the corner of her lip quirked up, forming a half-smile. She didn't say anything, but he didn't mind. That was probably the best reaction he got out of her all day.
"On a serious note though, you should keep taking it. It said it doesn't expire until the end of the year, but you'll finish it before then." He walked over to the trash bag, pointing at it. "I got some more today. It's a different brand, but maybe that means it'll taste better?"
Lucy gulped as she nodded. "Y-yeah."
Her voice sounded scratchy, making Natsu wonder if she had a sore throat or something. "You okay?"
She didn't answer, not that he honestly thought she would. Instead, she held on to her dishes tighter, her shoulders curving inward.
Natsu let out a deep sigh, trying to keep himself from saying the wrong thing. "Let's go before the line gets too long."
This time, Lucy followed him to the door, but he had a sneaking suspicion she didn't want to go outside of the room, especially considering her 'bathroom break' she took while he was gone.
'She really needs to learn to leave the room without me,' he thought as they headed to the arena, already looking forward to sleeping after they finished their meal. 'It's gonna be impossible for her to find a job if she can't.'
Lucy didn't breathe a word during dinner. She wouldn't even look up at anyone while she ate, not making a single noise. Natsu was a little worried, but he knew there was nothing he could do to force her to talk. Whenever someone tried, it only made her cry.
Gray didn't bother asking Lucy any questions today. He was too busy talking about the progress they made in section three. Natsu stayed interested in that topic, knowing he was going to join Gray's group tomorrow to help clear.
"Only six, maybe six and a half more miles 'til we get to the first store," Gray said, a smile on his face as he talked. "There's a bunch of neighborhoods to go through, so I think we might be good for the winter."
"I'm not looking forward to that," Cana said, her lips forming a frown. "I'm gonna have to start wearing a jacket or something. It's getting cold."
Erza raised a brow as she looked over at her friend. "I don't know why you're not wearing one now."
"The alcohol keeps her warm," Natsu snickered, causing Cana to stick her tongue out at him.
"You're one to talk. Your skin's like a furnace."
Jellal, who was able to join them for dinner this time, laughed. "If you hate it so much you should've laid off the booze. How many times have one of us had to carry your drunk ass home?"
"A few," Cana lied, the number being higher than it should have been.
Natsu shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "I don't mind helping, but I didn't like when you tried to strangle me that one time."
Cana chuckled, giving everyone a coy smile. "I thought your shirt was like reins."
"I'm not a horse!"
Cana whispered something under her breath, causing Natsu's eye to twitch. "Gah! Can you shut up about that? Geez!"
A few of his friends raised a brow, giving him a questioning gaze.
Cana, probably a little buzzed considering the smell of alcohol surrounding her, didn't seem to mind spilling the news. "Natsu here has a huge co—"
Natsu covered Cana's mouth, narrowing his eyes. "You said you wouldn't talk about that, so drop it." His tone held a bite in it that made Cana's eyes widened. She nodded, pulling back so she could speak.
"Sorry."
"What are you two talking about?" Erza asked, cocking her head. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened." Despite saying it, Natsu shivered at the memory. "Cana just got a little too drunk once and made a mistake. It was nothing."
"I thought he was someone else," Cana admitted, her voice smaller than before, a hint of shame in her tone.
Natsu wanted to blame her, but he couldn't entirely fault her. She was beyond drunk, and it was a Halloween party. He was wearing a wig that matched the same color of her boyfriend's hair. Natsu was dressed as a professional basketball player, complete with loose-fitting gym shorts.
Cana thought Natsu was the guy she was dating after he helped her get to her room. Natsu was trying to make her sleep it off, while Cana thought he was trying to get her into bed. Without any warning, she had pulled down his pants, revealing himself to her.
It didn't lead to anything. Natsu had immediately fixed his shorts and scolded Cana about personal boundaries. It was only after she called him by the wrong name that he realized she was mistaking him for someone else.
