Chapter 8: New Faces

First Part Written by MrsOogieBoogie

Aubrey laid comfortably upon a warm bed, her breathes as calm and light as air. Birds chirped outside of the window and soon the suns rays lit up the outside and the room she was within grew brighter. She let out a light moan and her eyelids fluttered open, looking out the window she laid under and watching the trees sway in the gentle wind. It took a few moments for her to gain composure, looking to the walls and the ceiling of the room and realizing she was somewhere else. 

Aubrey sat up quickly and she seemed to wake up almost instantly, completely alert and she backed into the corner as she sat on the strange new bed. There was someone in the room along with her, older than her and looking in her early 30's. Aubrey kept quiet, waiting for the woman to speak and noticing she had been changed into new clothes again.

"Please don't be frightened, you're safe now, dear," the woman spoke and Aubrey's heartbeat was pounding, "My name is Janet and you were brought here by people within our group. You're in Section F-8, we're a ways away from F-5 where you were picked up. I figured with what you might've gone through you wouldn't want to be in the clothes you were wearing, so I dressed you in something I had lying around," she continued.

Aubrey looked to the woman as she spoke, then back to her clothes, at least I know who dressed me this time, she thought to herself. "How d-do I know you're not just going trick me? I've woken up like this twice now and I'd like to avoid going through the first time over again," Aubrey retorted.

Janet let out a gentle chuckle, "We know about those people now and what they did.. If we were anything like them at all, you'd already be dead," she replied, Aubrey then taking a large breath and letting it out slowly.

"What's your name, dear?" She asked.

"A-Aubrey," she replied, "How.. How long have I been sleeping?" Aubrey wondered, running her fingers over her lip and cheek, not feeling her cuts and bruises anymore.

"You slept for 4 days actually.. You had a few frantic episodes where you would cry and scream in your sleep, but being with those people I would expect nothing less.. I took your hair down as well, I didn't want the pin holding up your bangs to poke you while you slept."

Aubrey reached up then and felt her bangs hanging on either side of her face, "Oh..W-Well, thank you.." 

"You're very welcome, Aubrey," she replied, and though Aubrey would normally smile at her in response, she still couldn't bring herself to do so. 

Aubrey eventually moved closer to the edge of the bed and hung her legs off, trying to remember what had happened back in F-5 and trying to think of when she was rescued. I remember being in the basement and Preston was antagonizing me, I kicked him and he hit me.. I then remember something sweet in my mouth, but my head was spinning and my eyes and ears seemed clouded. All I could see was a small figure in front of me with a white face, I heard rustling in the background as if people were fighting.. The last thing I remember was someone holding me and green eyes behind a green face, or was it a mask?

"What did they do to you? Only if you don't mind me asking.." Janet asked softly and Aubrey looked over to her.

"Nothing.. They hit me a few times, locked me in a basement, teased and threatened me, but that's about it.. Luckily I was saved before they could do anything.. Extreme.. And for that I'm grateful," Aubrey replied.

Aubrey soon stood to her feet and looked to Janet, seeing a smile on her lips and Aubrey felt comforted by it; her smile was more genuine and loving than anyone else she had fatefully encountered since she had arrived. "Um.. Who else lives with you?" Aubrey wondered.

"All together there's 5 of us, with you it makes 6. There's me, another woman named Beatrice, but try to stay on her good side.. She's been known to be unpleasant sometimes.. She has a slight temper, but don't worry about her. Then there's Roman, he's our gadgets kind of guy, he knows how to make things and he can fix almost anything.. Then lastly, the brothers, the ones who found you and brought you back here.. They track and hunt food for us mostly. Jude is the older one, and Russell is only 10," Janet answered and Aubrey nodded. 

 "I have an idea.. There's a pond just out back, I'm sure you're dying to take a bath," Janet offered and Aubrey showed her first hint of a smile.

"Oh.. Well, I don't like water too much.. Is it, um, shallow? Or.." Aubrey asked.

"Yes, it's very small and shallow, only about 3 or 4 feet. It's very clean and clear water, there's no fish or anything in it either, we ate those fish a long time ago," Janet said with a chuckle and Aubrey kept her smile.

