Back With Martin's Group
Martin turned at the voice aiming his assault rifle at the man. "Don't move. Stay where you are."
"You don't need to point at me with that thing." The man looked to be in his mid to late 40's with a receding hair line and graying beard. His clothing was strange, appearing to be made of what looked like hand spun linen and yet there wasn't a wrinkle in sight. He was clean, far too clean considering the fact that water was a luxury these days. Or rather it was for anyone who didn't have a witch that could refill their highly filtrated water with a flick of her finger and had a rune permanently engraved into the water tank so it never emptied. "I won't do anything. You're welcome to come inside, but no weapons."
"You're not getting my weapon." Martin replied taking a step forward wanting to get the others behind him.
"Martin." Ida said as her eyes followed something moving behind him. He turned his head to see two older women coming from inside and stopping only a few feet away. They were dressed the same.
"We are peaceful people."
"How can I know that?"
"You can't, but you can choose to believe me."
"Don't hand over your gun. Don't you fu-" Patrick was cut off when Ida grabbed onto him, sliding her arms around his body and pressing herself against him, face burying into his chest.
"Put your arms around me and relax." Ida whispered lightly but just loud enough for him to hear as thunder rumbled overhead and he did as she asked. "We don't have a choice, Patrick. Besides we still have the pistols and our knives." She whispered the last bit into his chest as lightning struck.
"But you must give us your weapons or we won't let you in."
"Martin." Simone called. "Martin, do it. We have to get inside. It will start raining." He looked toward Patrick and Ida catching their eyes and with a shared look he lowered the rifle holding it out to be taken. The darker haired woman stepped forward to take it before turning away and heading inside.
"Please follow." The oldest of the woman with a mix of pale blonde and silver said and lead them inside just before the first drops of rain fell. There were even more people inside, far too many. They were heavily outnumbered if things went wrong.
"What is this place?" Ida asked quietly, not having separated herself from Patrick's side. Simone looked at her in confusion but a quick glare had fortunately kept her mouth shut at least for now. Patrick was well used to this charade. Ida's looks had always helped in making sure others underestimated her as despite being in her mid-20's she maintained a youthful teen look. The only one better at this than her was Belle. Though Belle actually was just that sweet, at least until you got on her bad side.
"All you need to know is that once you enter, you're part of us. Nothing outside can touch you. Whatever you used to be, all your problems and worries . . . are gone. There is no past here. There is only you, right now." Ida's grip tightened on Patrick's shirt. A single though running through her head. This man is dangerous.
"You must be tired. You need sleep, come with me." The silver haired woman from before spoke a soft smile on her lips. Recruiter. Martin thought. They were led to a large empty room
"She locked the door. We're locked in. We should have gone back the moment you couldn't figure out that map. We're moving out as soon as the rain stops." Martin said as his thoughts turned to Bella-Donna and the hope that her and the others were safe.
"Gonna be kind of hard when we're locked up." Patrick responded.
"Patrick." Ida warned. "We needed to get inside, look outside the window." Thunder rumbled and lightning struck as the downpour continued outside their current shelter.
"I get it. Doesn't mean I like it."
Earlier That Day
With Bella-Donna, Inside the RV
"How is it?" Lea asked as she walked into the room.
"Better. I used my magic to clean and close the wound to help prevent infection. Unfortunately, doing so only heals the outside but it's something." Bella tried to smile though it came out as a grimace do to her pushing herself up into a sitting position.
"You shouldn't strain yourself." Lea rushed forward and helped her settle. "You've done so much already."
"I'm ok, Lea."
"We almost lost you."
"But you didn't and you won't. I'm not going anywhere for a long time Lea and wherever I go you are coming with me. Didn't we promise to be sisters?" Bella smiles at her teasingly and Lea's pale cheeks pinken.
"What's this, I have two daughters now?" Philip questions with a crooked smile and deep smile lines on full display despite his thick beard.
"Oh, yes Papa." Bella put two fisted hands at her hips and a pout on her lips. "How ever could you forget that we adopted Lea." Lea giggles at her teasing. "Just look at my adorable little sister." They shared a laugh.
"Ah, well then I suppose I should welcome you to the family Miss Lea. I hope you can handle us, we're all quite mad here." Lea glanced at Bella.
"Well, all the best people are." She gave a small smile and Philip laughed.
"I see she's gotten you into Alice in Wonderland." It was then that Rasmus poked his head in.
"Alice in Wonderland?"
"Do you remember when I read it to you, Rasmus?" He nods his head.
"You said we'd watch the movie together and we were going to but then . . . it rained." And father left you. His hand clenched into a fist at his side as he scowled, glaring down at the floor.
"Well, I still have the movie. How about we all watch it in here?" Rasmus head snapped up, eyes wide and the corners of his lips tilting up. "Do you think Jean might want to join us?" She asked Lea.
"He just took his medicine and went to sleep." Bella nodded her head at the response. Only for warning bells that were locked onto Blue to ring in her head.
"Maybe next time. Where is Beatrice?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
The Next Day, Martin's Group
A loud click of the heavy wooden double doors sounded, signaling it being unlocked. And the woman who had locked them in the night before came in. "Good morning." She said and waiting for the four of them to fully wake. "There is breakfast."