The next morning, she apologized, apparently remembering some of what happened. Unfortunately for Natsu, the part she didn't forget was his size, which she rarely joked about because he told her it made him uncomfortable.
"It's ancient history," Cana said, Natsu nodding along with her.
Cana was like a sister to him. It felt wrong even remembering what happened. He was just glad she didn't honestly want to make a move on him. He had experience rejecting girls, but never a friend. He couldn't imagine how awkward that would be if he had to.
Natsu glanced over to Lucy to see if she was paying attention to the conversation, but she just kept her head down, eating small scoops of her food. He let out a sigh, hoping she was doing okay. He was almost scared to try to talk to her, which was odd to him because he usually liked talking to people, as long as he wasn't too tired.
If she didn't get teary half the time he talked to her, he would try to get her more involved in the conversation so she could feel included.
It looked to him like that was the last thing Lucy wanted.
"Anyways," Gray started, trying to restart the conversation, "Me and Ultear are gonna see who can kill more zombies tomorrow. You in?"
Natsu gave a strained chuckle as he nodded. "Sure." As long as he got decent sleep tonight, he would be good for a little friendly competition, especially if it gave him motivation to take down more of the infected. He would also need to make sure he didn't get distracted, knowing when he competed he could get tunnel vision.
And that certainly wasn't safe.
Dinner finished up soon enough, Natsu dismissing himself and Lucy before they headed back to the school. His friends asked if he wanted to hang out for a bit, but this time he didn't mind declining the invitation. "I'm really tired. Maybe next time."
They nodded, but it was Erza who said, "If you need anything, just ask. We don't mind helping."
He wondered if that was a reference for help with Lucy. She was one of the people who came to check on his room after Lucy screamed the first time.
"Thanks," was all he said before waving to everyone, telling them good night.
When Natsu and Lucy made it back to their room, he told her to grab her stuff to brush her teeth, wanting to get that over with. They had to wait a few minutes before going into the bathroom since other people were around, not wanting to alarm them when Lucy went in the men's room.
After taking care of business, the two went back to the room, Natsu ready for sleep while Lucy stood near her bookcase, slowly putting her stuff on a shelf. Natsu had already lit a candle to give them some more light.
He watched as Lucy removed her shoes and jacket, her bandaged feet padding across the tiles as she made her way to her bed.
His lips formed a frown when he remembered Lucy's cut on her leg, his mind not thinking about it since she had it covered by his sweatpants.
"Tomorrow we should take your bandage off," he muttered as he grabbed his notebook, prepared to write about his day. "See how it's doing."
He glanced at Lucy, seeing her sit on her mattress, but not bothering to cover herself with the blanket as she pressed her back to the wall.
"How's it feeling?" he asked, not expecting a response, but counting himself lucky when she spoke.
"B-better... Th-thr-throbs."
Natsu nodded, his fingers twitching as the temptation to scratch at his own stitches popped into his mind. He resisted, knowing the scolding he would receive from Grandeeney wouldn't be pleasant.
He saw her fingers digging into her arms. It wasn't hard enough to draw blood, but it was causing her skin to dip from the force. "You probably shouldn't do that," he said, hoping she would just listen to him and not be difficult about it. "It's not good for ya."
Lucy's fingers loosened their grip on her arms, but she didn't pull them away. Once again, Natsu was left wondering if those marks on her body were caused by her or someone else.
Taking a deep breath, Natsu decided to try to find out, even if the chances of making her cry were high. "Hey, I have a question to ask you, and I need you to be honest with me and answer it. Do you think you can do that?"
She finally met his gaze, her brown eyes looking almost black in the dark. She stared at him for a moment before nodding.
Natsu had to gather himself before asking, making sure he worded it as clearly as possible. "What... what happened to you? Before I found you?"
She made eye contact with him before looking away, a flash of shame in her eyes. Realizing he wasn't going to get a direct answer from her with such a broad question, Natsu asked, "Did you hurt yourself?"
