Chapter 23
She watched her parents getting shredded into pieces. She witnessed her friends dying, one after another. She was bathing in blood, about to drown. Her beloved Max was closing in on her, a wicked smile on her lips and her eyes glistening with insanity, ready to gut her.
One nightmare was following another in an indefinite loop. There was no end, just the same horror, over and over again.
Brooke wanted to get out. Her mind tried to fight those bad dreams. It tried to focus on something different, something beautiful. But whenever this happened, it turned into the same horrible mess as before.
Only as her consciousness began to work again, those nightmares ended, only to be soon replaced by the cruel reality.
Pain. She experienced nothing more than pain. At first, it felt like her entire being hurt. But the more she woke up, the more the pain concentrated in certain areas of her body, like her head and leg.
She tried to move, which induced even more agony that let her groan.
"Brooke? How are you?" a female voice said to her. A voice that was like an anchor to reality that let her eventually open her eyes. But as soon as she realized that it was Victoria whose face was above her, she immediately closed them again.
"Ugh, why the fuck are you ruinin' my morning with your fuckin' presence?"
"You're welcome, cunt!" Victoria replied with a sour expression and walked away without another word.
After chiding herself silently for her rude behavior, Brooke eventually managed to focus her strength into finding out where she was.
A shabby bedroom in an RV… Yup, she was in the back of Frank's RV. That answered the question of where. And now she needed to figure out what else had happened while she had been out cold.
The air inside the RV was stale and hot because of the sun that was constantly shining through the halfly closed shutter. It caused her throat to be dryer than it already was so that she had to cough a few times. Luckily, there was a bottle of water standing on the bedside table. Slowly, the young Asian girl sat up and greedily gulped down the warm water, almost swallowing.
After having calmed down her thirst, she tried to make even more sense out of her situation. She threw off the light blanket that was covering her legs and looked down on herself.
She was wearing a rather loose top and some gray, a bit too oversized shorts while her injured leg's thigh was wrapped up in a layer of bandages. Her long, black, partially dyed hairs hang loose over her shoulder while her sight was all blurry thanks to the lack of her glasses.
All in all, she felt weak. Even her head was slightly spinning, yet she felt the need to breathe some fresh air so she turned her body and let her legs hang out of bed.
That was the moment her injuries were giving her a strong reminder. The wound on her leg started to hurt as well as her head to throb. Nonetheless she fought down the pain and tried to stand up, only to lose her balance as the injured limb gave in and she hit the ground hard with a groan.
"You should take it easy, y'know!" sounded Victoria's voice right above her again. And before Brooke even realized what was going on, she got helped up and placed on the bed again. "You were unconscious for over a week and almost died. Had to perform CPR on your ass. And if someone tries to make fun of me because of the mouth-to-mouth I gave you, I'm gonna…"
"You gave me mouth-to-mouth and CPR?" Brooke asked in unbelief, frowning at Victoria, who however simply shrugged.
"Of course. Just because I can't stand you, doesn't mean that I let you die. I'm done with that, promised."
As a reply, the Asian girl scoffed and shook her head. What just happened to this world? Monsters who turn people into monsters, a friendly and selfless Victoria fucking Chase…
Yeah, the world had become a strange place, and it became even freakier as the blonde helped Brooke up again and half-carried her outside, where she placed her in a camping chair. A few seconds later she also handed her her glasses.
The air was fresh and on the horizon she could see a vast chain of mountains with snow covered peaks.
"Are these the Rockies?" Brooke asked with awe, taking in the peaceful landscape. Sometimes it was hard to recall that they were still in the middle of the Apocalypse.
"Yup," concurred Victoria and sat down beside her, leaning a hunting rifle against the RV's wall right beside her.
"Where are we anyways, and where's the rest?"
"Colorado," answered the blonde truthfully. "But don't ask me about the name of that hicktown they're just looting."
So the others were looting, and they left her alone with Victoria Chase, the woman, who once left her to die. But she now also had saved her life. A difficult situation that forced Brooke to do something she never had thought would happen.
"Thanks, Victoria!" she said with a bowed head. "I mean it."