"You've got food?" Patrick questioned, looking at the woman in confusion. People don't just hand out food, not these days. Not unless they want something.
"Of course, we have food." Martin and Ida shared a look but moved to follow the woman with Simone and Patrick. They walked with her to another building and were lead through a garden with a dirt path.
"It's so beautiful here." Simone spoke.
"And peaceful." The woman spoke as she looked back meeting the blonde's eyes. A man crosses their path pushing a large wheel barrow with several baskets after leaving a greenhouse. The baskets held red kale, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and more. These were thing that were inedible now because of the rain and yet here were these people gathering them. The two greeted each other. "Oh, how gorgeous. Let's see. Oh, yes." She said while examining a tomato. "Here." She lifted a tomato and held it out to them. When none of them moved to take it she took a bite. a hum of appreciation left her.
"That's not possible." Ida mumbled.
"Come." She lead them to a building. "Go on. We need to clean you of the outside world." The building held multiple shower stalls. "There you go. Isn't it nice? Now I want you to take off your clothes and put them on the bench so we can wash them. Then after you have showered you will put on the clothes that are in the stalls, one for you each."
"You're not seriously asking us to get wet are you?" Simone looked at the woman as if she was insane. A look that was shared by the others.
"Yes." She chuckled. "Well how else would you shower? Don't worry. We treat for our own water and clean it. Nothing here is dangerous."
"Like the tomatoes?"
"Precisely, just like the tomatoes." No one moved. "You don't believe me? I see you're still skeptical. Wait and see, then. Look at this." She stepped into a stall and turned the water on. She rinsed her face first before turning and leaning her head back and underneath the spray. Once her head and a portion of her body was thoroughly drenched she turned the water off and stepped off with a smile. They stepped back, watching her for signs of infection.
"Simone, Simone move." Ida said noticing the girl standing there, watching the woman.
"Not everything can be explained. But I see that you want to believe." She reached out and pressed the wet hand against Simone's cheek. "You're safe to do that here." The woman smiled at them before walking out, closing the door behind her.
"What the fuck, man." Martin said lowly. "Ok, we're getting out of here. Shoes on."
"We're in no hurry Martin."
"Simone, put on your shoes. Your brother is likely to be worried by now, so are the others."
"Rasmus is fine. I know you're trying to protect us, but maybe we should stay here for a bit. The others could come here and we could gather supplies, food and water. It's not dangerous Martin."
"Don't you think it's odd to come to a strange place in the middle of nowhere and they offer tomatoes and a bath?"
"Yes, of course it is."
"Ok, then put your shoes on." Martin tries to keep calm but something is screaming at him that they need to leave. Something was wrong with this place and like hell would he bring Belle here.
"No." She stripped herself of her shirt. "Martin, come on."
"The hell are you doing?" Ida questioned Simone with a sneer as the blonde continued to strip in front of Martin.
"Just try it." Simone said looking over her shoulder at Ida and Patrick. "She already showed that it won't hurt us. The water is clean." She was stripped down to her underwear. Patrick looked at Ida's tired face before turning to Martin.
"She has a point, Martin. Let's just find out what's going on here and then we go."
"Patrick!" Ida looked at him shocked he would even suggest staying especially since he was the one who tended to be the most suspicious of anyone new.
"We're all tired. Let's just figure this place out and if it is we get the others. We have 36 hours before the others move so we should at least give it a shot. We give it today. After that if we don't all agree we leave." Martin stared at him. This was his second in command. Yes, Belle was his partner but they divided their responsibilities. Belle didn't want to fight, she would if need be but preferred not to due to her past life. Belle preferred to gather intel and supplies, provide medical care, and generally take care for others rather than be on the front-lines and he could understand. She had seen and lived through a civil war all she wanted now was to settle but the rain had prevented that. He looked towards Ida, Belle's second.
"Ida?" She looked at Patrick before her eyes turned to him and he knew he wouldn't like the answer. If Simone isn't concerned about her brother despite not knowing about Belle and the magic she's weaved over Blue then a day won't kill us. I just hope I don't regret this.
"We stay until morning. Get what we can and then we leave either permanently or to get the others." Martin shut his eyes.
"Morning. Morning and then we go, no later." Hopefully the others will be safe until then under the wards.
"Ok, let's do it." Simone says as she puts her clothes to the side as they strip down to their underwear as well. Martin does so as well, claiming a stall slightly separated from the others as Simone's presence and the looks she sent him were becoming uncomfortable. Especially when he knew the last time he had been beneath a shower's spray Belle had been with him.
"So do we do a count down?" Patrick asked and Ida started it each of them rushing into their stall and then turning on the water. The hot spray of the water hit his chest and his mind goes to Belle. Only for his mind to be brought back by Ida's surprised squeak. He turns and immediately rolls his eyes when he sees Patrick with his hands at the stall dividers with his briefs pulled down and bouncing his dick at her. Ida being herself responds by throwing a bar of soap at it and watching him fall to his knees.
"Dumbass." Martin mumbles to himself.