Irina sat in bed, resting against the headboard with her knees pulled close to her chest, considering her options. She had been doing this for hours before the sun rose over the valley in the east, and even now she had no clear concept as to what to do about her arrangement with Heisenberg.
He swore he'd find her if she tried to run. The thought never occurred to her though; she was much too afraid to hide from him. Besides, the village wasn't big enough to disappear in. The four lords controlled each of the territories bordering the village with the only entrance being to the south, up a snowy mountain trail, to which she considered hiking. But she was too ill-equipped and short of time to do so.
If she could not run or hide from him, her only option was to honor her agreement. In her heart, she knew there was no other way. Besides, Irina saw no harm in bringing him resources; she only wished to know what he needed them for.
Then, there was the matter of what he planned to do with her once he had all he required. Was he going to kill her? Perhaps he would. But not at this time, she imagined. The fact he asked her to get the resources for him implied to Irina that he seldom left the factory.
Giving him a little at a time might be an option she could exploit. But it was too soon to tell.
She sighed. Sitting on this wasn't making her feel any better. Leaving her warm bed, she gathered some fresh clothes and took a short bath, redressing before she went outside. The sun was high above the clouds, but the weather was frigid. She tightened her torn coat around her body and took the note from her pocket, looking it over again.
Where would she even find some of these items?
Irina hummed. Perhaps the workshop. Leonardo Lupu might be able to help her. She ambled towards the maiden statue and went through the large blue gate in front of his house, knocking on his door.
His daughter Elena answered.
"Irina!? This is a pleasant surprise," she greeted with a smile.
Looking over Irina's unkempt appearance, her smile faded.
"What happened to your coat? It looks as though it has been through a grinder."
She had no idea.
Irina faked a laugh. "I tore it on the washboard; the ridges are worn."
"And the blood? Where you hurt?"
She had almost forgotten. Raising her arm, she pointed at her other wrist, covered by the sleeve of her blouse.
"Nicked myself on the ridges," she lied.
Not certain if she believed her or not, Irina cleared her throat.
"Sorry to hear that," Elena mentioned. "Ours is worn too. Father plans to make a new one."
Irina hummed. "Where is Mr. Leonardo? I wanted to ask him a question."
"He's out, I'm afraid. A tractor broke down on the road ahead and he went to see if he could fix it," she explained.
I suppose I could look elsewhere, Irina thought, pouting. But where will I find spare chainsaw blades?
Elena puckered her brow. "What did you want to ask him?"
Should I?
Irina saw no harm in telling her.
"I was hoping to ask him about taking some spare scrap from his workshop," she retorted.
Elena snorted. "By all means, take as much as you like. I've been asking him to get rid of it all for some time now."
"I appreciate it," Irina said with a smile.
Bringing up her hand, Elena went back into the house, returning with a small key.
"This will get you through the gate," she mentioned.
Irina grinned. "I'll bring it back once I'm done."
She took the key from Elena and wandered over to the large gate at the side of the house, leading into the backyard. Once it was unlocked, she slipped inside and took a look around. Scrap laid in heaps on the snow-covered ground; some rusted and beyond repair.
It was a start.
Irina decided to browse through the workshop first; it sat at the corner of the yard; the door wide open. She eased inside, squirming her nose as the dust in the air irritated her nostrils. Her allergies infrequently bothered her; a little dust and animal dander sometimes made her sneeze, but as of late, since she was locked in a room with dust mites and god knows what else, her tolerance must have weakened. Her eyes teared up.
She'd have to rush.
Clearing them, Irina took the list from her pocket and began her search. She found 3 of the items just inside the workshop: the chainsaw blades, square sheets of perforated metal, and steel hex bolts. Enveloping them in a torn flour sack, she used manila rope to keep them together, and shoved the cardboard box of bolts into her coat pocket, then carried them outside with a grunt of annoyance.
How was she expected to carry all this? The sheet metal alone was too much to tote the distance she had to walk.
Irina huffed and searched the backyard. There had to be something she could use. And there was. Leaning against the gate was a rusted wheelbarrow. She rushed over to it and looked it over. Besides a giant hole in the bucket, it seemed usable. Rolling it over to the workshop, the wheel squeaked and stalled a bit, but at least it moved.