But all Victoria did was give her a scoff, answering "Oh good god. Ol' grumpy Brooke is thanking me." Which caused the Asian girl to give her a stern glare. "Listen, you should be the last one to thank me. I almost got you and others killed. So, saving your life was the least I could do. Besides…" She then turned her head towards the other girl, giving her a wry smirk. "...if I would've let you die, your new friend would've kicked me straight off the next cliff."
New friend? Did she mean Steph? Brooke didn't know what she should make out of Steph. The brunette woman was cool and friendly, that's for sure. She definitely wouldn't have any problems getting along with the others. But there was something more about her. Something she couldn't put her finger on.
But she wasn't able to give this whole situation a deeper thought anyway, as the walkie-talkie that was attached onto the waistband of Victoria's outdoor trousers clicked and Frank's stressed out voice could be heard.
"This is Frank to Vic, come in!"
Sighing in annoyance and rolling with her eyes, the blonde elegantly took the walkie from her waist and responded "This is the Apocalypse helpline. If you're in a life-and-death situation, please press one. If you-..."
"Stop this fucking shit and pack our stuff, idiot. 'cause we're comin' in hot!"
Concerned and confused, the blonde pressed the call-button again and said "What do you mean with 'coming in hot'?"
"This means we have an assload of those freaks on our tail and can't outrun 'em before we get to the rally point. Now get your fuckin' ass in gear and prepare everything to leave right away!"
Immediately, her face lost all arrogance and got replaced by panic, making her freeze for some moments. It was now clear why Victoria had been 'honored' with staying behind and taking care of Brooke. She was traumatized and therefore unable to go on any missions.
Brooke fastly realized that, if she wanted to break the other girl's petrification, she had to take action.
"C'mon, I'll help you!" she announced and got up…and right away had to hold on to something, because her world began to spin.
"You can't even stand," retorted Victoria in a snarky tone, now being her aloof self again after the spell had been broken. "Just take a seat inside the RV. In your state, you'd be more of a handicap than a help."
The Asian girl obeyed without another word. She knew that she wasn't of any help at the moment. Her mission, to get Victoria's behind to move, was a success and therefore her part, done. So, she sat down on the passenger's seat and watched the surroundings and Victoria.
The lanky blonde packed the few things that were lying and standing around the premise, like backpacks, chairs and a camping table inside the RV, before she took the rifle and waited outside for the arrival of the others.
It was quiet, very quiet. Uncomfortably quiet.
The landscape was woody and mountainous. Yet, the woods weren't as dense as in Arcadia Bay. The RV was standing on a hill from which they had a good view of the surrounding terrain. Especially during a warm, sunny day like this one.
Unable to stand this absence of noise any longer, Brooke shoved the window open and said "Anything, yet?"
All tensed up, Victoria hissed back "No, and if you don't shut up, I won't hear shit!"
The raven-haired girl followed her sight and saw the town they had probably looted. So, it was clear from which direction they would come. And as if on cue, a column of dust clouds could be seen before one pick-up truck and a green minivan appeared out of the forest, and not a minute later their pursuers. A mass of pursuers. Hundreds.
They were different. They were fast. Very fast. Sprinting on all four limbs like cats. Very ugly, hairless cats, with spikes. To Brooke it seemed like the Screamers were adapting. Whenever humanity had an advantage, the murderous creatures developed a new type that would outmatch those technological benefits. Like, whatever was causing this, was intelligent.
"Fuck!" Brooke cussed under her breath as she realized what great danger they were about to face. "Vic, you better get inside. There's no way that they'll shake those fuckers before they're here. We need to move or we're done for."
Panicky, the blonde looked at her, replying "But I-I can't drive this thing."
"Then just fucking do it anyway, 'cause I don't even have a license! I'll cover your ass."
Unable to sit still anymore in this situation, Brooke jumped up and made her way outside again with wavering steps. Yet, she managed, taking the rifle from Victoria as the blonde took the driver's seat and tried to start the RV.
She laid down onto the ground and took aim with the rifle, wanting to assist the others by giving them some more room to breathe. Yes, she was weak and her sight blurry, nonetheless she tried to make the best out of it and aimed at one of the pursuers.
