They stopped, their breathing labored as they looked frantically around in the darkness. They could hear them, but they couldn't see them. The gunshots must have alerted more.
"Beca, can you pull this alone?" Jesse asked as he gently lowered the branches he was holding.
She nodded quickly. "Yes, here." She said, holding the trunk of the tree with one hand and held out her gun in the other.
"Please, be safe. If there are too many just run. Run home as fast as you can." She said and Jesse could see the tears staining her face.
"I will, I promise." He said pulling her into a hug.
Stacie was knelt down by Chloe. "Tell Bree I'll be home soon, okay?" She said and Chloe was able to nod once, her own tears of pain and fear making her unable to speak. "Beca will take you home." She said reassuringly. "We will be right behind you."
Beca grabbed the trunk firmly and while Jesse and Stacie went to the right, toward the sounds, she used all the strength she had and pulled the tree through the snow.
XXXXXX
Cody was knelt in the corner of his room, his head hidden behind his knees and his hands over his ears. The gunshots were relentless. They were close, they were loud and he was terrified.
Aubrey stood, pacing the living room, fully clothed, multiple pots of boiled water, and fresh towels keeping warm by the fire, and a gun in her hand.
Every shot that went off made her flinch. It was when a voice rang out, between shots, that she stopped her pacing and ran for the door, flinging it open.
Across the large empty yard, at the edge of the trees, she could make out a small figure.
"I need help!"
She was running, fast and hard through the snow. She didn't realize how deep it had gotten until she was in it and she pushed harder as she neared the trees.
"What happened?" She asked as she jumped over the perimeter line and reached her.
"It's a hoard, they were surrounded." Beca said and Aubrey moved around her to see Chloe was laying on a fallen tree.
"Oh god," She gasped as she dropped down in the snow. "Was she bitten?" She demanded as she let her hands frantically hover over her.
"No, she fell from a tree. She's hurt, I need help getting her inside."
Aubrey nodded, standing up and Beca nodded toward the line. "Push that down into the snow, so I call pull her over it without it breaking."
Aubrey quickly did as she was asked and watched as Beca pulled the tree across the perimeter and towards the house.
More shots rang out and she jumped.
"Jesse and Stacie stayed behind to keep them away from here, Chloe needs to get inside, its too cold and she fell into the snow."
Aubrey wasted no time in helping Beca pull the tree up the two steps onto the grimaced and beca closed her eyes tightly at the whimpering sounds she made.
She gently put the tree down right outside the door.
"Chlo,"She started as she knelt beside her. To her delight, Chloe was able to turn her head and look at her. Her face was tear wrecked and it looked like they were freezing on her cheeks.
"We have to lift you off of this. Just to the couch, do you think we can do that?"
She let out a breath and nodded. "I don't think its broken,"She practically whispered.
Beca felt the relief flood her at those words. However, it still didn't make it better. Chloe was still hurt, that hadn't changed. The severity just seemed to have gone down.
Beca carefully hooked her hands under Chloes arms while Aubrey lifted under her knees, keeping her back as straight as possible. She winced and couldn't stop the sobs that escaped her as they carried her inside.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Beca cried with her as they carefully laid her on the couch.
"What hurts?" Aubrey asked as she began gently removing Chloes wet and freezing clothes.
Beca closed the door before hurrying to the back room to get her fresh warm clothes.
"My back, mostly. But I don't think its broken. I can move, it just hurts."
"You couldn't move earlier?" Aubrey asked as she pulled the wet pants down her frozen legs.
She shook her head. "No, I think it was because I was in an awkward position, and the air was knocked out of me. I couldn't breathe."
Beca heard this as she re-entered the rooms and dropped beside her once more.
"Baby,I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." She cried and Chloe reached up, pulling Beca down to leave a kiss on her lips.
"It's not." She said. "Don't do that, Beca, it's not your fault. It was an accident."
Aubrey brought over a pot of water and warm towels, laying them over her legs and stomach.
She shivered, but the warmth was welcome as Aubrey covered her feet as well.
"You're so brave, Chlo. You did so well out there."
Chloe smiled tiredly. "All I did was fall. You did all the hard work."
Beca shook her head, more tears falling as she smiled down at her. "You saved Jesses life. Shooting from up in the tree. You did well."
Chloe smiled and let her eyes close as they both carefully unbuttoned her shirt and carefully removed it, covering her in more warm towels.
She began shaking as her body tried to warm itself and Aubrey went into the kitchen to make her a warm cup of tea.
"I love you, Chloe. So much. I'm so sorry I wasn't awake this morning. You should have never been out there. It should have been me." She said, holding onto one of Chloes hands, switching between rubbing warmth back into it, and kissing her fingers.
"Please don't blame yourself. This was an accident Baby. And I am okay. I really think it was just the tree being under my back, it hurt and I couldn't breathe. It's not broken, I can move."
Beca stared at her for a moment, her eyes flooding with fresh tears as she dropped her head onto Chloes chest.
"I love you, Beca. You got me out of there, I'm okay."
She nodded, kissing Chloes collar bone, then her chin, and finally her lips. "I love you too. I was so scared."
Chloe shivered again. "Me too. But it okay."
Aubrey nearly dropped the cup of tea she was carrying in when the door opened and Jesse and Stacie hurried in.
"Oh thank god." She said setting it onto the coffee table and pulling Stacie into her arms.
Stacie held her tightly, both of them ignoring how cold she was and the fact that she was covered in creature blood.
"Is she okay?" Jesse asked coming around the couch and Beca nodded, pulling the towel over her more, before using another one to dry her hair.
"She can move. It knocked the breath out of her, and the tree was hurting her back. But she said she is okay other than that."
Jesse sighed in relief. "Where is Cody?" He asked and Aubrey pulled away from Stacie.
"In your room, he is scared,"
Jesse pulled his hat off and went in that direction as Stacie began pulling her wet clothes off.
Within the hour, Chloe was warm, redressed and asleep, covered in blankets. The cup of tea, nearly empty next to the couch.
Stacie and Aubrey washed their clothes in the bathtub and cleaned the blood off of them, before Stacie washed herself. Beca was on the floor next to the couch, her hand holding onto Chloes, also sound asleep.
Aubrey covered her with a blanket, and restocked the fire to keep them warm.
Cody wouldn't leave the room, and had fallen asleep in Jesses arms with the reassurance that everything was okay, and Chloe was going to be okay.
They didn't know the extent of Chloes injuries, wanting her to rest before they checked the state of her back. Her shirt was free of blood so that was relieving.
Stacie and Aubrey were climbing into bed that night, exhausted, physically and emotionally. Ready to go to sleep and reenergize for what tomorrow would bring.
It was when Stacie turned, to get comfortable after kissing Aubrey goodnight that the blonde saw it.
On her left shoulder blade, were four jagged scratches.
She felt the air leave her lungs, and everything seemed to go quiet aside from the sound of her own heart beat in her ears.
A/N: please review? And have a little faith (to one guest reviewer)