Lucy flinched, her fingers digging into her skin again. He lowered his voice, trying to make it as gentle as he could. "You can tell me, Lucy. I'm not gonna judge you. I just need to know. If you're worried I'm gonna go tell anyone, I'm not. It can stay between us, I just need you to tell me what happened."
She didn't say anything for a long moment, so he added, "Please, just tell me."
He thought she wasn't listening, but he was proven wrong when she looked up at him, tears already spilling down her cheeks, the liquid reflecting in the candlelight. She shook her head, causing him to frown.
"No what?" He didn't know if she was saying no, she didn't hurt herself, or no, she wasn't going to answer.
"I-I... d-d-didn't d-do it." Her voice cracked horribly, as if her throat was raw or full of knots.
Natsu absorbed the information, his stomach twisting painfully. He wished he was glad Lucy didn't hurt herself, but he wasn't. If she didn't do it, then who? "Someone else hurt you?"
It took her a while to respond, but eventually she nodded, her mouth remaining closed.
Natsu's shoulders fell, his heart dropping. "Someone hurt you..." It wasn't a question anymore. Someone really did harm this girl. He knew someone made that knife wound on her leg, but he thought that was the worst of it.
"Was it someone in your group?" He knew she was with a group before he found her in that basement, but he didn't know who was in her group or what they were like.
He figured it was that pink haired woman he saw at the gas station, and maybe her parents who the woman mentioned. He doubted someone in her group hurt her, but then again, he didn't know. If Lucy cooperated with him, he might find out. He just had to keep her calm enough to answer.
When she shook her head, he asked, "Someone else? Did someone attack your group?"
Lucy nodded a bit faster this time, her body giving random shakes, as if she was trying to hold something in.
'The person who hurt her attacked her group... Okay... It had to be recently, right? Some of those cuts and bruises look really fresh, but some of them look older. Fuck... I don't know what to think.'
"Was it one or more people who attacked?"
"M-M—" Lucy couldn't seem to get it out, but Natsu didn't need her to finish.
"More, okay..." He wanted to ask how many, but he doubted the specific number was that important. "Did your group manage to fight off the attack?"
Slowly, Lucy shook her head, causing Natsu's heart hurting for her. He almost didn't want to ask the next question, but he did anyway. He needed to know. "Did you escape when your group was attacked?"
Lucy's head fell, but he could still see her mouth, her lips parted as her teeth clenched together. She shook her head, a sob racking her body as she tensed.
Natsu swallowed hard, a sickening feeling rising in his chest. He had so many questions now, but he didn't know which to ask.
'What did the attackers do to her? How long was she with them before she left? Did they free her, or did she run away? How long ago was it? What really happened to her?'
"That lady," Natsu started, deciding he would keep his questions as easy as possible. She didn't look like she could take much more. "That lady with the pink hair..."
Lucy flinched, but he continued regardless. "She mentioned your parents. Do you know where they are?"
Lucy didn't answer, her hands falling to her sides as she fisted the sheet on her mattress, her head lowering so he couldn't see any part of her face. When he knew she wasn't going to answer that, he changed the question. "Are they alive?"
He almost jolted when she spoke, her voice shakier than he had ever heard it before. "I-I-I d-don't know a-about m-m-my m-m-mom..."
Natsu waited a moment before asking, "Did you get separated from her?"
Lucy shook her head, gulping before admitting, "W-we... we r-ran."
Natsu furrowed his brows, her answer not making any sense to him. "Who? Who ran?" She didn't say anything, making him think she was done 'talking'. Still, he tried to ask another question, even though he knew he should have probably stopped. "What about your dad? Is he alive?"
He didn't get the last word all the way out before she sobbed, her arms grabbing her legs to pull them into her chest before she pressed her face to her knees. Her body shook, voice pained as she said, "N-no."