The shot broke, sending an immense pain through the slender girl's shoulder as the gun rocked back. But she hit and caused the fast Screamer to stumble and hit the ground. It wasn't dead, but at least taken out of the game for a few moments. Moments that could make the difference between life and death.
She chose a new target and shot again. More pain, yet another success. In the meantime, Victoria had managed to start the vehicle.
This was it. Time to leave.
With a groan, Brooke managed to get up on her shaky legs again and was just about to embark the RV as a Lurker tackled her to the ground. Memories about the events at Beaver flooded back into her mind. Back there, she had been healthy, uninjured and strong enough to fight the Screamer until Juliet had saved her. But today, there was no badass like Juliet close by and her body was way too weak to withstand such an attack. There was nobody who could save her right now. At least, not until this creature would've ripped open her body.
The Lurker was only a few feet away, ready to jump on its, on the ground lying, prey. Not even Victoria - if she even had any interest in it - would be able to save her.
Suddenly, a horn chimed, shifting the cunning creature's attention towards the incoming truck that hit it only a second later, sending it flying a dozent yards. Then, the truck stopped for a moment, only long enough to let Steph get out.
The lanky brunette went straight for the squirming Lurker, Brooke's sword in her hand and then separated the creature's head from its body.
This whole situation happened in maybe less than a minute, yet it seemed like an hour for Brooke. She was exhausted and for a moment, her sight went entirely black. Or did she even lose consciousness? Because as soon as she could see again, she was lying in the now driving RV's bed again. And she wasn't alone. Steph was sitting on the bed with her, lending her thighs as cushions while brushing softly over the Asian girl's head.
"Hey, you crazy chick!" said the brunette with a warm smile, which was answered by Brooke with the same, but nothing more. She didn't want to speak, yet just enjoyed the warmth and soothing company. It actually felt so good, that she simply cuddled closer and closed her eyes.
"We're fucked!"
Yes, Frank wasn't a person who valued a noble and kind language like Victoria did. He always said what was on his mind, and mostly, it was true. So, when he said that they were fucked, then Brooke believed him right away.
They were on the mountains now, driving along a mountain road that was leading them further east. They had stopped for refueling and assessing the situation, because the creatures were still following them. And not only a few, but it must be thousands by now.
"Why are they following us? They never did this before," mentioned Alyssa as she watched through a binocular how the masses of monsters were flooding over the roads and mountainside.
"Dunno, don't care," replied Brooke, who was also ogling this spectacle with concern. "Fact is that they do and we can neither outrun nor fight 'em."
"With the bit of gas we have, we may make it to the next town. Maybe a bit further, but that's it." mentioned Frank, taking a look over his shoulder, where he could see Taylor filling the last bit of gasoline into the RV's tank.
"Then we can get some fuel there," added Justin to the conversation, only to get his idea blocked by Warren.
"We're approximately one hour ahead of the Runners, that alone's the time we need to prepare the raid, plus at least ten minutes for the looting, if anything goes smoothly."
"Great. Just fucking great," Victoria then chimed in to the conversation. "No time to loot, no running away and no way to fight this. What shall we do now? Drive off the cliff and end this shit?"
"After you, Vicky," Brooke responded dryly, averting her sight from the problem in order to face the others. "But I plan to stop 'em."
"And how?" retorted the arrogant blonde, resting one hand on her hip. "You got a nuke in your pants?"
Since the nerdy girl had woken up, both had had a better relationship so far, accepting each other on a friendly basis. But that didn't mean that they were always having the same opinion.
Steph was right the opposite. She always supported her friend and was there for her. And sometimes her intentions were way too obvious, though Brooke somehow never reacted to them. If on purpose or because she didn't get the gist, nobody really knew.
"I bet she got a lotta hot stuff in her pants, but not a nuke. So, whatcha got in mind, B?"
"Look around!" the Asian girl then said, spinning around with raised hands. "We're in the mountains, home of dangerous as fuck avalanches. We just need to place one of our propane bottles at the right place and let it explode and BOOM! CRASH! Goodbye, motherfuckers!"
