It took them longer than it should have to reach Cambridge. Slowed down by their injuries, it was a miracle they didn't get attacked by something else along the way. The sun beating down on them from above only made the pain in Evelyn's head worse, making her squint her eyes and keep her head ducked to try and avoid the bright glare. Her steps felt heavier and heavier as they approached College Square, her fingers barely able to maintain their grip on her rifle.
Dogmeat was limping along a few steps ahead. Cait had used a stimpak on him when it became clear he wouldn't be able to use his injured leg without one, but he still needed to be seen by an actual doctor. Along with his damaged leg, he had lacerations along his ribcage where one of the beasts had struck him with nasty claws, as well as a few nasty scrapes on the other side where he had landed against some debris.
"Eyes up, Eve," Cait's voice pulled her attention away from Dogmeat, blinking against the sunlight as she looked at the other woman. Cait was watching a pair of feral ghouls across the square, but they hadn't noticed the small party yet.
"We're almost there." Eve's voice sounded weird to her own ears- heavier, like her footsteps, and maybe even a little slurred. If Cait noticed, she gave no indication of it.
Evelyn forced her eyes open, struggling to focus as the barricade around the police station came into view. She refused to crawl in there looking so pathetic; she could fight past the pain for a few minutes, if only so Knight Rhys wouldn't have yet another excuse to be an ass to her.
A sentry was stationed on the upper level of the wall, and when he noticed them, he raised a laser rifle to point in their direction. "You are entering Brotherhood territory!" He shouted. "State your business."
"You don't know who the hell this is, do ya now?" Cait snapped angrily, clearly in no mood for Brotherhood bullshit. Evelyn wondered if it was a good idea to bring her sharp-tongued companion along after all.
To save them from getting riddled with laser beams, Evelyn raised a placating hand, shooting Cait a look before speaking to the sentry. "Knight Evelyn Blake," she called back, wanting to wince at her own voice. Too loud inside her head. "And friend."
The sentry immediately lowered his rifle. "My sincerest apologies, Knight Blake! We were not expecting you."
Evelyn ignored him, silently leading Cait and Dogmeat through one of the arches and up the steps to the station. Part of her missed the days when it was only Danse, Rhys, and Haylen here- as much as she loathed Rhys. Now, Brotherhood men and women seemed to constantly circulate here, moving between the Prydwen and the station. She could never remember any names; the faces always seemed new.
Cait smoothly stepped past Evelyn, yanking one of the heavy doors open for her and Dogmeat. Evelyn shot her a grateful little smile; she was never one to ask for help very much, especially not with the Brotherhood sentries watching her, so she appreciated the gesture.
The dimmer interior of the police station was a welcome reprieve from the sunlight outside. A soft sigh of relief slipped from Evelyn as the door swung shut behind her group, eyes dancing across the spacious lobby in search of Danse. She as disappointed not to find him there. Hopefully he hadn't taken a trip back to the Prydwen. She hadn't spoken to him since returning from her Institute trip a few weeks ago, and she knew he would be itching to hear all of the details. And that was precisely why she hadn't come here yet; she wanted to avoid the truth she had unveiled. She wanted to forget what Shaun had become, and instead remember her tiny, cooing baby.
"You guys look like you picked a fight with a deathclaw." Annoyance immediately flared up inside Evelyn before she had even turned her head to look towards the source of the voice. Knight Rhys, of course. He had pushed himself away from the desk he was sitting at, studying them with a slight sneer on his face.
"Something like that," Evelyn murmured, catching ahold of Cait's arm and tugging her companion along as she marched towards the soldier's quarters. Cait and Rhys were a volatile mix, and as funny as it would be to see Cait knock some of Rhys's teeth out, she didn't want to deal with that right now.
She rounded the corner and almost collided with Scribe Haylen, walking side by side with what appeared to be another scribe and each carrying a bundle of papers in their arms. Evelyn stopped short before she could topple over the stack in Haylen's arms. Haylen squeaked in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Her eyes darted up to look at Evelyn, and her face lit up. "Blake! You're back!"
