The silence could have last hours or merely seconds, Lucia wasn't aware of the time passing as she gazed hard at the boy who claimed to be named Darko. She didn't know how to react or think of the whole situation. Was it even possible for the parasites to die? She didn't think so, considering how long they seemed to live. But, on the other hand, maybe it was? Being hidden and practically erased from the world didn't leave them with much information or resources.
A loud scoffed snorting noise of disbelief interrupted the silence in a cutting way. Clyde was laughing loudly from behind Lucia, face hysterical as he snickered at the boy.
Darko looked disappointed and visibly deflated at being laughed at, he had obviously been hoping his story would be seen through.
"Did you really think we'd believe that pathetic story?" Clyde harshly snapped at him, eyes dark and black hair falling in his face as he glowered at Darko.
The blue eyed boy just stood there, the ends of his mouth turned down in a frown as he thought. Lucia couldn't help, but feel bad for him. If she were stuck in that position, well, she wouldn't even know where to begin or what to do. She'd be so frightened to face these hard humans who live out of the wild, armed with bows and arrows.
"Shoot it down," Clyde commanded as he switched his eyes to Lucia, knowing if he tried the group would start complaining again, but whereas with Lucia they trusted her judgement.
She could feel all four of their stares on her as glanced down to her bow and arrow, almost afraid of it's lethalness and the power of life or death on her shoulders. She may have been a hunter, but a human life was different, especially if they didn't know if this human was a host or not. It made her fingers itch and brain feel heavy in her head.
"Lucia," A soft voice sounded in her ear and she knew it to be Jackson"His rough voice had changed back to that calming tone he only used with her. "Don't do anything you don't believe is right." And then he stepped back to his original position, leaving her to make her own decision.
The thing was, she didn't feel this as right, it felt wrong, very wrong, to just shoot the man down without further investigation and questioning. She couldn't even bear to think of living with the guilt of killing an innocent human.
But, then on the other hand, what if he turned out to be a Seeker and ratted them all out? Lucia also cringed at the thought of putting everyone's lives in danger.
As she thought more about the possible outcomes of each decision. She knew if she kept him alive that they would not only be putting themselves in danger, but be risking making their whole group nomads if the others turned them away.
Lucia glanced up at Darko again, scared to meet his fearful gaze. But, his eyes weren't full of fear, instead, they were full of...trust, or what seemed to that. He was willingly putting his life in her hands, trusting her to make the right decision.
She found herself looking him over, checking for signs that lead to a comfortable life of the hosts. His limbs were long and lean, scratches lining up his bare arms. She noticed the scars that were littered across his neck and collar, becoming invisible when it met the collar of the dirty blue shirt he wore. The scars almost looked like burns, or possibly created by sharp snaps of a stick or whip.
Trying to ignore them, but keeping a mental note to ask about them if he lived, traveled up to his jaw where stubble lined it lightly, shadowing under his prominent cheekbones. Avoiding his gaze, she moved to untidy hair, noticing the slight waves to it.
He had definitely not been living in the comfort of a town or city, but rather surviving on his own. That realization tipped her judgement, making his story seem more believable.
With a deep sigh, she completely let her bow down, putting the loose arrow back into the quiver. She was afraid to see the faces of her group, but knew they wouldn't question her decision, even if they disagreed with it.
"Jackson, Clyde, tag him, Jasey take the back." She ordered, slinging the bow across her back. "If you see any game, shoot it down. We're going to have a hard enough time as it is." And with that, she turned her back on all of them, not sure whether or not to feel regretful of this decision. But, one thing was for sure, they were in for a different kind of hell when they'd return.
(A/N : Sorry for the short chapter, I didn't have much time to write, but wanted to post at least something. I also really wanted to say thank you to RainbowTeeth8. I really, really appreciated the time you took to review and how you gave me great feedback, thank you so much. And to anyone else reading this story, I really hope you enjoy reading it.)