"Thank you, very much.. I'd like that," Aubrey replied.

"Oh! Jude also went back to the safe house you were being held and he brought some things back, maybe you can go through it all and claim what's yours, if you had any belongings there?"

"Oh.. Alright, thank you.."

Janet led Aubrey downstairs and admired the large house, plenty of space for this many people. Her eyes then met a pair of honey brown ones, Aubrey guessing this was the other woman who lived there with the temper.

"Beatrice, this is Aubrey, she finally woke up," Janet said with a joyous tone and Aubrey smirked briefly.

"It's, um.. It's nice to meet you," Aubrey said in a quiet and shy tone, already intimidated by the woman who just simply stared at Aubrey, her eyes then going back to the fire in the middle of the room and Aubrey let out a discouraging sigh.

Janet continued on, bringing Aubrey outside and to the back of the house, "See? Beatrice can be rude without you even needing to do anything.. She'll come around though. The pond is back here, I think I hear the guys, too.. You can meet them along the way," Janet said with a smile, looking back at Aubrey and she gave a nervous smirk back. Aubrey was never very good with new people, she never really knew what to say, she preferred being asked questions and giving a simple yes or no. 

They came around the house and Aubrey watched as two men practice fought within the brush. Janet stopped and Aubrey did as well slightly behind her, "Guys, she's finally awake," Janet announced and they both stopped, looking to Aubrey as they caught their breath and her cheeks flushed a light pink as they looked to her, averting her eyes quickly and looking to Janet.

The brunette man gave a comforting smile towards Aubrey and she smirked in return, though trying to keep her eyes occupied with something else rather than the two men shirtless. "Hi, I'm Roman," the man began, sticking out his hand for Aubrey to shake and she hesitated a moment before reaching out and accepting it.

"I'm Aubrey.." She replied, shaking his hand and he gave her a warm smile. 

Aubrey watched the other man behind Roman, the one she knew was the one that had saved her, yet he didn't say a word to her. Roman took notice to Aubrey's curiosity towards him and he smiled, tilting his head to block her view from the blonde and to grasp her attention for himself. "That's Jude.. He's the one who brought you here. I don't know where his little brother is, though.." Roman introduced the man he was sparring with and she looked to him once more, seeing him take a seat upon the grass as he continued to catch his breath from their activity. 

Roman couldn't help but notice Aubrey's gaze return to Jude, smirking a little and he looked to Jude as well, "Don't be an asshole, say hi or something.. You're the one that brought her here, anyways," he called out to him.

"Hi," Jude finally answered, looking to Aubrey briefly and turning his attention back to their surroundings. Aubrey's heart skipped a beat a little, unable to return the greeting so instead she bowed her head softly. 

"Where's that trouble making brother of yours?" Roman wondered and Jude shrugged. 

"Who knows.. He can't be too far I imagine.." Jude replied.

Janet faced Aubrey and got her attention once more, "Well, you've met everyone now except for the little one, but he'll be around sooner or later. He's been eager to see you awake," she said with a smile and Aubrey smirked, liking that the boy had already taken a liking to her. "For the pond so you can clean up, just keep walking passed Jude and you'll be there in about half a minute. It's very close to the house. So," Janet added, looking then to the guys, "Eyes and ears open, keep Aubrey safe," she gave as somewhat of an order and Roman nodded in agreement as Jude continued to try to ignore everyone. 

"Thank you, Janet.. All of you, for everything," Aubrey replied, giving them each a gentle smirk before following Janet's directions and making her way towards the pond.

Aubrey made her way through the foliage behind the house and could smell water not too far from her. Janet was right, within no time Aubrey had reached the small, clear pond and was excited that she would finally have a chance to wash up and clean herself after being unable to for so long already. What she wanted to wash most was her hair that still harbored the smell of the first house she had been to with the terrible inhabitants, wanting to forget that awful place entirely. 

Aubrey stripped down and set her clothes off to the side and away from the pond to try and keep them dry, letting her toes touch the water and testing its temperature before getting in. The sun was beaming down onto her and the small pond, keeping it warm and it was the most comfortable she had been so far ever since she had been put within the Sections. She was finally able to relax after all that she had been put through in the short time she's been here, yet she still felt a slight emptiness in her from having no clue if Scarlett was here, too, or if she was even alive.