Evelyn managed a smile for her. She had always liked the nervous scribe. "Haylen, good to see you. Do you know where Danse is?"
"I think he's still sleeping in his room," Haylen reported. At Evelyn's questioning look, Haylen went on. "He was out all night with a team; we received reports of synth activity in an old warehouse, and they went to clear it."
Evelyn nodded her thanks and moved to step past the scribe, but Haylen put a hand out to stop her. "What happened to you?" Haylen asked, concerned. Her eyes studied Evelyn's bandaged arm before moving up to her face, eying the bruises forming there alongside the gash she had received from the raider fight yesterday.
"It's… a long story," Evelyn said, eyes flicking to the other scribe uncertainly for a moment. She didn't want to reveal too much yet; not until she talked to Danse about those creatures.
Haylen pursed her lips. "Well, let me at least get you fixed up," she said. When Evelyn opened her mouth to protest, Haylen went on. "You look like you're about ready to pass out, Knight."
Evelyn would usually have protested, but… Haylen wasn't wrong. "Alright. But Dogmeat and Cait first," she said.
"No way," Cait protested, crossing her arms. Haylen nodded in agreement.
"I'll have one of the other scribes take a look at them, okay?" Haylen promised, leading the way to the office that had been repurposed into a miniature infirmary and medical storage.
"Fine," Evelyn relented, following after Haylen.
She sent the next half hour while Haylen fussed over her, cleaning out the wound on her arm and bandaging it up again before grilling her for details about her headache, where she hit it, how it felt in different spots. Another scribe had been summoned to deal with Cait and Dogmeat, looking rather unpleased about it but not foolish enough to protest.
Evelyn watched in amusement when he asked Cait about the bruising on her arm, partially hidden by her sleeve. Cait promptly stripped her shirt off with only a bra underneath, making the scribe immediately blanch and turn his head away, stuttering about not needing her to undress. Cait just shrugged, unbothered, and then turned so that the scribe could see the way the bruising spread down the back of her shoulder blade. She never had been a very modest person.
By the time Haylen was done, she had deduced that Evelyn likely had a concussion and even possible damage to her skull, recommending she head to the Prydwen to get an x-ray. She tried to warn Evelyn not to do any strenuous activities, but from the look on her face, they both knew that it would be happening regardless.
The other scribe spent his time tending to Dogmeat looking considerably more nervous, with Evelyn scowling down at him and tensing every time Dogmeat whined while the scribe tried to assess his leg. The scribe hurriedly gave Dogmeat another simpak injection as well as a simple brace for his injured leg. Haylen stepped in to help with his other wounds, cleaning them out gently and talking to Dogmeat in a babyish voice while she worked. The dog rested his head on her knee, tail thumping against the floor.
Evelyn was antsy to speak to Danse and then get going. The longer she stayed here, the more likely it was that Maxson would hear about it and try to get her back on the Prydwen. No doubt he would want to hear all of the details about the Institute, and having to do a debriefing with him was just about the last thing she wanted to do right now.
At least her head was feeling better. Resting it had helped, but it was mostly due to Haylen's careful tending and medications. The throbbing had dulled significantly, and her vision no longer swam when she stood up too quickly. The effects of the concussion could take a while to fully go away, Haylen had warned her, but for the moment, Evelyn was just glad she could look around again without stabbing pain behind her eyes.
She now sat beside Cait at one of the small tables that had been set up adjacent to the lobby so that the soldiers would have somewhere to eat. Upon leaving the infirmary, Cait had smelled food and immediately insisted her stomach would shrivel up if they didn't get some, so here they were. Evelyn nibbled at a piece of Brahmin sausage, sneaking chunks to Dogmeat every now and then. He gobbled them up happily, tucked under the table and wedging his head up between her and Cait's thighs to turn big brown eyes on them. Cait was shoving pieces of roasted vegetables in her mouth, but still managed to keep talking throughout the meal.