Everyone was in awe about this genius plan, already nodding in agreement. Well, everyone, except Frank, who just nodded and then mentioned "Good idea, bad execution, girl. A propane bottle just goes poof and not boom. For a boom, you need real explosives."
Being - as always - grumpy that it didn't go her way, Brooke eventually crossed her arms and shot back "And you - coincidently - have some explosives up your sleeves or what?"
"Not in my sleeves, but in the RV. Got a whole bunch of C4 explosives in my bag under the table."
"What's C4?" asked Victoria with a frown, getting her answer presented by Warren.
"Plastic explosives. Should look like grey Play-Doh."
Though, at first, everyone thought that Brooke's plan had failed before it had taken shape, a joint sigh of relief went through the group. At least until Justin spoke up.
"Uh, bro. Do you mean this gray clay stuff I used to make artsy figurines for Tay?"
Now everyone was looking at the blonde skater boy with the fuzzy beard with wide open eyes. Only Frank was the one who immediately closed in on him, his angry glare drilling into his eyes.
"You did what?!"
Now being aware that he messed up big time, the boy stammered "I-I thought it was cley a-and made some figurines for Tay, 'cause… um…"
"Why the fuckin' hell would I have clay in my bag full of guns?" Frank barked back, then shifting his angry glare towards Taylor "Where did you put those fuckin' figurines?"
Crossing her arms, the blonde answered "I threw them away, 'cause I didn't know who made 'em and…uh, they were kinda ugly as fuck."
And while Frank's left eye was twitching, Victoria exclaimed "You did what, Tay!?"
"Hey, you told me to get rid of 'em, because you said they were an insult to your eyes."
"By 'getting rid of 'em I didn't mean that you should throw them away."
"GUYS!" Steph suddenly yelled in order to gain attention before things got out of hand. "We get it, okay. Justin's an idiot who built figurines for his crush out of explosives, who in return threw them away, because her mistress told her so."
"Hey, mind your own business, you…" Victoria tried to interrupt, only to get shut down by Brooke.
"Justin, is there any C4 left, or did you use everything?"
"Dunno, maybe a bit…I-I mean…" the young boy stammered, but then Frank's grip on the collar of his shirt got stronger.
"Go, and get every bit you find or I swear, I'll use your stoner-ass as Screamer bait!" he hissed and more wasn't needed to let Justin run. But against everyone's expectation, he didn't head for the RV, but for his personal backpack on a truck. And what he brought forth from one of its compartments was making most of the teenagers giggle, because it was another figurine. But this one was looking like Taylor…naked.
"S-sorry, guys…" was everything the young boy could stammer.
"That's…actually pretty accurate," mentioned Alyssa, who had seen Taylor naked often enough in the showers, somehow admiring Justin's craftsmanship. But Taylor didn't take it that well as she approached the young boy with big steps and hit him right in the face before she walked away, Victoria following her stat.
Brooke, like Frank, didn't care about the drama. Evident, as she picked up the high explosives and asked "Will this be enough for a boom?"
"Yes," the tall man replied plainly as he ripped the C4 out of her hands and went to get a map of the area. He then unfolded it on the ground and everyone present gathered around him as he explained the plan.
"If we wanna do it right, we need to get as many of these fuckers as possible into the line of a giant avalanche. And the best point would be here."
He pointed at the side of a mountain, where a lot of serpentines were snaking their way up until they would almost reach the top and then back down the other side.
"I remember that a few years ago, they blocked the pass for an entire year to secure this ridge here. An explosion at the right places should bring down the entire slope and burry every fucker who's dumb enough to be on the serpentines."
"So we lead 'em up this road and set off an explosion that'll bring down half of the mountain. Good plan," Brooke agreed with a nod, but still had a warily glare. "But how do you know where to plant the charge?"
"I don't. I need to get up there, find the most promising spots, split Justin's lil' fuckdoll into pieces and hope for the best."
"So, that's it?" threw Steph in with suspicion. "We're just going for a longshot and then hope for the best?"
