[center][u] Nathalie Soltero | Finn’s Shelter | Grant and Finn[/u][/center]

Fear began to set deep within Nathalie’s persona. She began to fill it when the pit of her stomach began to feel hollow, as if there was nothing there but pure cold. The cold traveled up, towards her heart, then outwards to her limbs. Even though the night was hot and humid, she couldn’t help the shivers that began to form even though she stood her ground with her hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of her machete. Her eyes only broke from Grant’s when she would turn to glare at the men around her. They eyed her as if they were hungry dogs, begging for their master to throw a peace of meat at them. [i]’Disgusting’[/i], she thought as her eyes went back to Grant. Once he finally motioned for the pigs to look away, she planted her feet down steadily in the creek’s bed and pushed her body out of the water, not once breaking eye contact as she exposed herself and her blade to him. “Thank,” she spat, before she turned around and made her way out of the water entirely. As she neared her clothes, her brows instantly furrowed as she grimaced at the male standing next to them. He was itching to turn around and look, but she wouldn’t have it. “Move.” Her voice was as if it was made out of ice and steel, as she bent down and snagged her clothes off of the ground. She quickly made her way behind a large tree and let herself crouch down for a second as she felt the panic begin to set it. It was as if there was a vice grip clenching her heart and lungs all in one, stopping her from breathing and sending waves of pain throughout her body. What had she done? Would they have left if she had not gone out to the creek? Finn and Nicole would truly hate her after this, and the safety she had so desperately desired would vanish in an instant. Nathalie’s breath came out shaky as she stood up once more and looked at the clothes she had in her arms. Her hair and body were completely drenched, which mean that soon her clothes would be too since they were giving her little to no time to dry off. “God damn it!” She hissed before struggling to put on her clothes.

Once she had reappeared in her wet sports bra and jeans, the men jumped on her and tied her hands to her back. They were clearly waiting for her to be done changing, taking little to no time to go behind the tree and grab her blade, all while leading her out back to the shelter. Her eyes began to fill to the brim with tears as she was pulled along like an animal, but the tears truly began to leak once her eyes locked with the familiar green eyes of the one person she trusted and failed. “Finn, I’m so sorry.” Her voice was quiet and broken, but enough for her friend to understand. The gun in her neck seemed to dig deeper as Grant heard and saw her pleading, trying to get her to shut up. Whoever had been holding her tied hands had been doing too well of a job, as the rope began to cut into her skin, causing her to feel a stinging sensation. 

She listened closely to Grant speak, as if he was giving some sort of presentation to the two of them. The people around them simply smiled or smirked, nodding at their leader’s words as if it was prophecy. Her hair began to stick to her skin as the water from the creek began to mix with the sweat of the heat and anticipation. Nathalie’s petite body began to shiver more as she began to feel cold with anxiety and fear once more, her eyes never leaving Finn’s. [i]’Please god, if you’re up there, please don’t let them find Nicole. Please.’[/i] She pleaded feverishly with her maker, hoping that at least one of them made it out alive and unscathed. She had long forgotten about her religion, but in times of need she could not help but to pray, because everything was out of her control. 

As Grant started coming to his conclusion, Nathalie finally returned to paying attention, her eyes once again widening and a small yelp escaping her as the barrel of the gun came in contact with her temple. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to cry and sob and plead for her freedom, as well as Finn’s. Her pride did the opposite though, it told her to stand up straight and take her death sentence with dignity; to not let the scum around her see her cower in fear. After a minute of Finn not responding, all Nat could do was close her eyes as tight as she could  to pass her final moments. 

[b]” "Have it your way. We'll play into your little game and join your little organization. Now let her go."[/b]

Her mouth fell open as Nathalie heard Finn’s words, her eyes fluttering open in time to see Grant’s malicious grin as he nodded to the man behind her. The gun quickly lifted from her temple and the sudden feeling of her wrists being cut free caused her to jump a bit before noticing how weak her knees felt. [i]’Shit’[/i], she thought, knowing that she would fall sooner than later due to the amount of stress and anxiety she was feeling. Without waiting another moment, the young woman ran towards Finn, crashing into him and wrapping her arms around his waist, her face burrowed into his chest as she held on for dear life and not caring if she got him wet. If it wasn’t for him sustaining her, she would probably collapse or faint. She too this time to slow her own breathing, focusing on his heartbeat and breathing pattern even though it was a bit elevated. “Finn, I’m so sorry.” Her words were barely a whisper as she calmed herself. Her arms refused to let go as she stood there, hearing the two men speak; once she had control over her body and knew she could speak in a firm tone, Nathalie finally let go and turned to face Grant once more. “Tell us how you’re going to want for us to work with you right now. We don’t have all night.”


[@Juniper][@QT]

[center] ~ [/center]

Scarlett Watson | Mall Parking Lot | Ashley

The woman watched intently to see if there was any sign of friendliness from the other woman she was seeing. After a few moments of hesitation, their hand also went up in a welcoming manner and Scarlett smiled a bit, following their lead and walking over to meet them half way.

“I’m afraid a lot of people here know not to shoot at me. It’s not a wise decision.” She smiled brightly as she neared the girl, looking at her closely and taking in her features. “Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but you look pretty young. Is everything okay? Are [i]you[/i] okay?” Scarlett’s head tilted slightly as she waited for the girl to return her answer. Even though she was listening closely to her, Scarlett’s olive colored eyes roamed around the lot, watching as the sun began to create dark shadows. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be rude, I’m Scarlett. I actually don’t stay in this area too much, but I do frequent it because this mall still has clothes and even pads and tampons if you look in the right spots.” She smiled a bit at the woman, turning to look down the street. Although she kept a calm demeanor, inside she was filled with dread. “I’d hate to bring this out of no where, but do you want to go to the mall with me? I think there are too many visitors in there and there’s safety in numbers.” She guessed that she possibly seemed to friendly for the girl. Everyone was now aggressive and too defensive. This was something that never changed within Scarlett; her want to help others. She just wanted the people around her to feel safe and comfortable, even in the hell that they lived in. 




[@datadogie]