"When's your good-lookin' friend in the metal suit gonna join us?" Cait asked, chewing on a piece of tato and sliding her eyes slyly towards Evelyn. "Usually he rushes to see you."
Evelyn felt the heat creeping up her neck, but she snorted at the teasing. "Probably still sleeping would be my guess." She sliced off another piece of sausage. It didn't taste great, but it didn't taste bad, either. She popped it into her mouth.
"Well then, I'm thinkin' we oughta wake him up after this," Cait remarked. "I don't fancy spending the night here. Or travelling back in the dark."
"Me neither," Evelyn muttered. For all they knew, there were more of those monsters out there. To try and head back to Sanctuary in the dark would be like handing dinner to them. She had no doubt that even one of those creatures could probably make quick work of her, Cait, and Dogmeat in their current physical states.
They were almost finished clearing their plates when familiar footsteps sounded in the hallway beyond. Evelyn recognized the sound, raising her head as Paladin Danse rounded the corner. He was dressed in his orange flight suit, though the top was rolled down to sit around his hips and he wore a gray tank top instead. His hair was still messy from sleep, brown eyes tired.
But when his surprised gaze snagged on Evelyn, he suddenly seemed less tired and was heading for her table. Evelyn sucked in a breath, bracing herself for his onslaught of questions.
"You're back," Danse remarked, hesitating at the bench on the other side of the table and gesturing to it. "May I?"
Evelyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes, amused that he would even ask. "Of course."
Danse slid into the seat, propping his elbows on the wood. A slight frown crossed his face, looking her up and down, eyes lingering on her bandages. "What happened?" He asked quietly, concern edging his voice.
Nice to see you too, she thought. It seemed they were going to be jumping right to it.
"Well, I'm gonna take a look around," Cait interrupted, pushing herself up to her feet and bringing her plate with her. She gave Evelyn another one of her sly looks. "You kids have fun."
Evelyn felt her cheeks warming again, and she shot a scowl at Cait. "Don't get into any fights," she called after her.
Dogmeat had wiggled away from Evelyn to greet Danse, sniffing all over his legs and making Danse shift uncomfortably. Evelyn grinned faintly. "That's actually what I'm here to talk to you about," Evelyn said. She glanced around the little dining area, eyes on the other Brotherhood members eating around them and lowering her voice a bit. "Somewhere a little more private would be better, though."
Danse considered her for a moment, then nodded, rising to his feet. "The workshop, then. No one will be down there at this hour," he assured her.
Evelyn followed after him as he led the way down to the room cluttered with workbenches and training equipment. Dogmeat trotted after them, walking a little awkwardly with his splinted leg. Danse flipped the switch, bringing life to the weak lights strung along the walls, then made sure the door was shut behind them before turning back to Evelyn expectantly.
She leaned back against the edge of a workbench, chewing at her lip uncertainly. Should she start with the Institute? She wasn't sure she could bring herself to divulge all of the details. She trusted Danse, but he was still loyal to Maxson, and she worried what might happen if the Brotherhood elder knew the truth about her son. Besides, the beasts were still the more pressing concern right now.
"Something killed a Minuteman last night," she started, watching the way Danse's brow furrowed. She rubbed a hand on Dogmeat's head, tracing the patterns in his fur with an idle finger. "It ripped him open, smashed his legs. But it didn't eat the body."
She described the events from that day, starting when they found Mason's body in Sanctuary and leading up to fighting the creatures in the Super Duper Mart. Danse listened patiently, though his face was hard and eyes narrowed in thought. Evelyn did her best to describe the beasts in detail, hoping he might recognize them, but there was no indication of familiarity on his face. She even unwrapped her bandage to claw marks that had been carved into her flesh.
"And so here I am," Evelyn finished, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "I was hoping you might know what those things were, and where they're coming from. Because if there are many more around Sanctuary, we're going to have trouble fighting back."