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Second Part Written by LateKnightSimmer

I can't stop crying. I guess thinking of Daniel again was still an open wound for me. I was unaware I'd repressed those feelings so much, I thought maybe I'd actually gotten over him. Clearly, I hadn't. Neal led me to the safe house and we sat down on the couch together. I willingly snuggled in Neal's arms and he rubbed my back comfortingly.

"Should we sleep a little bit, Scarlett? We've been walking a long time and you're probably not in a good place for more traveling at the moment."

I nod and Neal takes my hand, helping me off the couch.

"Maybe we can find a bed in this place. At least that would be more comfortable than the couch."

I follow Neal around the house as he peeks his head into each room, looking for a bed. Finally he finds one and we snuggle up together on it. I've sopped crying for the time being, but I'm still thinking about what happened. I realize that I have not told Neal why I was crying, and I am grateful to him for taking care of me instead of being awkward because I was emotional. I wonder if he thinks less of me since I basically broke down in front of him. I hope he doesn't think I'm not as big of an asset as he originally thought. I think I am starting to see that I do like having Neal around.

When I wake up, I hear a loud thud from the other room. I see that Neal is still with me, and that he has also heard the sound. We both remain silent, looking at each other and motioning what we are thinking of doing regarding the investigation of the sound. There is some rustling, and Neal moves lightning fast off the bed, going to the door so he can look around the corner. He signals that it's clear and I follow him to the top of the stairs, looking down them, my eyes following Neal as he cautiously makes his way down each tread. We both get to the bottom of the stairs and hide behind a wall, each of us on either side. The noise was coming from the kitchen, and now there is a clatter of pots and pans. A strange man is there, on all fours like a wild animal, throwing things around.

Suddenly he sniffs the air and becomes paranoid. He runs out of the kitchen and into the living room. Neal goes into the room and sees the man behind the couch.

"Hey, what's your name? We're not going to-"

The man jumps out from where he's hiding and attacks Neal, growling, while trying to scratch his face. I move quickly, pinning the man's hands behind his back. He's very strong, and he wiggles around violently, out of my grasp, lunging at Neal again. Neal swings at him, but the man seems not to be phased by Neal's punches. He pins Neal on the floor, and continues attacking him. I pull the man off Neal and together we manage to knock him out, as he falls on the floor, unconscious.

"What the fuck was that all about?"

"Neal, are you all right?"

"Yeah, it's just surface scratches, I'll survive. Why did he keep attacking just me?"

Neal touches his face and some blood transfers from his cheek to his hand. We take a moment to examine the man as he lays unconscious on the floor. His back has lots of scars, as if he'd been whipped multiple times in his life. He had very dirty fingernails and callouses on his palms. His wrists had marks on them like he'd been tied up for a prolonged period of time. He was wearing dirty pants that looked old and were worn at the knees, with no shoes. He also had dirt caked in his hair.

"I don't know. It looks like he's been tortured."

"Should we restrain him somehow?"

"Maybe, he seems really violent. I don't even know if he can talk. He seemed almost feral."

When the man comes to, he struggles against the rope we tied around his wrists. Neal and I look at him to see how he'll react. The man glares at us, growling again, then hangs his head.

"Hey, we don't want to hurt you, but we had to tie you up because you kept jumping on me. Do you know what your name is?"

"Grrrrrrr..."

"Can you talk? Do you speak English?"

"Ye- yes. Grrrr..."

"Why did you keep jumping at me?"

"Scar- scared."

Whatever this man had been through, he was clearly fucked up in the head. Perhaps the torture had something to do with it, but now I felt bad for him. I saw a little bit of myself in him, with the way he resorted to violence because he was scared. As much as I hated to admit it, I think I am so violent because I do have a little bit of fear living in this world. If I kill first, then I can't be killed.

"We can untie you if you promise to calm down."

"Oh- okay."

Neal unties the man and he scoots back in the chair, hugging his knees to himself. I am taken by complete surprise and shock when I see the color of his eyes because I swear I am looking at Daniel.

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Distance Between Scarlett and Aubrey: 980 miles