She loaded the scrap, careful not to put too much weight on the side with the hole, then searched for the remaining items on the list. Because she didn't know what a reactor vent was, and because Heisenberg refused to explain it to her, Irina skipped it and went on to the next item. It took her a bit to find, having to dig it out of a scrap pile, but she checked the small vent fan from her list. It was rusted and she doubted it would work, but because it was on the list, she tossed it into the wheelbarrow.
Before she left, she tossed in a muddy red LED light to replace the one she broke in his factory and rolled the wheelbarrow out into the street, locking the gate back.
When she returned the key to Elena, the young woman gave her a plate of homemade bulz –a crunchy pan-fried dish with a creamy stuffing – that she had made and waved to her as she rolled the squeaky wheelbarrow down the muddy road.
Irina followed the path back to Heisenberg's factory, resting a few times; her hands rattled from the vibration and her back ached from being hunched over so long, but she made it back to the front gate before the sun began to set.
Standing on the other side, she considered leaving the material and returning to her house but decided against it. She had no idea how he'd react. But how did she get him to open the gate?
"Lord Heisenberg," she shouted. "Are you there? I've brought the materials you asked for."
A loud screech made her jerk in fear as a speaker above the gate came to life.
"Irina … welcome back. I've been waiting for you," Heisenberg declared.
The gate squeaked and slid open, allowing her entrance. She rolled the wheelbarrow up the path, heading towards the front door.
Heisenberg was resting against it, waiting for her, watching her struggle to push it up the wet grassy knoll.
"Having trouble?"
She gave him a heated look, then realized in embarrassment that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Her eyes darted to the bucket of the wheelbarrow, watching the materials bounce around as she rolled the cart into the barn area of the factory.
Why was he not wearing a shirt? It was frigid as hell outside.
Irina took her snack from the wheelbarrow and ate one as Heisenberg rummaged around through the materials she brought. She sighed in delight; the cheese melted in her mouth and the charred crust on the outside gave it an unbelievably satisfying crunch.
God, Elena could cook so well.
"Not a bad haul," Heisenberg stated.
He hummed, undoing the manila rope and pulling back the flour sack. "Though I see you did not find everything I asked for."
"Might have been easier, if you had explained what it was," Irina retorted, speaking with her mouth full.
She refused to look him in the eye.
"It looks like the cover on a fan, not hard to figure out."
Irina grunted in annoyance. He was such an asshole. She knocked her boot on the floor, waiting for him to dismiss her.
He sauntered over to her, and stood in her view, taking the LED and tapping it against her hand.
Irina met his eyes, her face heating up at how close he was to her. God, she could feel the warmth from his body.
"You did well enough," he mentioned with a grin. "Good news is, I still have use for you."
How reassuring.
She took an uneasy breath, watching him in interest as he took one of the rounded snacks from the plate, shoving it into his mouth, cleaning his finger. Her heart pounded in her chest.
What in the hell was that?
Heisenberg hummed. "Not bad."
He took the plate from her and went back over to the wheelbarrow, dragging it by the handle into the next room.
She took an eager glance at him. He wasn't a bad-looking man; too much of a smart ass though, and a monster.
"Are you coming?"
Irina grunted. "Can't I go home?"
"By all means," she heard him say. "But you might not make it back before nightfall."
She huffed a sigh. He had a point, though she'd rather take her chances in the dark than stay in that room again. Her nose itched thinking about it.
"I think I may be allergic to you," Irina shouted.
She followed him through the doors and into the cargo bay, where he was unloading the sheet metal.
"Boo fucking hoo," he retorted.
Irina rolled her eyes. "Can I at least have a proper bed to sleep on?"
"You can have mine, now come the fuck on, or go home," he snapped, moving into the lift.
She knew better, but she was far too tired to care and followed him into the lift. The chances of him killing her while she slept were slim, or so she hoped.
What better chance to test her worth?
He said it himself, he still had use for her. And at that moment, something in her ignited.
A/n: I started an AU story for Heisenberg with dark fairy tale elements called Deep in the Woods. Take a look if you're interested. And thank you all for the wonderful support.