Danse scratched at his chin, that frown still set on his face. "I've never seen such animals as the ones that you are describing," he admitted, "but they sound incredibly dangerous. Maybe even worse than deathclaws."
Evelyn nodded slowly. "I think they are. I… I felt like they set us up, Danse," she murmured, voicing the fears that had been swirling around inside of her head all day. "They laid a trap and waited for us to fall into it."
That frown on his face deepened. "It might be the Institute's work," he suggested. He leaned forward slightly, brown eyes studying her face carefully. "And you were just there," he went on. "You must be aware of some of their operations now."
Evelyn wasn't able to quite meet his eyes. "Yes," she said simply. "But I don't think the Institute is behind this. They're… it's hard to explain," she sighed, sliding her eyes back to his briefly now.
Danse crossed his arms, mimicking her stance. "I understand. But the Brotherhood will need the details, soldier. Whatever information you have on the Institute will be valuable to our campaign. Especially if they could be manufacturing a new breed of organisms."
Evelyn dug her fingernails into her skin, anger surging. Just like that, she no longer considered telling him the truth of Shaun. "Why did I bother coming to talk to you like this if you're just going to give me that Brotherhood speech bullshit?" She snapped, seeming to catch Danse off guard. "I'll tell Maxson what I know. I will. But this is not easy for me. None of this is easy for me," she seethed, approaching him to jab a finger towards his chest. She had to tilt her head back slightly to glare up at his face. "Fuck. Two of my men died today, Danse."
She had successfully left Danse at a loss for words. He looked like he was fighting some internal struggle, not sure how to respond. But then he pushed out a breath, backing down. "Forgive me," he said. "It must be very hard on you."
Evelyn felt a lump forming in her throat, but she forced back her feelings, retreating a few steps from Danse so she could lean against the workbench again. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to center herself. She was lashing out again. Yeah, Danse sometimes spouted his Brotherhood lines, but the Brotherhood was her life. It would be unfair of her to expect him to put it aside for her personal concerns.
The silence started to stretch on between them. Evelyn opened her eyes again, finding Danse watching her. "I blame myself, a bit," Evelyn admitted, her voice quiet. She knew Danse would protest immediately, so she went on. "I'm not a leader like you, or Maxson. I feel so stupid for not realizing that we were walking right into a trap."
"You couldn't have anticipated those creatures. You didn't even know of them," Danse argued. "And I'm not such a fine leader myself. You saw what happened to my recon squad." A touch of bitterness reached his voice, and Evelyn suddenly felt bad. She shouldn't have brought this topic up. She shouldn't even be venting to him; he probably thought she was just fishing for pity.
She scuffed at the ground with her toes, unsure of her how to respond. Danse spoke for her instead. "I can help you if you would allow me, Blake," he offered. "And the Prydwen has a database of information. Perhaps it will have a file on these creatures."
Evelyn slid her eyes up to him. If he wasn't calling her 'knight' or 'soldier', it was her last name. She wasn't sure he'd ever called her by her actual name. Even so, it seemed like a silly offer to make. Maxson wouldn't just let Danse wander off with her on yet another, as he so politely called it, 'fool's errand'. But his suggestions about the databases could be promising. The only problem: she would have to go to the Prydwen.
"Thanks, Danse," she ran her fingers through her hair, tugging at the knots that had formed during her rough day. "But if I head to the Prydwen, Maxson will definitely try to grill me for the details," she studied the dirt on the floor as her toes continued to push it around. "I don't think I can deal with that right now," she admitted.
Coward, her mind hissed. She pushed it away.
"I just want to keep my eyes open right now. I thought I might grab a sample from one of the creatures and bring it to Curie, see what she can find out," Evelyn went on, glancing up to gauge Danses's reaction. "And, since you offered your help… I could really use some Brotherhood knights to help me recover my man's body at the Super Duper Mart."
"Of course, soldier," Danse perked up at the idea. "I'll get a team ready to go tomorrow morning. To Sanctuary, I assume?" He asked.
