After a while of cloud watching with Dylan, Avery heard a car door slam. The door to the cabin slammed not much later.
Vaughn must be back, she thought, sitting up.
With a grin, she poked Dylan in the side. "C'mon, I think Vaughn's back," she told him. A playful light filled her eyes as she got to her feet and said, "First one back to the cabin wins!"
Dylan snickered in return, finding her playful mood more and more amusing as well as relieving. "What are you, 5?" He teased.
But he followed her anyway.
Avery rolled her eyes and dashed back to the cabin, deciding against using her power to get ahead of Dylan. She could totally beat him if she turned into a cheetah— that would be a new one for her— or a wolf— it was always fun to feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins that she got from being a wolf. She managed to stay ahead of Dylan for a while, but he eventually passed her in the end.
"Wow. You're fast!" Avery said between breaths. She rested her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. The race had brought a crimson glow to her cheeks and a new light to her eyes.
"Yeah, well, thanks for making it fair," He responded, equally out of breath but smiling all the same, "You did really good, too."
Suddenly Dylan felt the urge to hug her. He was truly feeling like himself for the first time in awhile.
"Heya, Avery? Thanks." He said, his voice dropping a little.
"For what?" Avery asked with a smile. "I didn't do anything."
(It's literally only been half an hour, but this was already halfway down the page…)
"You did, actually," Dylan replied, "You reminded me that I'm still human. You might laugh, but that's an easy thing to forget. And before you jokingly say I'm not, in essence I am. I always believed I was. But between being a hero without a name, a misfit, and now I'll even dare to call myself a monster, it's easy to forget that I'm only 20 years old, and that I am still capable of having fun."
He put up his hands in mock surrender, "You made it easier to remember. And for that, I have to thank you."
(Aw! Cute!)
A blush crept up onto Avery's cheeks, this time because she was flustered, not out of breath. Her smile wavered a bit, but she managed to keep it intact.
"Then… You're welcome," she murmured. "And thank you for helping me to let loose a little and have some fun. You know as well as I do– if not better than I do– that these past couple days have been stressful, and that just makes me get ticked off really easily. So… I'm also sorry for being kind of a jerk lately…"
(Continues eating popcorn)
(Continues eating popcorn)
(Lol. I'd join you if I wasn't already in the RP. ;P)
"I can forgive you for that. We've all had a very hell bent couple of days. Speaking of the rest of us, I think I'm gonna check on Vaughn. Element oughta be inside as well. We need to set up for tonight's little trip to Botswana"
Dylan moved towards the door to the cabin and opened it for Avery, "After you, madame," he said with a mock royal accent.
"Why, thank you, kind sir!" Avery exclaimed, laughing at Dylan's antics. She walked inside, feeling happier and lighter than she had in days.
(Aaaand, we're back! To the time that Vaughn got back, that is.)
Once inside, Dylan called for Vaughn.
No answer came. Flipping about the cabin, he eventually found him in front of a sink in one of the bathrooms. He was staring at his shirt.
"Hey, Vaughn, ya alright man? You sped off on us, never said a word. Nearly scared the hell out of me."
Avery looked around for Lenny. When she didn't find the younger girl, she realized that she must have left.
Now where did she run off to? she wondered, taking a seat on the couch.
All of a sudden, the exhaustion from the past 48 hours caught up with her, and her eyelids drooped. After a few minutes, she was fast asleep, laying sideways on the couch.
Vaughn stayed still, his hands visibly shaking. He had been touching his shirt, causing his hands to be covered in blood once again. His mind flashed back for a moment. When he had arrived at the house, the door was wide open. He had rushed in, but there was no one there. He had been calling desperately for Sam, but had gotten no answer. Eventually though, he found the boy. Sam was on the floor of the basement, having been stabbed at least four times. Vaughn remembered the strong urge to scream or get sick, most likely both. The boy was visibly choking for breath, blood most likely in his lungs. So, Vaughn did the only thing he could and cradled the boy in his arms until he passed.
That’s how the boy’s blood was staining his shirt. He tried to stay calm, standing there with his back turned to Dylan. Yet, he couldn't control the oticable gasp in his inhales. He turned hesitantly, now revealing the gruesome amount of blood. “The boy I helped is dead,” he said slowly, obviously struggling to keep his tone steady.
(blinks Holy cow… Dude… That's… really sad…)
(Yeah, it’s pretty bad.)
(It's horrible!)
(Why must we torture our characters so?)
Oh hell…
He was covered, straight covered, in blood.
"My god… What the fuck happened?" Dylan stammered, a mix of anger and confusion in his rising voice, "We killed the guy… who else wanted this kid dead?"
He didn't give Vaughn time to answer. He had just come back from the happiest time of his life, and he was already being thrust back into soldiering. His blades were in his hand before he knew it.
"I'm going back."
(Apologies for language, but wouldn't you be just a tad bit scared and pissed at the same time if a kid get's murdered as such?)
(Apologies for language, but wouldn't you be just a tad bit scared and pissed at the same time if a kid get's murdered as such?)
(shrugs I'm pretty used to it— Not saying I enjoy it, but it doesn't really phase me. And, yeah. It makes sense.)
(My dad's military. I grew up around it, to a degree. He's certainly a lot more loose-tongued than my mom was….)
(I know a lot of guys from the military. My Pastor used to be a Marine.)