"You got a better idea? It's do or die. So, what's it gonna be?" Frank returned, folding up the map again. "Then let's do it!"
Nobody protested.
Nathan was closing in. Finally, its prey was literally within arms reach. It saw them whenever the sight was free of any obstacles. They could run, but not hide. And sooner or later, they would have to stop, and then…
Wait! Something was wrong. But what was it?
Nathan stopped and took a deep inhale of the air that was brushing down from the mountain in front of it. The mountain which the former young boy was climbing with its army.
Someone had split from the group. The monster smelled the scent of old leather, cold smoke, weed and wet dog. It was weak, but strong enough to know who this was. Another one of Nathan's favorite targets.
Screaming out of joy, the tall creature sprinted past it's, also with loud screams answering servants, leaving them soon far behind as it ordered them to slow down a bit.
Yes, Nathan could've hunted them down days ago, but where would've been the fun in that?
No, it wanted them to have fear. To be desperate. To have that glimpse of hope before it would get slaughtered by thousands of claws.
It climbed higher and higher, anticipation fueling its body, until it stood in front of its victim.
Frank Bowers.
Back, when Nathan had been weak, he had been afraid of this man. But at the moment, the situation was entirely different. Now, the roles had changed. Because now it was Frank who looked at Nathan with wide open eyes.
Yet, where Nathan would've run away, Frank simply pulled a pistol and emptied the entire magazine into the creature, which didn't even feel the impacts.
Realizing that his efforts didn't bear any fruits, the blond man lowered the gun.
"Hello, Franky-Boy!" growled Nathan with its guttural voice. And now the older man bobbed his head to one side, paired with a frown, and then said "I'll be fucked. Nathan Prescott, is that you?"
The creature simply chuckled with its guttural voice, letting it like dry wood scraping over a rock.
"You always had a knack for teenagers. How many of those cunts have you already fucked, like you did with Rachel? I know who's with you. I've smelled them since Arcadia. Victoria, Taylor, Brooke, Alyssa… So, who did you fuck?"
Frank stayed unimpressed, ogling the creature with suspicion. It was obvious to Nathan that he was uneasy or even a bit nervous and tried to hide it. But it didn't seem to be out of fear, yet something else.
Once more, the giant Screamer took a sniff of the air and smelled something different. Something chemical. An unknown odor, and it came from different positions.
"Why are you here, Nathan?" Frank then asked, walking backwards with very cautious steps.
"To finish it!" it replied, watching every movement. So far, Frank stayed in reach. But as soon as he would make a false move, Nathan would kill him. "So many people that should be dead are still alive or not part of us. That has to change. You either serve or die!"
"Serve who? You?!" the blond man returned with a scoff, taking another step back. "Congrats, you lil' fuckhead, you followed your fucked up father's footsteps. Scratch that, you're even worse! I don't know what the hell you are, but I and the others will never serve an idiot like you, that I'll make sure of."
He pulled out a device from his pocket that looked like a remote. Nathan didn't understand what he had planned with this, but it didn't matter anyway. In nearly a second the creature had bridged the distance to its prey and had sliced off the man's arm with one single strike. It fell to the ground with the remote still in hand while Frank screamed in pain.
Nathan simply laughed again, grabbed the man by his neck and lifted him off the ground, blood flowing out of his stump.
"Time to die, Franky. But don't worry about your friends, 'cause they will soon join you!"
But instead of cursing or crying, Frank started to chuckle hysterically, which caused Nathan to become angry.
"What's so funny?"
Between his snickering Frank said "Always heard of a Deadman's switch…idiot?"
And not a second later, the whole area exploded in a column of dust and sharp rock shrapnels.
The view up from the mountain was breathtaking. Brooke really enjoyed this. How much she would've loved to take her drone for a spin. But she neither had her drone nor much time to enjoy this view forever. Frank would soon return, and then, hell would break loose.
"Hey B, you alright?" chimed Steph's voice from behind, followed by an arm that got flung around her waist.
"Yeah. You?" replied the Asian girl, her sight still fixated on the landscape.
"Well…kinda."
"Kinda?" returned Brooke with a frown.