Evelyn nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Danse," she said, and she meant it. She might not have been able to save that Minuteman, but she would not leave him there in death. He could be buried alongside his other fallen brothers and sisters just outside of Sanctuary. She smiled at Danse. For all of his Brotherhood propaganda, she considered him a close friend- albeit a little difficult to talk to sometimes. His training had really made a difference for her out in the wastes. She probably would have succumbed to super mutants long ago if he hadn't shown her the proper way to shoot different guns or pushed her to her limits with exercise, forcing her to build up her stamina, strength, and speed.
That said, she had little love for the Brotherhood as a whole. They weren't evil like the Institute, but they had a serious superiority complex and a deeply-rooted dislike of anything they deemed unhuman.
The door to the workshop swung open, and Evelyn jolted, startled by the sudden noise before scowling. Speak of the devil.
Knight Rhys stood straight at attention. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, though the smug look he shot Evelyn suggested otherwise. "Elder Maxson has ordered that Knight Blake returns to the Prydwen by 1200 hours tomorrow."
"What?" Evelyn's hands balled into fists, stalking towards Rhys angrily. "You told him I was here?"
"Of course," Rhys scoffed at her. "I knew the Elder would be very interested to learn his wastelander pet had returned."
Evelyn snarled in his face, arms tensing to throw a punch, and Rhys narrowed his eyes, as if to say I dare you. Dogmeat rose up to his feet, growling at Rhys. Good boy.
"Knight Blake." Danse's commanding voice spoke out, and then he was between them, pushing a hand firmly against her shoulder. She yielded back a step, moving her glare to his face instead. He was just doing his job, of course; but that didn't mean she wished he would look the other way so she could smack that stupid smirk off of Rhys's face.
Danse ignored her, turning his hard expression to Rhys instead. "Watch how you speak to your fellow knight," he said coolly. "I'll make sure she reports to the Elder tomorrow. You should get back to work," he tilted his head towards the door, dismissing him.
Rhys just grunted, exchanging a scowl with Evelyn once more before turning and heading back towards the lobby.
"Ass-kissing rat," Evelyn growled, turning away and clenching angrily at the edge of a worktable. Danse was stiff, as if considering reprimanding her for it, but she ignored his warning look. "This was the last thing I wanted to deal with."
"It had to happen eventually," Danse remarked, but Evelyn's sharp look stopped him from continuing.
"I'm supposed to go back to Sanctuary. Help bury the Minutemen we lost." She closed her eyes and breathed hard. She found herself doing that a lot recently; it helped calm down the blood roaring in her veins. "There's still so much to do."
"I can still send the team out," Danse offered. "Dogmeat and your other companion can accompany them. They'll be safe."
Evelyn opened her eyes again, focusing on the solid wood under her hands. It was a good idea; Cait and Dogmeat would be heading back to Sanctuary with an escort of armor-clad knights, even if she wasn't able to be there. The idea of defying Maxon's order was tempting, but he would be very pissed considering he was probably up in his floating fortress awaiting the details from the Institute trip. Not to mention she lecturing she would get from Danse if she even tried it.
"Fine," she relented, shoulders sagging. "I guess I should go and give Cait the heads up."
The pair made their way back to the lobby. Several Brotherhood scribes were gathered together going over reports, but it had otherwise emptied out. The evening patrol had probably already headed out. She hoped Knight Rhys was on it. Maybe one of those creatures would eat him.
Evelyn found Cait in one of the side offices with Scribe Haylen, surprised to see Haylen giggling in response to something Cait had said. She leaned in the doorframe, raising her brows. "Cait, are you torturing Haylen with another one of your raider stories?"
Cait turned, giving Evelyn a crooked grin. Haylen looked delighted. "It's just the first time I've heard a story about killing a man with a spoon," Haylen laughed. Cait puffed with pride.
"It's a talent," Cait proclaimed. Evelyn was grinning back now, but could practically feel the distaste rolling off of Danse in waves.
