Sunlight streamed through broken windows, bathing Lily's face in a warm, yellow glow. For a more than a moment, she considered rolling over and going back to sleep.
It would be a challenge, for sure; the dusty rug she'd spent all night on was coarse and paper-thin. Her hoarse throat called desperately for water, and her back whined in protest over a night spent rolling on ancient, rotting floorboards. But the alternative, getting up and moving again, was just as unappealing.
One step at a time. She thought, forcibly putting her beleaguered mind to work sorting through the sensations swirling through her brain. Compartmentalize. It was a classic trick the Silver Shroud used. Go through everything floating around in your mind and organize them into neat little folders based on importance.
Hunger. That could be dealt with later.
Thirst. Mercifully, the rank, repulsive taste of river water in her mouth had faded somewhat. Unfortunately, that meant she needed to find some more water. Soon.
Pain. This one wasn't even worth mentioning. She'd been aching for so long that she could barely remember a time when she hadn't been sore. It was just a part of her existence now. Her lips curled into a frown automatically. How long had it been like this? She'd woken up yesterday in the same condition. What about the day before that? What about last week?
Curiosity. There was a gap in her memory. Atleast one week had passed between her last shift of guard duty and her awakening atop a pile of trash. She stashed this folder in the back of her mind, next to the folder on the Vault-dweller. Worth exploring, but not right now.
Anger. At herself, mostly. Not only had she disgraced herself and her sister, but she also had the nerve to keep on breathing afterwards. She wanted to live, even after she'd given up the last of her pride and dignity to the vault woman and her green pet. It went against everything her sister had ever taught her and made it clear beyond any doubt; she was a coward. This file was headed straight for the trash.
Fear. She hastily jammed her worries into the nearest mental compartment, before stuffing the entire bulging folder in the trash. Dwelling on fear would only leave her more drained and exhausted; she couldn't afford that now.
Compartmentalization over, she tackled the biggest problem. Thirst.
Using both hands to balance herself against the nearest piece of furniture, she managed to stand upright. One challenge overcome. She thought, staring down at her bare legs. Sometime during the night, she'd made the wise decision to crawl out of her pants. There was no point looking for them; she'd never wear them again.
Instead, Lily made her way over to the kitchen sink. She nearly screamed with joy when a small trickle of water oozed out of the faucet; a testament to pre-war engineering. The sound of greedy slurping and swallowing filled the room. The water had a slightly metallic taste, and Lily knew she was ingesting a lot of rads. But her parched throat cried for more, and it was a long time before she finally withdrew from the tap.
Thirst sated, next on the list was food. And once again, she struck gold. Cram and Sugar Bombs. A pickier eater might have recoiled at the bizarre mix of lunch meat and sugary cereal. Lily poured the pale, quivering meat into a moldy bowl and devoured it, pausing only to wolf down generous fistfuls of cereal.
She scanned her surroundings as she chewed. It wasn't very different from any other house; the same rotting furniture, dusty photos and broken-down technology. Years of scavenging had stripped away almost anything of value. Eying the cereal box with a measure of suspicion, she wondered if her luck was changing. She'd found food, water, and maybe even shelter. If her luck really held, there might even be real bed upstairs...
Laser weapons. Lily fought down a surge of panic, straining her ears to pick up more information. Judging by the intensity of the sound, they were a few hundred feet away and closing in quickly. And there were a lot of them, far more than she could reasonably take.
Why couldn't she just get one break? She wondered, stuffing her mouth with the last of the Cram. "Is that too much to ask?" she grumbled, swallowing hard. The only good news was that they apparently weren't firing at her; clearly, they had bigger molerats to roast. But soon enough, they'd be right on top of her; then, no matter how big the molerats were, she had no doubt they'd make time for her too. Time to leave.
She was taking her fourth step towards the door when she realized that her legs were no longer beneath her. A shrill, panicked cry was all she managed before she landed heavily on the rug, launching a cloud of dust into the air.
Fuck. Lily broke out into a fit of coughing as her body launched into a list of complaints. Shaking her head in a vain attempt to clear her mind, she tried to identify the most serious issue. After a moment's delay, she figured it out; her hips were almost completely numb.
That settles it. She laid back; arms spread wide and one leg folded over the other. She wouldn't be walking anytime soon.
The lasers were almost outside the door, and Lily felt the same drowsy sense of calm she'd felt yesterday, staring up at the sky. She should have been frustrated, furious even. Had she really clawed her way back from the brink of death just to flop to the ground like a feral with a missing leg? Her stomach should have turned at the thought of a Gunner marching in to catch her with her pants down, flailing helplessly on the floor. Instead, she felt almost...peaceful.
Everything, from the events of yesterday to her current predicament was starting to feel like a dream.
All you have to do is fall asleep. Her feverish brain whispered. Then you'll wake up in your own bed, with Rachel's arms wrapped around you.
She felt lightheaded, almost painless as she lay on the rug. It'd been so long since she'd been free of pain…
It's alright, Lily. You've fought hard enough. The Sun whispered through the tattered curtains. Just take a quick nap.
You know what? Lily asked, a small smile dancing on her lips. I think I will.