"Yeah, kinda. Still need to get used to our group, especially Victoria."
"Yeah, she's kinda hard to get used to. Better ignore her."
"I try," replied Steph and both went silent for a moment. The wind blew over the mountains, carrying the smell of rain from dark clouds that could be seen in the distance. "Y'know, this is actually the first moment since the mall that we're having a conversation in private."
Brooke frowned. Indeed this was the first moment since she'd woken up that they were having a talk without an audience, since being on the run from the pack of Screamers. But, why did this matter anyway? Yes, she liked Steph. But it wasn't like they had an intimate relationship that was worth talking about private stuff. Or did they?
"I'm not good at this, y'know," the Asian girl mentioned, blushing a bit.
"Good at what?"
"Emotions 'n' stuff."
"Emotions are emotions. You have 'em or not, anythin' else is just bullshit. Besides, I'm not flirting with you, Brooke," answered Steph with a chuckle, followed by a wry smirk. "Unless you want me to."
Now her blush intensified even more. Did she want to flirt? Did she even want a relationship with Steph? A talk was definitely needed and the situation would be perfect, if Frank's scream wouldn't have echoed loudly through the mountains.
"Frank!" Brooke gasped, immediately turning to the others, who were shocked as well. But it got even worse as several detonations were shaking the ground.
A giant column of smoke and dust arose into the sky and the earth continued to quake as big, chunky rocks were starting to roll down the mountainside.
"We need to get outta here!" yelled Steph as the first boulders were falling down close-by.
Everyone immediately boarded the vehicles, whereas Brooke and Steph wanted to take the RV, which got hit by a giant rock a second later, which entirely demolished the front side. Both girls stopped for a brief moment, realizing right away that the vehicle was useless now.
"C'mon, girls! We need to get the fuck movin'!" mentioned Alyssa as the truck she was driving, stopped right beside them.
"No, I need to get some stuff out of the RV. Just drive as close to the door as possible!" said Brooke as she kept on running, heading straight for the Winnebago.
"What?! That's suicide!" Warren, who sat on the passenger's seat, complained, but got shut down in an instant by Alyssa.
"I'm the driver, you shut up or you'll walk, Mister Womanizer!"
"Do you really have to bring that up now, huh?" he retorted with a snark, but got ignored.
The hail of stones intensified, hitting the truck multiple times and left some pretty deep dents. Even the passenger's window shattered, letting Warren curse as he was covered by glass shards.
Steph and Brooke emerged from the RV right after it got hit by another big rock, which had missed them just by a yard and left a head-sized hole in the wall.
The two girls had just thrown their backpacks and the bag with the guns onto the truck and wanted to climb into the back as Steph suddenly shrieked and fell backwards.
"Steph!" yelled Brooke and jumped back down to help her friend to get up again. A stone had hit the brunette right on the forehead, where now blood was oozing from a nasty wound.
"I-I'm okay," she groaned, holding her injury with one hand as Brooke helped her up and onto the truck's bed. With squealing tires they left the scenery. And as the Asian girl looked one last time over her shoulder, she could see that the entire mountain side collapsed, burying and crushing everything in its path.
The RV was gone, as well as its former owner, Frank Bowers. Brooke mourned both of them. She remembered how they both had rescued her and the others, back at Arcadia Bay. How this vehicle had become a new home and Frank part of her new family.
Now, only Steph and Alyssa remained as the persons she would trust with her life.
It was raining cats and dogs for three hours straight now. Everything and everyone who had been in the truck's bed was drenched, which was mainly Brooke and Steph.
Both were shivering out of coldness and had to get rid of their wet clothes as fast as possible. Luckily, they had found some sort of old mineshaft at the side of the road, where the group had found shelter in a small cavern. They were sitting around a small fire, Brooke and Steph wrapped in some blankets, whereas the latter one's head was also bandaged.
But this was no time to stare melancholy into the fire and cry about that Frank Bowers was gone. No, they had to move on! So, Brooke cleared her throat and said "Okay, we got some food, water and gas, plus the guns I pulled out of the RV."