"C'mon, Cait," Evelyn jerked her head. Cait hopped to her feet, bidding Haylen farewell before following Evelyn towards the back of the lobby.
Danse decided it was probably better not to be standing close to Cait as Evelyn broke the news. Smart choice; Cait did not like Maxson and would not be happy. Instead, Danse made his way back towards the dining area- probably to make up for the meal he never got earlier, since he ran into Evelyn instead.
Evelyn crossed her arms, sighing. "Maxson has ordered me to return to the Prydwen tomorrow." Cait was immediately bristling.
"Your pretty-boy's doing?" Cait demanded, eyes darting towards the doorway Danse had gone through. Evelyn shook her head quickly, hoping to spare Danse from Cait's wrath.
"No. One of the Brotherhood reported I was here. I'm sure Maxson wants the Institute intel," Evelyn said. She wasn't about to reveal that Knight Rhys did it, though; as much as she'd like to see Cait maul him, she wasn't convinced it was a fight that Cait would win, either.
Cait was watching her warily. "And what are you gonna tell him...?"
The implied question was clear. Cait knew the truth of Shaun; she was one of the few people that Evelyn had told everything to. "I don't know yet," Evelyn admitted. Her eyes moved across the room, watching the group of scribes warily. Perhaps this wasn't the spot to be discussing this.
"But you and Dogmeat are going back to Sanctuary tomorrow," she went on. "Danse is setting up a team of knights to go with you. They'll retrieve the body from the Super Duper Mart as well."
A sudden thought struck her, and she swung her bag from her shoulder, digging through it. Cait peered at her curiously until her fingers tugged out a bottle of water with only a small amount of liquid left. She held it out to Cait. "Can you get some samples of the creatures for Curie, too? A few different ones- blood, skin, you know. Use this."
Cait accepted the bottle with a shrug. "I never understand all of your science stuff, but- sure." She glanced back up to meet Evelyn's eyes. "You certain this is a good idea, lass?"
"I don't have much choice," Evelyn shrugged. "Maxson doesn't really take no for an answer. But hopefully I can be in and out, and maybe I can even get a vertibird to drop me off at Sanctuary when it's all done, yeah?" And then it's time for a talk with Shaun.
Cait didn't look very reassured, but she nodded. Evelyn forced a grin, trying to look confident in this decision- even if it wasn't really her decision. "Hey, just be glad you have an armored escort instead of me to go back with. Now let's see about finding somewhere to rest our heads."
With the Brotherhood now using the police station full time for their missions, the room that Evelyn used during her training had been commandeered by weary knights and scribes that constantly circulated through it. It was for this reason that Danse insisted on putting Cait and Evelyn up in his quarters instead, reminding them that he had just slept for hours prior and wouldn't be needing it any time soon. And then Cait had threatened to give her a second concussion if she didn't 'put her ass in the damn bed right now' when Evelyn tried to take the sleeping bag on the floor instead.
So here she was, tossing and turning under a thick blanket on Danse's bed. Even if she hadn't known whose room she was in, it would've been impossible not to notice Danse's smell on everything. In fact, she could probably recognize most of her friends by smell alone at this point; they had all spent so much time together, on the road and during missions, and sharing close quarters so often really taught her to notice things like that.
Even so, smelling Danse all over this bed she was trying to sleep in was something else. Wearing power armor all day made a man sweaty. She hoped he washed his sheets often.
When sleep finally claimed her late in the night, it was only to plunge her into a cold sea of hellish dreams.
She was walking through the Institute. At least, it looked like the Institute- but the lights were dim and flickering, the hallways and laboratories swathed in shadows. Equipment that had once been pristine now sat mangled and broken, neglected pieces of metal and glass littering the walkways.
Her steps echoed in the eerie silence as she made her way slowly towards the director's quarters. A creeping fear was working its way through her body, making her heart pound in her chest and her hair stand on end. Where is everyone? What happened? This wasn't right- she was just here a few weeks ago. Is Shaun okay?