Natsu's limbs felt numb. He knew at that point he needed to stop asking her questions. She was a mess, crying harder in front of him than he had ever seen before. He felt a pang in his heart as he opened his mouth, hoping he wouldn't push her too far.
Honestly, Natsu was sure it was possible to break her.
"Was he killed by a zombie?"
Her hands went to her head, fingers threading through her hair before gripping tightly, her voice cracking as she cried. "Pl-please... St-stop!"
Natsu's eyes widened, realizing he fucked up. She sounded like she couldn't catch her breath, gasping for air in rapid, short bursts. "St-st-stop it!"
"Hey, hey, it's okay."
Natsu got to his knees, crawling closer to her, but not touching her. He didn't want her to attack him if she felt threatened. He whispered, keeping his voice level despite his pounding heart. "I'm not gonna ask you any more questions. You're fine. I'm sorry, Lucy. I'm really sorry."
His words had a minimal effect on her. While she stopped gripping at her hair, she still cried, her arms wrapping tightly around her legs to pull herself into a small ball. Frowning, Natsu scooted closer, doing something he remembered his birth mother doing when he used to cry.
He grabbed Lucy's blanket, pulling it around her before draping it over her shoulders and wrapping it around her body. "Shhhh, it's okay, Lucy. It's okay."
Natsu hesitated before touching her shoulders, feeling her flinch even under the blanket. She didn't jerk away, so he kept his hands there. His mom used to give him a hug at this moment, but he knew that wouldn't work for her. He was trying to help her feel safe, even if part of him thought he might be making it worse.
"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
Lucy didn't stop crying, but she did nod a few times before burying her face into her knees. Natsu gritted his teeth, not knowing what he was supposed to do. "Fuck, I'm really sorry."
He had already said it before, but what else could he say? He knew he should have stopped questioning her before, but he kept going anyway. 'And I had the nerve to get mad at Gray. Damn it.'
Natsu did the best he could, whispering soft words to her while she cried, her body shaking beneath the blankets. He didn't know how much time passed before she finally calmed down, but judging by how much of the candle burned, it was a while.
By the time Natsu was pulling the blanket off her body, Lucy could barely keep her puffy red eyes opened. He guessed she was tired, knowing crying could be mentally draining.
"Get some rest," Natsu said, watching as Lucy barely nodded. She lowered herself onto the bed, not bothering to cover herself up before her head hit the pillow. Just like Natsu earlier, she passed out in seconds.
He waited a moment before lifting the blanket, lightly tucking it around her body before retreating to his own bed. He stared at her for a few minutes after that, mind racing as he tried to piece together the puzzle that was Lucy.
'She was with a group that was attacked. She doesn't know if her mom's alive, but her dad is definitely dead... I just don't know how he died. Did he die before or after Lucy's group was attacked? Did she see him die?'
Even after Lucy confirmed a few things, he still had more questions than answers.
'I still don't know who that lady who called Lucy 'Princess' is... Lucy didn't get away after her group was attacked, and it was someone from that attacking group that hurt her. Or maybe it was more than one person? I forgot to ask that part...'
Natsu turned his head away from Lucy, knowing he had to be more careful in the future when it came to asking her questions. If he messed up like that again, he really would break her.
'Whatever she went through is worse than what we've been through,' he decided, knowing without a doubt he was right. No one at Fairy Tail was nearly as damaged as she was, her body and her mind torn apart.
Whatever happened to her traumatized her. He had suspicions that she went through something bad before the outbreak, but that was nothing compared to how she was now.
"I'll help her get better," he vowed, glancing at Lucy for a second before looking down. "I promised you I'd help, and I will..."
Natsu was about to try to go to sleep himself, but he remembered he hadn't written in his notebook yet. Moving towards the candlelight, Natsu started writing, his heart heavy and his throat tight.