"So the tents and most of the sleeping bags are gone, as well as clothes and some equipment," mentioned Steph in addition, holding the blanket tighter to her shivering body. And of course it was on Victoria to complain.
"Great. And what now? One sleeping bag for two? Sleeping in shifts under the sky or in such crappy caverns? Forget it, I'm not a fucking caveman!"
Ignoring the bitchy girl's salty comment, Brooke eventually said "Now that we got rid of the pack, we can loot the next town without any problem. We simply get what we lost and keep moving."
Everybody eventually agreed to the plan and soon, the group prepared for the night. Those with a sleeping bag were forced to sleep in the cavern and the rest inside the cars. Sadly, neither Brooke nor Steph had their sleeping bags. So far, only Alyssa had offered hers to Brooke, who had taken it thankfully. In return, the goth-girl would sleep in the truck with Warren.
"No. Fucking. Way! I am not gonna sleep in that cave and the hell I'm gonna share my sleeping bag!" exclaimed Victoria with crossed arms right away, though nobody actually suggested it.
"Good gosh, Vicky, it's just for one night," mentioned Taylor and yawned. "C'mon, we're gonna sleep in the van. Let Steph have it." But the solution to this dilemma came, as Kate Marsh gave her sleeping bag to Brooke.
"Here, you can have mine and I will cramp up with Victoria and Tay into the minivan to keep warm."
"Thanks, Katie!" replied Steph with an honest smile, which got answered with a warm smile as well. But she didn't want to go to sleep right away. She wanted to enjoy the bonfire and its warmth some more, and Brooke did the same.
Everybody went to bed, one by one. Alyssa and Warren were sleeping in the truck. Victoria, Kate and Taylor in the minivan, while Justin decided to sleep close to the entrance since he found that cave spooky, but was forced to stay there.
Brooke and Steph remained, watching the fire. Out of a sudden, Steph let one arm glide under Brooke's blanket and wrapped it around her waist.
"I'm still so fucking cold," she explained. "Maybe you can warm me up. I heard that body heat is the best radiator you can get."
The raven-haired girl simply scoffed upon this bad try to make a move on her. It was now pretty clear what Steph wanted. Still, she cuddled even closer, combining their blankets and letting their skin touch. "Oh yeah? How about we rub against each other to get even more warm?"
Now it was on Steph to simply chuckle. Though the need was there, she didn't want to let things escalate this fast. So, she changed the topic.
"What's that town we're gonna loot tomorrow called again?"
"Haven Springs," answered Brooke, already feeling entirely drowsy as she laid her head on her friend's shoulder.
"Haven Springs, huh? Sounds peaceful. How about we rent a room there and take some vacation?"
"Vacation…" Brooke said with a giggle. "I haven't had a vacation in ages. So, whatcha wanna do?"
"Y'know…hiking, swimming, just enjoying the nature of the mountains, maybe some fishing…"
"Blech, I hate fishing! So boring. And hiking…ugh, don't get me started."
"Okay, my lil' smartass, what would you do?"
"Flying my drone all day long. Listening to some tunes while reading some sci-fi. Taking looooong showers…"
"Long showers?!" A wide, mischievous smirk appeared on Steph's face upon this comment and she added "When I take long showers, they mostly have happy endings."
"Goosh, you're so horny!" exclaimed Brooke, giving the brunette a soft slap on the thigh. "Besides, have you ever been to a boarding school? The water is either fucking hot or ice-cold, only two out of three stalls are actually working and every minute some bitch walks in and complains that all showers are occupied. I fucking deserve a long, relaxing shower during my vacation!"
"Okay-okay! You got it, girl… But not alone!"
Quietness settled in, only Justin's snoring disturbing it a bit. Slowly, Brooke began to doze off and even Steph's voice carried the heaviness of tiredness.
"I guess I never thanked you for saving me at the mall."
But everything she received was a quietly hummed "Hmm…"
Smiling warmly, Steph simply accepted the fact that Brooke had already fallen asleep on her shoulder. Nonetheless, she placed a soft kiss on her head and whiffed "Thanks, my lil' badass Ninja-girl! Sleep tight!"