She picked up her pace, feeling her heart follow the lead and flutter wildly as she hurried to the door to Shaun's quarters. He might be a monster, but he was still her son. He needed to be okay.
The door creaked open slowly when she pushed on it. She eased her way into the room nervously, eyes darting around to take in the scene. This room was perhaps the worst of them all, furniture smashed against the walls and shredded files strewn across the floor. Blood was smudged across the ceiling in the corner.
But then her gaze found Shaun, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. He was sitting at his dusk, slumped forwards with his back to her.
"Shaun," Evelyn said, stepping towards him. "What happened to this place?"
Shaun didn't move. She slowly came to a stop, still halfway across the room. Something didn't feel right. "... Shaun? It's me," she said quietly, feeling herself struggling to speak as hot tears pooled in her eyes. "It's mom."
Shaun's muscles twitched unnaturally, a spasm that seemed to start at his shoulders and jerk his body upright. He twisted around slowly in his chair, and when she looked at his face, all she found staring back at her were two great, big, black eyes as round as marbles.
She should be screaming, running, getting away from the awful eyes that now stared at her. But she felt rooted to the spot, as if her legs refused to obey her mind's commands. She could only watch as Shaun slowly rose to his full height, swaying slightly on his feet, and stepped towards her stiffly.
As he moved, he changed. His body started to swell, lab coat splitting apart from the force of growing flesh. Muscles curled around his arms as he dropped heavily onto all fours, a guttural snarl rising in his throat. A lashing tail stretched away from him, snapping in the air like a whip. Claws burst free from his hands, grating against the floor with a grating screech.
Those eyes stared into her own the whole time. Eyes that knew things. Cold, calculating, predatory eyes.
"Shaun…" she choked out, finally finding her feet to stumble backwards- and bumping into the cool metal wall behind her.
The thing that was Shaun snarled again, the sound more confident this time. His face had contorted, first in a grotesque grimace and now stretching into something inhuman. His clothing had been turned to shreds by now, hair curling out from his spine as he straightened up his body up fully, bracing powerful forelegs against the ground- all four of them.
She was staring down one of the beasts again, just as she had done twice before in the Super Duper Mart. Once before the beast charged her, and again as it suffered its final moments of life. Shaun's beast sat up on its hind legs like a perching bear. Its four heavy arms lifted, pushing against the wall and floor on either side of her, trapping her as it moved its head in close. Breath that smelled like rot slid from its parted jaws when it bared its teeth.
The last thing she felt was those teeth picking her up by the shoulders before slamming her into the ground to be shredded by waiting claws.
Evelyn jolted awake with a choked gasp. She shuddered violently as the ghosts of those claws left her skin, gripping at her arms and pulling her knees up to her chest. Her skin was slick with sweat, and tears were trickling slowly from her eyes.
That was a different nightmare than usual. She closed her eyes, breathing slowly to try and get herself under control before she woke Cait up. She could still feel herself trembling. It had felt so real.
She rolled onto her side to stare at the wall, pulling the blanket up close to her chin. A soft sigh escaped her when the smell of Danse floated up around her again, and she found herself wiggling down in further to inhale it deeply. It was calming, to be wrapped up in the smell of someone she trusted; it was as if some part of him were here, offering her comfort.
Despite herself, she felt a smile creeping onto her lips. The few times Danse had attempted to comfort her on some of her bad days, he'd struggled to find the words. She didn't blame him; it was hard as hell to comfort people who had gone through shit like she had. And Danse wasn't the best at communication like that to begin with.
Her heart was finally slowing down, and she felt like she could breathe again without gasping each breath down. Yet even with the sweat still pooling on her skin, she kept herself wrapped up tight in Danse's blanket, letting his scent envelop her.
When she finally slept again, it was peaceful.
Author's note: Sorry if some parts are a little slow in these first chapters! Trying to get a good feel for writing all of these characters. More action coming soon!