Oct 5th, 2017. Runner today, section four. Cleared two houses. Found cigarettes, traded some for mass gainers. Lucy should be good for a while, have to do the math later. Tired all day, Lucy screamed in her sleep a lot. Hope tonight is better. We'll see. She's not adjusting as fast as I thought she would, but still hoping she fits in. I made her cry, but found out more about her. I'm going to keep it to myself. No one else's business. I feel like shit for making her cry though. Hope she's not mad at me. Fuck, seems like all I'm doing is hoping. Oh well. Didn't kill any zombies today. Gonna try to kill more than Gray tomorrow. Gotta get to sleep. Tired as fuck. Night.
As Natsu put his notebook away, he decided he would ask Lucy tomorrow if she wanted to start writing about her day. Even if she was still awake, he doubted she would write anyway. Her hands were trembling too much before.
Natsu curled on his mattress, surprised when Happy came to lay with him tonight, cuddling against the back of his legs. "G'night buddy," he whispered, pulling the blanket over them.
Natsu looked at Lucy, his heart sinking all over again when he remembered what he put her through. "Sorry, Lucy... Thanks for telling me though."
Without another word, Natsu set his alarm on his watch, blew out the candle, then went to sleep. He hoped Lucy wouldn't scream tonight, but hope could only get him so far.
Thank you so much for every favorite, follow, and review! It means a lot to me! Shout out to those who reviewed last time: FairyTailLover04, Screeney, Terra of Life, LoveroftheWord, tasha. hime20, Tenma360Warrior, cOokIe-MOnzTa, Guest, Emoelmo41212, Chikachoo, Chilledoutcat, Meow Orbit, Guest, An Amber Pen, Smile. anime, FairyLover01, Nalu-Nerd13, FlameDragonHime, Sam, cutielove077, Charlotte621, madison16322, chimushea, Dragonblade Master, HollyNinetales, PoisonedMew, Littlepurplething, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, ToukaKaneki. Ulle, Ashnmarley, Rhearenee, ThatOneFriend-3, PrincessSarahDragneel, baybewes, alexmalik15, alaaimad89, itsxoi(x2), Rubybird2329, firelover11, AgiaJorda, NaLu-4tw, Serthrek871(x2), and Tohka123!
I did warn you to expect long author's notes, didn't I?
Up next, Chapter Eleven: Clearer
We're coming closer to our first time skip. It won't be drastic, but it is necessary. It would be tedious if I wrote a lot of filler chapters in a row.
*In case anyone is wondering, no, Cana doesn't like Natsu and Natsu doesn't like Cana. (Romantically speaking, of course they like each other as friends) Cana and Natsu will never be more than friends in this story, so don't worry if you thought I was foreshadowing something. I wasn't.
*A guest asked why I used Nobarly, as well as asked a few other questions: I wanted a character from the series that hasn't had a large role. We haven't seen much of his personality, so I think it's possible for him to be an ass if the situation is right. I didn't want to take a good character and make them bad for the sake of this story. I tried to answer the other questions they asked inside of the chapter to avoid making a longer author's note. If you have any more questions, just ask, but know that I can't directly answer some if it will spoil the plot for everyone. If you have an account, I can answer them better in a message.
So, what did you think of this chapter? You got a glimpse in the life of a runner. They get certain special privileges, but they also put their life on the line more than people who work on base, so they earned it. Next chapter we get to see what it's like being a clearer, as well as some more convos with other characters.
Well, Natsu finally got some answers from Lucy, but it also made more questions. Anyone piecing together what happened to her, or did that only make it more confusing? What did you think about Natsu trying to comfort her? Or the fact that Lucy couldn't leave the room while he was gone? Do you think Natsu leaving notes in random places is a good idea? What about him not saying 'Come to my high school', and instead leaving clues for his location? If you were a smoker like Natsu, would you trade your cigarettes for mass gainers to help someone else? What do you think of him doing that?
Let me know your thoughts for this last chapter! Constructive criticism is always welcomed! If you can't think of something to say, you could always tell me your favorite part/sentence in the chapter. :)